Merry Christmas!!

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Italian Christmas Vocabulary

Italian Christmas Vocabulary List

Click to hear the highlighted word spoken by a native speaker.

il Natale — Christmas
Babbo Natale — Santa Claus
Buon Natale — Merry Christmas
il regalo di Natale — Christmas present
la vigilia di Natale — Christmas Eve
l'albero di Natale — Christmas tree
il canto di Natale — Christmas carol
il biglietto d'auguri — Christmas card
il presepio — nativity, creche
Gesù Bambino —the Christ Child or Infant Jesus
la festa di Santo Stefano — Saint Stephen's Day
il Capodanno — New Year's Day
gli auguri di Capodanno — New Year's greeting
la Befana — kindly old witch who brings children toys on Twelfth Night
la festa dell'Epifania — Epiphany
i Re Magi — the Magi, or the Three Kings or Wise Men

(from: http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa120600b.htm)

Panettone and Pandoro

Italy has a great many Christmas sweets, ranging from simple cookies to extraordinarily elaborate puddings and cakes, varying depending on the regional specialty. Pandoro and Panettone, the Christmas cakes of Verona and Milano, have achieved national popularity because they can be baked in industrial quantities and will keep fresh long enough to be distributed throughout the country. Because of this, pastry shops most everywhere in Italy make panettone in addition to their local specialties, and those who want something with a more individual touch than industry can provide visit their bakers rather than the supermarket. Not that one can't get some pretty unusual touches in the supermarket; the traditional panettone is a light, airy cake with candied fruit and raisins in the dough, but I also found, among other things, traditional dough with frosting and slivered almonds on top; frosting and slivered almonds on top but no candied fruit or raisins in the dough; frosting on top and almonds in the dough; with chocolate frosting and custard filling arranged in a spoke pattern (no fruit or almonds), and with chocolate frosting and orange custard filling. Pandoro, which is a light, airy cake made with a great deal of butter and baked in a high 8-pointed star-shaped pan, is generally just dusted with confectioners' sugar (nothing in the dough), though there are versions with custard fillings.

(http://italianfood.about.com/od/holidaydishes/a/aa121703.htm)

La Befana

An Italian Christmas Legend

(from: santasletterbox.net/befana.html)

It is a great mistake to think that there are no fairies in Italy, and one of the nicest is called La Befana, and she belongs to Christmas just like the holly and mistletoe and snowmen. She comes only once a year as the Three Kings do, and she is not young and beautiful, but old and bent and more like a witch than a fairy. In fact, before people realized how kind she was, they thought of her as a wicked witch and rang bells made of earthenware and blew glass trumpets to frighten her away. But all this has been forgotten now, and anyhow, the Befana never deserved it as her story will show.

Click here for her story...(excerpt below)
... the Befana's long journey began, and at first it took her all over the earth and into every corner of the world; she crossed the great mountain ranges, and deserts and oceans; she forded rivers and passed through forests. And so she saw all the beauty God had created, and met many strange animals, and she found that they too knew of the Baby King. As to men, she soon gave up asking them anything for they only contradicted each other, but she thought that if she went steadily to every child, in the end she was bound to find that one baby for whom she was searching. And remembering the Kings and their long caravan of pack mules laden with gifts, she got an old sack and filled it with every kind of thing that children most enjoy; only I think there must have been something magical about that sack, for though the Befana is still traveling, it never gets too heavy or full for her to carry, and yet she never gets to the bottom or runs short of toys.
Gradually Italy came to be her special country for further north she found Saint Nicholas was busy looking after children's Christmas presents, and he called himself Santa Claus and dressed up like a grandfather snowman for the occasion; and though he was a saint, he was very annoyed when he found the Befana who was reputed to be a witch trespassing on his ground, so he promptly sent her away, promising that when he found the Christ Child he would let her know. However Saint Nicholas had so much to do in his own country that he never got to Italy, so there the Befana had the field all to herself, and every year just after Christmas she goes the rounds of the children from the Alps to Sicily, slipping into their nurseries when they are asleep and she always leaves them a present. Only if they have been naughty, then she leaves a little bit of coal too just to show that she knows all about their misdemeanors.
And isn't it a proof of how stupid men can be, that in spite of the Befana's obvious good will, they should ever have thought her to be a wicked witch and threatened children that she would come and carry them off as though she had been the boogeyman. Now I am glad to say, people have grown wiser and little boys no longer sing rude songs about her, and the earthenware bells and glass trumpets that used to be made to frighten her away have all been forgotten....

