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Have you ever wondered where our favorite Christmas traditions came from? Many have roots that go back centuries and blend customs from different cultures. Here’s the story behind three of the best-loved ones, fun to share with the kids while you decorate.
The Christmas tree
People have brought evergreens indoors in winter for a very long time as a symbol of life during the darkest part of the year. The decorated Christmas tree as we know it grew out of German traditions in the 1500s and 1600s, when families decorated trees with apples, nuts and paper roses. German immigrants brought the custom to America, and it became wildly popular in the mid-1800s after a magazine illustration showed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (who was German) gathered around a decorated tree with their children.
Christmas lights
Before electricity, families clipped small candles onto tree branches, lit only for short times and watched carefully because of the fire risk. In 1882, Edward Johnson, a partner of Thomas Edison, showed off the first electric Christmas tree lights: red, white and blue bulbs hand-wired on his tree in New York. Electric lights were expensive at first, but by the 1900s and 1920s they became affordable and safer, and today they’re one of the most cheerful parts of the season.
Christmas gifts
Gift-giving in winter has deep roots, from ancient midwinter festivals to the story of the Wise Men bringing gifts to Jesus, and the legend of St. Nicholas, a generous bishop who secretly helped people in need. For centuries, many families gave small gifts on St. Nicholas Day (December 6) or New Year’s. Christmas as a big family gift-giving holiday really grew in the 1800s, helped along by Victorian traditions, stories like A Christmas Carol and the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”
Start your own family traditions
- Read a Christmas story together every night in December
- Drive around to look at Christmas lights with hot cocoa
- Make one new ornament each year and write the year on it
- Do a giving project together, like adopting a family or donating toys
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FAQ
When did Christmas trees become popular in America?
In the mid-1800s, especially after 1850.
Who invented electric Christmas lights?
Edward Johnson, Thomas Edison’s business partner, displayed the first electric tree lights in 1882.
Why do we give gifts at Christmas?
The tradition blends the Wise Men’s gifts, the legend of St. Nicholas and Victorian family celebrations.
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