Many people enjoy receiving Christmas cards each year, but have you ever stopped to wonder how the tradition of holiday greeting cards began? They tradition began in England. Sir Henry Cole, a British inventor and civil servant, produced the first commercial holiday cards in 1843. He commissioned an artist named John Horsley to illustrate them, [...]
Posts Tagged ‘christmas traditions’
Christmas Greeting Cards Have Come a Long Way
October 2nd, 2011La Posada and the Christmas Poinsettia
July 9th, 2011Mexico’s main Christmas celebration is known as La Posada, which is a faith based procession that reenacts the search for shelter by Joseph and Mary before the birth of Jesus. Throughout the actual procession, the celebrants proceed from home to house with the photos of Mary and Joseph searching for shelter in Bethlehem. Despite the [...]
History of the Christmas Candy Cane
September 18th, 2010The history of Christmas candy canes starts in Germany in the 17th century with some restless children and an imaginative choir master. In 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral decided he’d give the kids in his choir some candy sticks to keep them happy during the long Christmas services. He bent straight white candy [...]
Holiday Traditions: Egg Nog
September 2nd, 2010Egg nog, that tasty concoction of milk, sugar, cinnamon and eggs, is quite popular during the holidays. All of the ingredients to make the drink are available year-round, but typically we only indulge ourselves during winter festivities. One reason we traditionally drink egg nog during the Christmas season could be because historians think the drink [...]
The Tradition of the Advent Wreath
August 30th, 2010Centuries ago, long before the birth of Christ, the wreath was always a part of festive processions. The evergreen wreath has always been a Christian emblem of eternal life and God’s faithfulness to all humanity because of its hardiness and ability to withstand the cold winter temperatures. An advent wreath is a ring or set [...]