Christmas in Italy

Christmas season in Italy is traditionally celebrated December 24-January 6, or Christmas Eve through Epiphany. This follows the pagan season of celebrations that started with Saturnalia, a winter solstice festival, and ended with the Roman New Year, the Calends. However there are lots of Christmas things to see during December prior to Christmas, many starting on December 8, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception.
Italian Christmas Traditions
Although Babo Natale (Father Christmas) and giving presents on Christmas are becoming more common, the main day for gift giving is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men gave Baby Jesus their gifts. In Italy, presents are brought by La Befana, who arrives in the night to fill children's stockings. More about Epiphany and La Befana.
Christmas decorations and trees are becoming more popular in Italy. Lights and decorations are often seen starting around December 8, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, or even the end of November. The main focus of decorations continues to be the presepe, Nativity scene or creche. Almost every church has a presepe and they are often found outdoors in a piazza or public area, too.
( text from: http://goitaly.about.com/od/christmasinitaly/a/christmas.htm)

Italian Nativity Scenes

Traditionally, the main focus of Christmas decorations in Italy is the presepe, Nativity scene or creche. Nearly every church will have a presepe and they are often found outdoors in a square or other public area as well. Displays often go beyond just the nativity scene and may even include a representation of the entire village or a part of the town. Presepe are usually set up for about a month, starting around December 8, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception.
Many people set up a small Christmas crib in their house and figurines for nativity scenes are made in many parts of Italy, with some of the best coming from Naples and Sicily. Although the presepe is usually set up before Christmas, the baby Jesus is added to the nativity on Christmas Eve.
The Nativity scene or Christmas crib is said to have originated with St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. Although he may not have been the first to construct one, he started the tradition when he constructed a nativity scene out of straw in a cave in the town of Greccio and held Christmas Eve mass there. Greccio reenacts this event each year. Carving figurines for nativity scenes started in the 13th century.

(text from: http://goitaly.about.com/od/christmasinitaly/a/nativity.htm)

Nativity Scenes

The Christmas Nativity Scene is a retelling of the account in the bible of Jesus' birth as found in the Gospel of Luke and Matthew. When Mary and Joseph were unable to find room at an inn, they took shelter in a barn for the evening. After giving birth, Mary and Joseph were visited by Shepherds, and Wise Men from the East. Those figures, plus the livestock from the barn, are usually found in a Nativity Set.
The tradition of a displaying a nativity scene, or nativity crèche (crèche meaning manger), started in Germany in the 1600s. There is record of a live nativity scene that dates all the way back to the 13th Century in Italy.

(text from: http://www.stcharleschristmas.com/nativityscene.htm)

Christmas Cards

how to make a christmas star with old christmas cards
(http://www.jennyharada.com/fun-diy-christmas_card_star.html)

history of chritmas cards
(http://www.ideafinder.com/features/everwonder/won-christcard.htm)
A relatively recent phenomenon, the sending of commercially printed Christmas cards originated in London in 1843. Previously, people had exchanged handwritten holiday greetings. First in person. Then via post. By 1822, homemade Christmas cards had become the bane of the U.S. postal system. That year, the Superintendent of Mails in Washington, D.C., complained of the need to hire sixteen extra mailmen. Fearful of future bottlenecks, he petitioned Congress to limit the exchange of cards by post, concluding, "I don’t know what we’ll do if it keeps on."Not only did it keep on, but with the marketing of attractive commercial cards the postal burden worsened. The first Christmas card designed for sale was by London artist John Calcott Horsley. Who sent the first Christmas card?
A respected illustrator of the day, Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman, who wanted a card he could proudly send to friends and professional acquaintances to wish them a "merry Christmas." Sir Henry Cole was a prominent innovator in the 1800s. He modernized the British postal system, managed construction of the Albert Hall, arranged for the Great Exhibition in 1851, and oversaw the inauguration of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Most of all, Cole sought to "beautify life," and in his spare time he ran an art shop on Bond Street, specializing in decorative objects for the home. In the summer of 1843, he commissioned Horsley to design an impressive card for that year’s Christmas.
Horsley produced a triptych. Each of the two side panels depicted a good deed-clothing the naked and feeding the hungry. The centerpiece featured a party of adults and children, with plentiful food and drink (there was severe criticism from the British Temperance Movement).
Printed cards soon became the rage in England; then in Germany. But it required an additional thirty years for Americans to take to the idea. In 1875, Boston lithographer Louis Prang, a native of Germany, began publishing cards, and earned the title "father of the American Christmas card." Prang’s high-quality cards were costly, and they initially featured not such images as the Madonna and Child, a decorated tree, or even Santa Claus, but colored floral arrangements of roses, daisies, gardenias, geraniums, and apple blossoms. Americans took to Christmas cards, but not to Prang’s; he was forced out of business in 1890. It was cheap penny Christmas postcards imported from Germany that remained the vogue until World War 1. By war’s end, America’s modern greeting card industry had been born. Today more than two billion Christmas cards are exchanged annually, just within the United States. Christmas is the number one card-selling holiday of the year.

