History of Holiday Traditions

There are many ways to celebrate during the holidays. Some families celebrate in their own unique way creating new traditions, but there are also a lot of traditions that many families share. Some people have these traditions all throughout their young life, yet they rarely stop to wonder where they came from. 

One of the most common holiday traditions is the Christmas tree. One of the likely origins of the Christmas tree dates back all the way to Germany during the middle ages for an unknown reason, and from there they spread throughout Europe, and later, America. 

Another time honored tradition is the midnight visit from the jolly old Saint Nick. This is thought to have originated from the poem “The Night Before Christmas,” which was written in 1822 by Clement C. Moore.

The myth of Saint Nick himself is the story of a Catholic saint. In the tale, he was orphaned at a very young age, leaving him with an immense inheritance. The story goes that he then traveled around, giving away his wealth generously. When he heard that a man had lost his three daughters’ dowry, Saint Nick wanted to give the man some money, but the man was too proud to take it. Saint Nick climbed up to the roof in the night and dropped three sacks of gold down the chimney. The sacks landed in the girls’ three stockings hanging by the fire to dry, and that is where the tradition of hanging stockings comes from. 

An even older tradition still practiced today is the use of yule logs. They used to be an ancient celebration for the winter solstice. In 1966, New York City aired a clip of burning yule log with holiday music playing in the background, and since then it has become a viewing tradition throughout the United States. 

One more common viewing tradition is watching the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The movie originally flopped after its release, and performed so poorly that the studio closed.  but it experienced a second life when the copyright expired in 1970, and since then it has been a beloved Christmas movie. 

One of the most famous holiday traditions is the telling of the story of the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolph. The story of Rudolph originates from a coloring book by Robert May for a Chicago department store and the book was an instant success. Sadly, May’s wife passed away from cancer shortly after. Consequently, the department store gave the rights to May so he could make enough money to pay off the bills and raise his daughter. 

These were just a few of the many holiday traditions and their stories. The holidays are a time of celebrating traditions that date back generations and sometimes centuries. So it is important to remember where they all come from and why they are so special.