The Nutcracker
Although the traditional nutcracker dates back to the 1400s, it came to be a traditional Christmas icon during the 1700s. In the doll-making region of Germany's Erz Mountains, villagers worked in silver and tin mines by day and crafted wooden nutcracker figures at night.
The earliest designs always depicted authority figures, often bearing the uniforms of various miners' fraternities. As the nutcracker was becoming a part of modern Christmas traditions, so too were Christmas celebrations becoming the children-oriented event we know today. As functional toys, nutcrackers played a central role in these celebrations. Consequently, as their popularity grew, they started appearing in children's literature.
The most famous example of this is "The Nutcracker and the Mouseking." Written in Berlin by E.T.A. Hoffman's "The Nutcracker and the Mouseking" is the most famous example of a nutcracker in children's books. In this story, a young girl named Clara dreams of her nutcracker coming to life to defend her from the Mouse King.
The story adapted over the years and eventually was incarnated as a ballet by Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker Ballet was first performed in Russia in 1892 and became one of Tchaikovsky's most beloved works.
Christmas Cards
Another relatively modern Christmas tradition is the sending of Christmas cards. In Victorian England, it was common to send a letter or poem to loved ones at Christmas time. These were often quite ornate and time-consuming to create.
In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, who worked for the British Postal Service, commissioned the artist John Calcott Horsley to produce pre-made cards. Horsley printed one thousand cards in black and white that were then colored by hand. The first design consisted of three panels depicting a happy family, images of Christmas cheer, and the phrase "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." According to Hallmark Cards, this remains the most popular message to this day. The original cards cost 1 penny each to send and caught on quickly.
Richard Pease, a storeowner, commissioned the first American Christmas card in 1851. In 1862 the London printers Charles Goodall & Sons created the first mass-produced cards, eventually producing a number of designs including holly, snowmen, mangers, and other traditional Christmas icons.
Candy Canes
Candy CanesDespite tales claiming the candy cane represents the "J" of Jesus, the origins of this popular confection can be traced back several centuries.
Straight, hard, white candies were long a traditional Christmas tree decoration. The commonly accepted myth is that in 1670 the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral in Germany added the bend to represent a shepherd's staff. During the 1800s, a confectioner in Gränna, Sweden added a straight red and white stripe peppermint candy called polkaris. Sometime in the early 1900s, the curve and the stripe met each other on the white candy to form the modern version of the Christmas candy known as the candy cane.
Did you know …Poinsettias
That poinsettias are toxic if eaten? However, as growers point out, poinsettias are not lethal. Consuming poinsettias will just make you ill.
A red poinsettiaWho can see a poinsettia plant without thinking of Christmas? Native to Southern Mexico and Central America, they are called the "Flores de Noche Buena" (Flowers of the Holy Night), and are said to represent the Star of Bethlehem.
Legend has it that one Christmas Eve long ago, a poor child wanted to bring a present for Christ. Having no money, he could only offer a few meager weeds he had gathered. At the church, a miracle occurred when these weeds blossomed into the brilliant red and green poinsettia leaves we know today. In another version it was the child's fallen tears that sprouted into this beautiful plant.
Regardless of the myth you choose to believe, Joel Robert Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, introduced the poinsettia to the USA sometime in the 1820s. As the cuttings he brought home to South Carolina prospered well in his greenhouses, he began giving these novel plants as gifts to his friends. Consequently, botanists later named the plant after him.
By the early 1900s the Ecke family started growing them to sell as landscape plants. The Eckes are still the largest producer in the US today. Thus a new tradition was born.
Modern Christmas Traditions
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Dream Come True