Poinsettia

A native Mexican plant, poinsettias were named after Joel R. Poinsett, U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to America in 1828. Poinsettias were likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ child. He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. Though the other children mocked him, when the leaves were laid at the manger, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch. The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant.

(text from: http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html)

Mistletoe

Mistletoe was used by Druid priests 200 years before the birth of Christ in their winter celebrations. They revered the plant since it had no roots yet remained green during the cold months of winter.The ancient Celtics believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward of evil spirits. The plant was also seen as a symbol of peace, and it is said that among Romans, enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace.Scandanavians associated the plant with Frigga, their goddess of love, and it may be from this that we derive the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. Those who kissed under the mistletoe had the promise of happiness and good luck in the following year.

(text from:http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html)

Holly

In Northern Europe Christmas occurred during the middle of winter, when ghosts and demons could be heard howling in the winter winds. Boughs of holly, believed to have magical powers since they remained green through the harsh winter, were often placed over the doors of homes to drive evil away. Greenery was also brought indoors to freshen the air and brighten the mood during the long, dreary winter.Legend also has it that holly sprang from the footsteps of Christ as he walked the earth. The pointed leaves were said to represent the crown of thorns Christ wore while on the cross and the red berries symbolized the blood he shed.

(text from: http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html)

Christmas Stockings

History of Christmas Stockings

(text from: http://www.creativehomemaking.com/articles/110303a.shtml)

Nothing signifies Christmas like the hanging of fluffy red stockings with white trim above the fireplace mantle. In the United States, families have been practicing this tradition for years in preparation for that special day of spiritual celebration and giving. Though in modern times the Christmas stocking is often used as a holder of small gifts for children and loved ones, there are many legends associated with the actual history of the Christmas stocking.

The Dutch Theory
Some say the Dutch introduced the Christmas stocking to America. It was told that during the 16th Century, children in Holland would leave their clogs by the hearth filled with straw for the reindeer (or "donkey").
A treat for Santa was left in the house near the fire. In return "Sinterclass" would leave the children treats. Later the clogs would become stockings, and the Saint known to all would become "Santa Claus."

The Poor, Kind Nobleman Theory
Many believe there was once a kind nobleman whose wife had died of an illness leaving the man and his three daughters in despair. After losing all his money in useless and bad inventions, the nobleman and his daughters had to move into a peasant's cottage. When it came time for the daughters to marry, the

father became even more depressed as his daughters could not marry without dowries.
One night after the daughters had washed out their clothing, they hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry. That night Saint Nicholas, knowing the despair of the father, stopped by the nobleman's house after the family had gone to bed. He peeked in the window and saw the daughters' stockings hanging by the fire.
Inspiration struck Saint Nicholas, and he took three small bags of gold from his pouch and threw them carefully, one by one, down the chimney into the stockings. The next morning when the daughters awoke, they found their stockings contained enough gold for them to get married. The nobleman was able to see his three daughters marry, and he lived a long and happy life.

The North American Theory
Still others say in North America the traditional Christmas stocking actually dates back to the end of the XIXth Century. Some believe the first mention of Christmas stockings being hung from a chimney were by Thomas Nast, an illustrator, through his pictures and by the writer, George Webster, in a story about a visit from Santa Claus.

Cultural Variations in the Celebration of the Christmas Stocking
No matter the origin of the custom,

families the world over continue to practice some act associated with the tradition of the Christmas stocking. In Puerto Rico, children put flowers and greens in small boxes and place them under their beds for the camels of the Three Kings; Italian children leave their shoes out the night before Epiphany, January 5, for La Befana the good witch; and in France, the children place their shoes by the fireplace, a tradition dating back to when children wore wooden peasant shoes.

Christmas Carols

History of Christmas Carols:

(text from: http://whychristmas.com/customs/carols_history.shtml)

Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December. The word Carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy! Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived!
Early Christians took over the pagan solstice celebrations for Christmas and gave people Christian songs to sing instead of pagan ones. In AD 129, a Roman Bishop said that a song called 'Angel's Hymn' should be sung at a Christmas service in Rome. Another famous early Christmas Hymn was written, in 760AD, by Comas of Jerusalem for the Greek Orthodox Church. Soon after this many composers all over Europe started to write carols. However, not many people liked them as they were all written and sung in Latin, a language that the normal people couldn't understand. By the time of the Middles Ages (the 1200s), most people had lost interest in celebrating Christmas altogether.
This was changed by St. Francis of Assisi when, in 1223, he started his Nativity Plays in Italy. The people in the plays sang songs or 'canticles' that told the story during the plays. Sometimes, the choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but normally they were all in a language that the people watching the play could understand and join in! The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries.
The earliest carol, like this, was written in 1410. Sadly only a very small fragment of it still exists. The carol was about Mary and Jesus meeting different people in Bethlehem. Most Carols from this time and the Elizabethan period are untrue stories, very loosely based on the Christmas story, about the holy family and were seen as entertaining rather than religious songs. They were usually sung in homes rather than in churches! Traveling singers or Minstrels started singing these carols and the words were changed for the local people wherever they were traveling. One carols that changed like this is 'I Saw Three Ships'.
When, in 1647, Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans came to power in England, the celebration of Christmas and singing carols was stopped. However, the carols survived as people still sang them in secret. Carols remained mainly unsung until Victorian times, when two men called William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected, lots of old Christmas music from villages in England.
Before carol singing in public became popular, there were sometimes official carol singers called 'Waits'. These were bands of people led by important local leaders (such as council leaders) who had the only power in the towns and villages to take money from the public (If others did this, they were sometimes charged as beggars!). They were called 'Waits' because they only sang on Christmas Eve (This was sometimes known as 'watchnight' or 'waitnight' because of the shepherds were watching their sheep when the angels appeared to them.), when the Christmas celebrations began. Also, at this time, many orchestras and choirs were being set up in the cities of England and people wanted Christmas songs to sing, so carols once again became popular. Many new carols,such as 'Good King Wenceslas', were also written. New carols services were created and became popular, as did the custom of singing carols in the streets. Both of these customs are still popular today!

12 Days of Christmas

When are the 12 days of Christmas?

(text from, and full article at: http://www.cresourcei.org/cy12days.html)

The Twelve Days of Christmas is probably the most misunderstood part of the church year among Christians who are not part of liturgical church traditions. Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but in most of the Western Church are the twelve days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany (January 6th; the 12 days count from December 25th until January 5th). In some traditions, the first day of Christmas begins on the evening of December 25th with the following day considered the First Day of Christmas (December 26th). In these traditions, the twelve days begin December 26 and include Epiphany on January 6.

And the song?...

The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith. They contend that it was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.

Caramels

History of Caramels:

(text from: http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/MAIN/candy/old/caramels.asp)

The word caramel was first recorded in the English language in 1725; it comes from the Spanish caramelo. The original Spanish word did not refer to the chewy caramel candy we know today, but more likely, to caramelized sugar. The source of caramelo is unknown, but some scholars believe it is related to the late Latin calamellus, a diminutive form of calamus, reed or cane—an implied reference to sugar cane.
We know that soft caramel candy is an American invention—we just don’t know exactly when it was invented. By about 1650, Americans were boiling water and sugar in deep kettles in their fireplaces to make hard candies. Someone, at some point, added butter and milk to the pot and invented the caramel. By the mid-1800s, there were nearly 400 American candy manufacturers producing hard candies as well as caramels—recipes for caramels abound in cookbooks of the era. Milton Hershey’s first business was the Lancaster Caramel Company: He learned to make chocolate when seeking a coating for his caramels.

Christmas Cookies

Christmas Cookie Origins

(text from: http://www.foodtimeline.org/christmasfood.html#cookies)

Cakes of all shapes and sizes (including smaller items such as cookies) have been part of festive holiday rituals long before Christmas. Ancient cooks prepared sweet baked goods to mark significant occasions. Many of these recipes and ingredients (cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds, dried fruits etc.) were introduced to Europe in the Middle Ages. They were highly prized and quickly incorporated into European baked goods. Christmas cookies, as we know them today, trace their roots to these Medieval European recipes. Dutch and German settlers introduced cookie cutters, decorative molds, and festive holiday decorations to America. German lebkuchen (gingerbread) was probably the first cake/cookie traditionally associated with Christmas. Sugar cookie type recipes descended from English traditions. Did you know Animal crackers began as edible ornaments?

Candy Canes

History of the Candy Cane

(text from: http://www.noelnoelnoel.com/trad/candycane.html)

One of the most often seen symbols of Christmas is the candy cane. Not only are candy canes used as a sweet Christmastime treat but they are also used for decoration. How did this seasonal candy get its familiar shape, and when did it become part of Christmas tradition?When the practice of using Christmas trees to celebrate Christmas became popular in Europe the people there began making decorations for their trees. Many of the decorations were food items including cookies and candy. The predecesor of our modern candy cane appeared at about this time in the seventeenth century. These were straight, white sticks of sugar candy.Part of the Christmas celebration at the Cologne Cathedral were pagents of living creches. In about 1670 the choirmaster there had sticks of candy bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook and passed them out to children who attended the ceremonies. This became a popular tradition, and eventually the practice of passing out the sugar canes at living creche ceremonies spread throughout Europe.The use of candy canes on Christmas trees made its way to America by the 1800’s, however during this time they were still pure white. They are represented this way on Christmas cards made before 1900, and it is not until the early 20th century that they appear with their familiar red stripes.Many people have given religious meaning to the shape and form of the candy cane. It is said that its shape is like the letter “J” in Jesus’ name. It is also in the shape of the shepherds’ crook, symbolic of how Jesus, like the “Good Shepherd” watches over his children like little lambs. It is a hard candy, solid like a “rock”, the foundation of the Church. The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.Some say the white of the candy cane represents the purity of Jesus and his virgin birth. The bold red stripe represents God’s love. The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Others say they represent the blood spilled at the beating Jesus received at the hands of the Roman soldiers.From its plain early beginnings to its familiar shape and color of today, the candy cane is a symbol of Christmas and a reminder of the meaning of the holiday.

Glass Icicles

Filigree Icicles (http://www.galacticglass.ca/gallery/ornaments.html)

Filigree glass was invented in Murano by glass masters Filippo and Bernardo Serena in 1527, an elaborate process that was indeed difficult to perform. It would be 10 years before other glassmakers on the Island of Murano would reproduce , copy or imitate this technique and hundreds of years before this secret would be revealed to the rest of the world. Filigree Glass, unlike conventional blown glass, was suitable for only the uppermost tables of society as it was not common. This elaborate form of Filigrana Glass is responsible for the fame of Murano style glass today. Currently, with new design innovations and increasing levels of workmanship, the patterns able to be embedded in filigree glass appear to be limitless.

other hand made glass icicles (non-filigree): http://www.glassicicles.com/

Christmas Tree History

Christmas tree chronology (text from http://www.christmastree.org/history.cfm)

