Written By John Bradley
Christmas wasn’t always on December 25th. Although Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, it doesn’t actually mention December 25 anywhere in the bible. In fact, some historians think Jesus was born in the spring, not the winter at all! Christmas on December 25th wasn’t celebrated until about 336 AD.
For Christians, gift giving at Christmas mimics the presents the Wise Men gave to Jesus and the charitable giving of the ancient St. Nicholas (the forerunner to Santa!). However, winter gift giving also has its roots in Saturnalia, a pagan holiday where they gave offerings to the gods.
The iconic Christmas tree has a lot of roots (forgive the pun). Ancient Egyptians used to mark the winter solstice by decorating their homes with green palms, while the Romans celebrated Saturnalia with evergreen boughs. These green plants signified that the spring would return with new life. The first Christmas trees as we know them today started in Germany in the 16th century
Christmas trees have German roots, but they really took off in popularity thanks to Queen Victoria and her husband, German Prince Consort Albert. In 1848 they were sketched standing in front of their tree with their children by the Illustrated London News, which quickly made Christmas trees fashionable.
The original Santa Claus was actually St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop in the 4th century. He didn’t wear the red suit that’s so famous today, but he did give all of his inheritance to the poor and needy. In Dutch, his name is Sinter Klaas, which later morphed into Santa Claus.
Santa wasn’t always the jolly man in red. Older depictions of Santa from the early 1900s depicted him more sternly, and there wasn’t a standardized “look” for his appearance. The classic image of a happy and plump Santa that we all know today came in part from Coca-Cola ads, drawn in 1931 by illustrator Haddon Sundblom.
The historic St. Nicholas heard about the plight of a local man who did not have enough dowry money to marry off his three daughters. The generous St. Nick tossed some money down the chimney that landed in the ladies’ stockings that were drying by the fire. After that, the tradition stuck!
