- Christmas is a holiday full of traditions.
- From using an advent calendar to eating fruitcake, these traditions have origins all over the world.
- Many of today's most popular Christmas traditions date back to ancient times.
From counting down the days of December with an advent calendar to decking out a tree in decorations and lights, Christmas is a holiday that's full of traditions.
While Christmas means something different for everyone who celebrates, many classic holiday traditions are shared all over the world. Since many traditions date all the way back to ancient times, Christmas today wouldn't be the same without the history that made the holiday what it is.
Keep reading for the origins of 11 common Christmas traditions.
Hanging stockings was popularized by a beloved Christmas poem.
The tradition of hanging stockings on the fireplace can be traced back to a story of a widowed man who was worried he could not provide for his three daughters, according to Smithsonian Magazine. St. Nicholas heard about the family's hardships and filled the daughters' stockings, which were drying by the fire, with gold coins.
The popularity of the tradition, however, can be attributed to Clement Clarke Moore's poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" from 1823.
A line from the classic poem reads, "[St. Nick] fill’d all the stockings; then turn’d with a jerk,/And laying his finger aside of his nose/And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose."
From then on, it was a common practice for children to hang their stockings by the fire on Christmas Eve in the hopes that Santa Claus would fill them with presents.
The tradition of sending Christmas cards began in England.
Whether you print your own cards featuring a family photo or write simple notes to friends and family, chances are, you've sent out a few Christmas cards in your lifetime.
Today, Christmas cards act as a year-in-review for people to catch up on what their friends and family have been up to, although the tradition has a long history.
During the Christmas season in England in 1843, Sir Henry Cole decided that he wanted a way to send a holiday greeting to his friends without having to write individual letters, according to Smithsonian Magazine. He had 1,000 illustrated cards printed with the words, "A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You" with space for personalization. This was the beginning of the Christmas card, which isn't too far off from what we do today.
Modern advent calendars are based on the Christian practice of advent leading up the Christmas.
Advent calendars are now commonly used to count down from the beginning of December until Christmas Day, but they have roots in the Christian tradition of Advent, which dates back more than 1,600 years, according to TIME.
Meant to prepare Christians for the coming of Christ, people used to fast before the "Christ-mass." In more recent history, many advent calendars focus on the non-religious aspects of Christmas and countdown from December 1 to 25 with a small gift each day.
Today, there's no shortage of options for advent calendars, from DIY gift bags to boxes filled with chocolate treats or even wine.
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