• 1510 – The first written record of a decorated Christmas Tree comes from Riga, Latvia. Men of the local merchants’ guild decorated a tree with artificial roses, danced around it in the marketplace and then set fire to it. The rose was used for many year and is considered to be a symbol for the Virgin Mary.
• 1530 – There is record from Alsace, France (then Germany territory) that trees were sold in the marketplace and brought home and set up undecorated. Laws limited the size to “8 shoe lengths” (slightly over 4 feet).
• 1600s – By the 17th century, it was common in Germany to decorate Christmas Trees with apples. This practice was a holdover from the 14th and 15th centuries when evergreen boughs hung with apples were the only prop used in the “miracle plays” that were performed at the churches on December 24. December 24 was Adam & Eve’s Day in the early Christian calendar, and the plays were used as ways of teaching the Bible to a largely illiterate population.
• 1700s – In parts of Austria and Germany, evergreen tips were brought into the home and hung top down from the ceiling. They were often decorated with apples, gilded nuts and red paper strips. Edible ornaments became so popular on Christmas Trees that they were often called “sugartrees.” The first accounts of using lighted candles as decorations on Christmas Trees come from France in the 18th century.
• 1800s – The Christmas Tree was introduced in the United States by German settlers. It rapidly grew from tabletop size to floor-to-ceiling.
• 1851 – Christmas Trees began to be sold commercially in the United States. They were taken at random from the forests.
• 1853 – Franklin Pierce is credited with bringing the first Christmas Tree to the White House.
• Late 1800s – The first glass ornaments were introduced into the United States, again from Germany. The first ones were mostly balls, but later chains of balls, toys and figures became more common.
• Around 1883 – Sears, Roebuck & Company began offering the first artificial Christmas trees – 33 limbs for $.50 and 55 limbs for $1.00.
• 1900s – Due to overharvesting, the natural supply of evergreens began to be decimated. Conservationists became alarmed, and many magazines began to encourage people to substitute an artificial “snow” covered tree, consisting of a branch of a deciduous tree wrapped in cotton.
• 1901 – The first Christmas Tree farm was started in 1901 when W.V. McGalliard planted 25,000 Norway spruce on his farm in New Jersey. Also in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt tried to stop the practice of having Christmas Trees out of concern about the destruction of forests. His two sons didn’t agree and enlisted the help of conservationist Gifford Pinchot to persuade the president that, done properly, the practice was not harmful to the forests.
• 1930s – President Franklin D. Roosevelt started a Christmas Tree farm on his estate in Hyde Park, New York.
• 1966 – The National Christmas Tree Association began its time-honored tradition of having the Grand Champion grower present a Christmas Tree to the First Lady for display in the Blue Room of the White House. That year, Howard Pierce of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, presented a tree to President Lyndon Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
• Today – Approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas Trees are sold each year in the United States. Almost all of these come from Christmas Tree plantations.

Christmas Tree Lights

Fascinating facts about the invention of Christmas Tree Lights
(text from http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/christlights.htm)

People first started putting lights on Christmas trees back in the middle of the 17th century. They attached small candles to the ends of tree branches with wax or pins. Before electricity was widely available, people didn't usually put up their trees until December 24 because of the risk of fire.

Once electric Christmas tree lights were invented, people started to put up trees earlier, and leave them up longer.The American custom of using electric lights began in 1882 when Edward Johnson an associate of Thomas Edison, hand-wired 80 red, white and blue bulbs and wound them around a rotating evergreen tree. Then, in 1895, President Grover Cleveland set up a lighted Christmas tree in the White House and the general public began to notice. So began the tradition.
General Electric (Edison's company) began bringing good things to light as the 1800s came to a close, offering hand-blown bulbs that needed to be wired together like beads on a string. Homeowners had to hire a "wireman" to stab the mess together, much as you'll have to call someone to get your new computer online tomorrow.In 1900, some large stores started to put up large illuminated trees to attract customers. Members of high society began hosting Christmas Tree parties. These were grand events since a typical lighted tree of the early 1900s cost upwards of $300 (more than $2000 in today’s dollars), including the generator and wireman´s services. In 1903, The American Eveready Co. came out with the first humane Christmas light set, including screw-in bulbs and a plug for the wall socket. In 1908, Ralph Morris came up with the idea of pulling the lights from an old telephone switchboard and wiring them on a tree, running them from a battery.
The person responsible for popularizing Christmas tree lighting is Albert Sadacca. A tragic fire in New York City in 1917, caused by the continuing practice of lighting the highly flammable tree with candles, gave 15-year-old Albert Sadacca an idea. Now it just so happened that Albert’s family, who had come from Spain, had a novelty business selling wicker cages with imitation birds in them that lit up. Albert suggested to his parents that they begin making electric lights for Christmas trees. They had lots of bulbs on hand, and it would be much safer than using candles. The Sadacca's thought Albert had a good idea, but only one hundred strings of electric Christmas tree lights sold in the first year. After Albert thought of painting the bulbs red, green, and other colors instead of using plain glass, business picked up sharply. Albert became the head of a multi-million dollar company. The company started by Albert Sadacca and his two brothers, Henri and Leon was NOMA Electric Company the largest Christmas lighting company in the world for all of the years of its operation prior to 1965.

