Historical Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions are many and varied throughout the world. When we think of the Christmas season we think of the 12 days of Christmas, holiday feasts, carolers, the Yule log, carnivals with floats, gift giving and stockings hanging by the chimney with care.

The Christmas tree has been around since ancient times and has become one of the most beloved and well known symbols of Christmas traditions in almost all western world countries in one form or another. The evergreen Christmas tree was left outside in earlier times as a reminder that the desolation and cold of winter would soon end and the green life of spring would return. People decorated these outdoor trees with fruits and candles honoring the gods of harvests.

The Germans are thought to be the first to bring the tree inside and decorate them with candies, gingerbread, fruits and candles. Most Americans considered the tree an oddity in the 1830s and it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the idea caught on in America. Candles continued to be the light of choice on the tree until the invention of electricity and the light bulb in the early 20^th century.

Now, throughout the land, Christmas trees are in almost every home gloriously decorated with the unique and the traditional. Each year, people watch in awe as the President of the United States lights the national tree in Washington as a symbol of peace and unity.

Here are some great historical Christmas productions that I find interesting: