It’s here! Merry Christmas to you and yours.
No matter how you celebrate, we wish you the best of the season and a little magic along the way. On that note, how about a little “Christmas 101” to stuff your stocking?
We celebrate it every year, but how many of us really know where all the traditions of Christmas came from? The word Christmas comes from the Latin word for “Christ’s Mass.” Most historians peg the first Celebration of Christmas to the Romans in 336 A.D. They set December 25th as the day in order to eclipse a popular pagan holiday in Rome. Amazingly, you can thank the 1823 poem “The Night Before Christmas” and the Civil War for the birth of Santa Claus as we know him today.
Virginia Tech Civil War historian James Robertson says artist Thomas Nast drew his conception of Santa Claus from that poem in order to cheer up the soldiers fighting that war. The poem by Clement Moore gave us the reindeer, the sleigh, the chimney and the bag of toys. Nast’s illustration led to the concepts of Santa’s workshop, Santa reading letters and the “good” and “bad” list.
Santa is based on a real person, Saint Nicholas, who lived in the Middle Ages and was beloved for his generosity and kindness and the miracles he worked for the poor and unhappy. The tradition of Santa bringing gifts and others exchanging gifts is believed to have started with the wise men, or Magi, bringing gifts to baby Jesus. The Biblical writings of Matthew and Luke gave rise to the concept of the star, the manger, the swaddling clothes, as well as the shepherds and angels. Most manger scenes reflect this description.
The Saint Nicholas of the Middle Ages is said to have left gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor girls who needed the money for their wedding dowries. The girls had hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry. Money has now been replaced by edible goodies and small toys in Christmas stockings. You can thank the Italians for the tradition of putting a lump of coal in the stockings of naughty children.
The Germans first used Christmas trees to mark the holiday back in 700 A.D. The tradition spread to England and immigrants brought it to America. In the 16th century, Martin Luther is credited with putting the first candles on a tree, and electric lights appeared in 1882. In Victorian times, people started decorating trees with candies and cakes decorated with ribbons. Woolworth’s first sold manufactured ornaments.
Christmas cards came on the scene in 1843 in London and in America in 1846. The Scandinavians introduced the world to the idea of kissing under mistletoe as a way of honoring the goddess of love, Frigga. Dreaming of a white Christmas sprung from one of the best-selling songs of all time, “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” which was first heard in 1942. Last but not least, contrary to what many people believe, the use of the letter “X” instead of Christ for Christmas is not taking Christ out of Christmas — “X” actually comes from Xristos, the Greek word for Christ!
As we sink into our own traditions today, if you need something in a pinch, banks, government offices and most stores are closed. CVS and Walgreens will be among the few stores open. Eau Claire Transit and La Crosse MTU buses are not running today.
Outdoor skating rinks will open soon in Eau Claire. Rinks at Boyd Park, Roosevelt Park, Mitscher Park, Sam Davey Park and Putnam Heights are expected to open on Tuesday.
Three NFL games are on the Christmas Day schedule, including two that will be streamed on Netflix. The Dallas Cowboys travel to Maryland where they take on the Washington Commanders at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Detroit Lions square up against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The nightcap will be the Kansas City Chiefs against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City at 8:15 p.m. Eastern. The Cowboys-Commanders and Lions-Vikings games will be streamed on Netflix while the Chiefs-Broncos will be available on Prime Video.
Whatever your day holds and whatever you do to celebrate, here’s hoping at the end of it all, that your hearts are even more full than your bellies. Here’s to a day filled with wonder, love, and perhaps just a little bit of magic along the way.
Wishing you and yours all of the best today and beyond.
Thanks for stopping by!