Christmas Luminaries

The Origination of the Luminary

(text from http://www.flicluminaries.com/history.html)

The first luminaries in North America were bonfires of crisscrossed pinon boughs arranged in 3-foot high squares. Later luminaries were small paper lanterns, which were made when colored paper was brought to this continent from the Orient. Instead of hanging these delicate lanterns from trees or on wires, they were placed on the ground, on rooftops and along pathways.Tradition has it that luminaries lit the way for Mary and Joseph in their search for lodging in Bethlehem.Other writers place the tradition back even earlier, linking it to the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, when people mark the miracle of the container of oil that was only meant to last one day but lasted eight.To this day, Hanukkah, the Festival of the Lights, is celebrated with a multi-branched candelabrum, with a light for each day.It's the multiple lights, and their use throughtout history in guiding, saving and celebrating, that cause some writers to see the Hanukkah candles as forerunners of luminaries.Luminaries are also linked through history to the ancient tradition of communicating, warning and celebrating through linked bonfires.For instance, the lighting of hundreds of bonfires long the Mississippi River in Louisiana originated with German and French settlers who migrated to the state in the 19th century. Not only did the lights guide Mary and Joseph, they were also meant to guide the Acadian version of Santa, Pa Pa Noel.They say that Pa Pa Noel was able to navigate the river through thick fog to bring presents to the children only because of the chain of fires.Today in Louisiana, Christmas Eve bonfires guide church-goers travelling on the water and along the river road to Midnight Mass.The tradition of luminaries comes from Mexico. It has been celebrated for many years in New Mexico before spreading to communities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.The Pueblo Indians in New Mexico have long lit small fires outside their homes to light their way to church on Christmas Eve.They learned the custom from Spanish settlers who introduced farolitos, or little lanterns, in the sixteenth century. The spanish settlers burned small bonfires along the roads and in the churcyards to commemorate Christ's birth.By the 19th century, American settlers brought beautiful Chinese lanterns to hang from their doorways instead of building bonfires. But the lanterns were too expensive for many people so they began to make small lanterns out of paper sacks to save money.The timing of the Fiesta de Las Luminaries, or the lighting of the way for the Holy Family, varies from community to community. Some concentrate on Christmas Eve, others enjoy their displays throughtout December.In Europe, many people postpone their use of luminaries until just before January 6, the Festival of the Three Kings. Their luminaries light the wise men as they bring gifts to the Christ Child. In many European countries, Three Kings is the part of the festival in which gifts are given and feasting takes place. Christmas itself remains primarily a religious celebration.

Luminary Links:

How to make luminaries out of old christmas cards

Christmas Candles

History of Christmas Candles

(text from http://www.christmascarnivals.com/christmas-history/history-christmas-candles.html)

Christmas is associated with a lot of customs as well as traditions, and each of the customs has their own history to tell. Similarly the Christmas candles have a history of their own. The History of Christmas candles dates back to the 16th century. The History of Christmas candles is linked with the Saturnalia festival (a festival of the Romans), because during this festival tall papers of wax were offered to Saturn (an angel of God), as candles were regarded to be symbolic of the light of Saturn. It is interesting to note that the Romans greeted each other during the Saturnalia festival with these tall papers of wax.With the spread of Christianity, the custom of placing candles beside the window gained people's acceptance. The Irish people believed that if a candle is placed near a window then the light emerging from the candle would be able to guide the Christ Child who on the eve of Christmas wandered from house to house. It is the people of Europe who have kept this tradition alive. In the Victorian period candles came to be placed on the Christmas tree as it was considered to be the symbol of the Star, which guided the three wise men to the dwelling place of Jesus. Candles that were used to decorate the tree were actually glued with the help of melted wax or attached by pins to the branch of a Christmas tree. Candleholders for Christmas candles came to be used only in the year 1890 whereas glass balls and small lanterns were used between 1902AD and 1904AD. Learn more about the history of Christmas candles on Christmas Carnivals.

Advent Wreaths

Advent Wreaths (text from Wikipedia)

Advent wreaths are a tradition used by Christians to mark the passage of the 4 weeks of Advent. Its usual form is of a horizontal evergreen wreath holding four candles. Starting during the first week of Advent, a candle is lit while prayers are said. An additional candle is lit during each of the following weeks until all four candles are lit during the last week before Christmas. Advent wreaths are used in both private, family services and at church services.

