Christmas TraditionsChristmas traditions are what make Christmas Christmas. From the tree to the lights to the very songs we sing there is so much about that holiday that makes it unique and special. But Christmas is so old that many don’t understand why sacred traditions of the season are important or what they mean. That is what we hope to solve with these features of Christmas tradition on My Merry Christmas. Why do we use red and green at Christmas? What is the significance of the Christmas pickle? Who invented eggnog and why? Why do we drag a tree in from the woods and put it up all season? Each tradition of Christmas had a beginning somewhere. It is our job to tell those stories and to help make the traditions of Christmas more clear to those who celebrate it.

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Five Weird American Christmas Traditions the World Misunderstands

There is plenty to Christmas around the world that people consider weird. Krampus, for example, is strange. The popularity of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan on Christmas Eve is another weird one. But when it comes to Christmas no place is known…
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Tips to Prepare for Christmas Card Sending

It is our tradition to announce and open our annual Christmas card exchange during our Christmas-in-July festivities each year. In advance of that we thought it best to share with you some tips for preparing for the sending and receiving of…
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Top Five New Christmas Traditions of the 21st Century

We had a big response to our recent post about dying Christmas traditions. But if Christmas has proven one thing over the centuries it has been a resilient ability to constantly evolve into ever creative new levels of celebration. For…
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Five Dying Christmas Traditions

Once upon a time Christmas was celebrated with tinsel on trees. Tinsel is an ancient product with roots more than 400 years old where it was crafted to represent ice. Originally placed on statues and made from actual silver, tinsel has morphed…
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Christmas in Ireland

The Irish get more than their share of love every St. Patrick’s Day but they feel a little left out when it comes to Christmas. That is unfortunate because many of the ancient elements of Christmas have Irish roots. The most Irish of Christmas…
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Frankincense

They came from distant lands, these kings and wanderers following a star. With them they packed precious gifts fit for a King: gold, myrrh and frankincense. We know what gold is and we know that myrrh was considered then to be an ointment of…
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Tips for Keeping Santa Special

In the spirit of St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) we offer a few suggestions for keeping the magic of Santa alive. The figure of Santa Claus holds a special place in the heart of anyone who loves Christmas. Belief is not measured in wanting…
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What the Phrase Merry Christmas Means

It falls from our lips without much thought: “Merry Christmas!” But what is it we are really saying? In an informal survey conducted recently more than 94 percent of Americans asked thought that the word “merry” meant “jolly”.…
Vintage Christmas
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The Controversy of Who Wrote A Visit from St. Nicholas

One of the more romantic notions associated with Santa Claus and Christmas comes in the form of an early 19th century poem titled A Visit from St. Nicholas. As the legend goes, college professor and devout church man Clement Clarke Moore…
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The Yule Goat

Some Northern Scandinavian countries celebrate the Christmas season with the Yule Goat, a throw-back to an ancient practice some say has roots in paganism (those these connections are tenuous at best). While some naturally embrace the mythical…
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History of Eggnog

Christmas of 1826 was snowy, cold and lonely for the cadets of West Point. Though called "men" they were really teenage boys -- some as young as 17 -- and they wanted to celebrate Christmas. Young Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederate…
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A Different Kind of History of Christmas Trees

Pick a history resource out there and you will find a history of Christmas trees that dates back to pagan traditions of the Winter Solstice. The History Channel says Christmas trees took root from ancient use of evergreens as an end-of-year…
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The Story of Black Peter

By Mac Carey Before elves and eight tiny reindeer, St. Nicholas had a much more menacing assistant. Named Black Peter, this companion was the physical opposite of St. Nicholas. Tall and gaunt with a dark beard and hair, Black Peter was associated…
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Christmas Giving: Are you a Spug?

By Merry Carey Are you a Spug? To find out, ask yourself these questions: Do you believe that it is foolish to join in giving Christmas presents to those higher up? Do you believe that it is vulgar to give Christmas presents only because…
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The Evolution of Christmas

By Jeff Westover Which came first: the chicken or the egg? That is the seeming dilemma when discussing how Christmas began. Most define Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ. Historians tie the tradition of a December holiday…