HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Huh, sounds familiar, ring any bells? Easter? Well, kind of related… Valentine’s day? Not even close. Thanksgiving? Closer… Come on! Look at the title! It’s Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year! 

Is it because of the carols? The Eggnog? Oh… Hold the phone! It’s obviously the presents! Everybody loves presents! Waking up on Christmas, with all that joy just gushing from everyone, coming up to the beautiful tree, and seeing all of those pretty little wrapped presents. Okay, some may not be so little… Anyway, tearing into those presents, wrapping paper flying everywhere. Then, after you’ve revealed the exciting gift, you can’t wait to just rip into another, and another. And everyone else squeals with excitement around you. 

Outside the snow is gently falling like little wisps of cotton candy, and it hugs the ground like a cozy, warm Christmas blanket. With wreaths on doors, and the sun beginning to rise, it gives everything a magical glow, a Holly-Jolly glow as everyone else is also experiencing the Christmas joy as well as you. When did this amazing holiday come to be?  

Well, Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. 

December 25—Christmas Day—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870. What do you like most about Christmas? Want to learn more about where it originated from? Just go to the specific chapters to learn more about this breathtaking holiday. To learn about presents, Go to chapter 1. To learn about decorations, go to chapter 2. To find out more about Santa, go to chapter 3. If there is anything else you would like to learn about, go to The history website: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas

Chapter 1. Presents. The main thing that almost everyone thinks about during Christmas. But where did this fun, joy-filled tradition come from?

Why did we start giving presents at Christmas? One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas, is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. Gold: is associated with Kings and Christians believe that Jesus is the King of Kings. We have taken on this tradition and made a blown up gift giving fiasco that everyone loves!

Chapter 2. Without all the beautiful decorations, Christmas wouldn’t be what it is today. With all the pretty green leaves and holly, with the red little berries, and Coca Cola ads with Santa on them. And of course, the Christmas tree. This is among one of the most iconic things about Christmas (besides Santa, of course). Each year, 30-35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States alone. There are about 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the United States, and trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold. The decorations started around when the Christmas holiday became big back in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.

Chapter 3. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around 280 A.D.. St. Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors. St. Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 18th century in New York, when Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of the death of “Sint Nikolaas” (Dutch for Saint Nicholas), or “Sinter Klaas” for short. “Santa Claus” draws his name from this abbreviation. The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today. 

I hope you enjoy your Christmas this year, and hopefully you’ll have a little more appreciation for this lovely holiday. And remember, Christmas isn’t just about the presents and decorations and Santa, it is also about God, and how he was born and saved us. But still, have a holly jolly Christmas.