History: The earliest Advent wreaths were made in the Middle Ages; however, the first modern Advent wreath was made by Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881). Wichern was a German theologian and educator who founded a home for poor children in the city of Hamburg. During the Advent season, the children would ask daily if Christmas had arrived. In 1839, he built a wooden ring (made out of an old cartwheel) with 19 small red and 4 large white candles. A small candle was lit successively every day of Advent. On Sundays, a large white candle was lit. This eventually led to the modern Advent wreath with its four candles.
About 1860, people started to entwine the wooden ring with evergreen cuttings. The Advent wreath became a German Christmas tradition at the beginning of the 20th century. In Austria and southern Germany (particularly Bavaria) it did not become a custom until after 1930.
It has now spread to other countries. Eventually, the Advent wreath made its way into various Protestant churches and later into Roman Catholic churches in the United States. In Orthodox Christian countries, Advent wreaths with 6 candles are sometimes used due to the longer Advent season.

Symbolism: There are several interpretations of the symbolism of the Advent wreath. The underlying symbolism is the accumulation of light as an expression of the growing anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is seen as the light of the world in Christian faith. The circular wreath is meant to represent God's eternity as it has no beginning or end. The evergreens are also a symbol of everlasting life.

Advent Calendars

History of Advent Calendars

(text from Wikipedia)

The origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans who, at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century, would count down the 24 days of Advent physically. Often this meant simply drawing a chalk line on the door each day, beginning on December 1. Some families had more elaborate means of marking the days, such as lighting a new candle (perhaps the genesis of today's Advent wreath) or hanging a little religious picture on the wall each day.
The 24 candles might also be placed on a structure, which was known as an "Advent clock". In December, 1839, the first verifiable public Advent wreath was hung in the prayer hall of the Rauhes Haus (relief house) in Hamburg, although it had been a family practice in parts of German-speaking Europe since the 17th century.
The first known Advent calendar was handmade in 1851. According to the Austrian (NÖ) Landesmuseum, the first printed Advent calendar was produced in Hamburg in 1902 or 1903. Other authorities state that a Swabian parishioner, Gerhard Lang, was responsible for the first printed calendar, in 1908.
Lang was certainly the progenitor of today's calendar. He was a printer in the firm Reichhold & Lang of Munich who, in 1908, made 24 little colored pictures that could be affixed to a piece of cardboard. Several years later, he introduced a calendar with 24 little doors. He created and marketed at least 30 designs before his firm went out of business in the 1930s. In this same time period, Sankt Johannis Printing Company started producing religious Advent calendars, with Bible verses instead of pictures behind the doors.
The practice disappeared during World War II, apparently to save paper. After the war, Richard Sellmer of Stuttgart resurrected the commercial Advent calendar and is responsible for its widespread popularity. His company, Richard Sellmer Verlag, today maintains a stock of over 1,000,000 calendars worldwide. His company has now been established as one of the biggest sellers of advent produce. Other companies such as Cadbury's who specialise in the making of calendars have similar stocks, if not higher.

Links to other advent calendars on line:

Interactive advent calendar of Woodlands Junior School

Make your own online advent calendar

History of Advent

What is Advent?
(text from http://www.teachingmom.com/features/adventhistory.html)

Advent marks the beginning of the Christmas season and the Church year for most Western churches. The word "Advent" means "arrival" or "coming" in Latin and represents the approach of Christ's birth (and fulfillment of the prophecies about that event) and the awaiting of Christ's second coming. It is composed of the four Sundays before Christmas day, starting on the Sunday closest to November 30th, which is the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and ending on Christmas. Because Christmas is on a different day from year to year, Advent may last anywhere from 22 to 28 days.In the 4th and 5th centuries, Advent was the preparation for the "Epiphany" rather than Christmas. (Epiphany is celebrated in early January and focuses on various events in Jesus' life such as the visits of the magi, His baptism and miracles.) It was also a time for new Christians to be baptized and welcomed into the church, while members of the church examined their hearts and focused on penance. Religious leaders exhorted the people to prepare for the feast of Christmas by fasting. Some say that early documents show that those leaders treated Advent as a second Lent.Sometime in 6th century Rome, the focus of Advent shifted to the second coming of Christ. In the 9th century, Pope St. Nicholas reduced the duration of Advent from six weeks to the four weeks we currently observe. And finally, sometime in the middle ages--approximately the 1500's--an additional focus on the anticipation before Christ's birth was added to that of His second coming. For a more in-depth perspective, visit The History of Advent.