It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Some festive trivia from Santa

Have you ever wondered why we kiss under mistletoe? Hang candy canes on the tree? Or how the poinsettia—a tropical plant—became a symbol of Christmas?

To satisfy those inquisitive editorial minds out there, we asked Santa and his elves to research some holiday trivia on Christmas decorations and ornaments before they get too busy with their double shifts in the North Pole workshop. They’ve come up with a fun piece of trivia for each day of the Twelve Days of Christmas—but you can read them on any day and in any order you wish as a distraction from your own busy-ness of the season!

1. Christmas trees

Evergreen trees symbolize eternal life and have been brought indoors for winter festivals for centuries, long before Christmas was celebrated widely. The German carol “O Tannenbaum” (“O Christmas Tree”) refers to the tree as a symbol of eternal life, although it was not related to the holiday until Ernst Anschütz wrote the modern lyrics in 1824 to a traditional folk song about a tragic love. In Canada, Santa made his first delivery of presents under a decorated Christmas tree in 1781 in Quebec. General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel and his wife erected a tree for their Christmas party for the officers stationed in the colony. The fir, decorated with candles and fruit, would surely have been a welcome diversion from their day job of protecting the colony against possible American attack.

2. Tree ornaments

In the early years of Christmas trees in homes, Santa enjoyed having a late-night snack or two from the edible ornaments, such as apples and confectionery, hung from the branches. That was a good 100 years before commercial blown-glass balls became the more common decoration. Hans Greiner started making glass “baubles” in Germany in the 1800s, and they were brought to North America in the late 19th century by F.W. Woolworth, selling more than $25 million worth every year. (Luckily for Santa, today, many children leave him a snack by the fireplace as a gesture of thanks for his home delivery of presents, so the jolly old man continues to be nourished even with the change of traditions.)

3. Wreaths

The wreath has a long, rich history that pre-dates Christmas as we know it today. In ancient Egypt and Greece, it was used as a headdress to signify authority, honour, or victory (think of the original Olympics prizes). Later, the Germans and Scandinavians adopted the wreath as a decoration to mark the winter solstice, with the greenery symbolizing the promise of the return of spring every year. It wasn’t until the 16th century that hanging wreaths became a Christian tradition, along with four candles marking the four weeks of Advent. Nowadays, wreaths are more often used to decorate the front doors of those who celebrate Christmas, whether secularly or sacredly. Santa always appreciates the warm welcome of the wreath inviting him into those homes, especially if his usual fireplace entry is not an option.

4. Tinsel

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “tinsel” comes from the Old French word estincele, which means “sparkle.” The history of tinsel as a decoration on Christmas trees is a bit murky, with many sources at odds. But Santa remembers seeing tinsel on trees in the late1870s, when it began to replace homemade popcorn garlands. In the 1920s, once tinsel became readily available commercially as a flame-resistant product, Santa found it in almost every home in North America. Tinsel and other metallic decorations were developed to add sparkle and mimic the appearance of ice and snow, which accounts for its alternate name, “icicles.” The reflected candlelight of tinsel adds to the festive mood associated with Santa visiting, but he says he’d be happy to see the popcorn garlands return, too, so he could snitch few pieces for the hungry reindeers!

5. Poinsettias

The poinsettia’s association with Christmas begins with the Mexican legend of Pepita, a young penniless child who did not have a gift for the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. All she could offer was a bouquet of weeds, which the angels transformed into beautiful red flowers. Fast-forward to the 1800s, when American politician and botanist Joel Roberts Poinsett saw the red flowers when visiting Mexico. He found them so beautiful that he sent cuttings home to South Carolina to propagate and share with growers across the country. Soon after, the plant was renamed for Poinsett and became wildly popular because it introduced colour when other flowers were scarce. Today, poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant and the best-selling potted plant in Canada. Mrs. Claus herself enjoys decorating the Claus family home at the North Pole with poinsettias, having learned the secret of keeping them healthy in the coldest of climes.

6. Candy canes

According to Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, candy canes appeared around 1670 in Cologne, Germany, when the choirmaster at the famed Cologne Cathedral used them as incentive to keep children quiet during the Christmas service. He asked the local candymaker to bend sugar sticks into a cane shape so they could also be used as a reminder of the shepherd’s crook. About a century later, the confectionery grew in popularity when it was brought to North America. It was much longer before red stripes were added to the original pure-white canes, so coloured to represent purity. One word of warning from Elf Ernest, senior vice-president of public relations at the North Pole: While Santa’s reindeers cannot resist a candy cane when offered one, the treat is too sweet for their delicate stomachs. Santa asks that you leave carrots or lettuce instead, although he won’t object to the occasional candy cane for himself!

7. Mistletoe

Mrs. Claus is a born romantic and always looks forward to a snog under the mistletoe when Santa gets home from his long day. But you might think twice about the tradition yourself once you learn that mistletoe is a parasitic evergreen—one that attaches itself to a host plant and extracts water and nutrients from it. More appealing may be looking back at the ancient history of the plant in the time of the Celtic peoples, around 600 A.D. According to the Natural History Museum in the U.K., the Celts believed the plant would make people more fertile and bring good luck. Centuries later, the plant came to be associated with Christmas, and a kiss under the mistletoe was often considered a promise of marriage.

8. Snow globes

Santa’s elves learned the craft of making a snow globe from its inventor, Erwin Percy I, a surgical instrument mechanic in Austria in the late 19th century. Like many inventions, this one came about in the course of other work. Santa found Percy trying to improve the light from the very new electric light bulb, building on the practice of shoemakers placing a glass globe filled with water in front of a candle to get more light from it. Later, Percy added semolina, a coarse style of flour, that fell gently like snowflakes to the bottom of the globe when it was shaken. Santa was charmed and took one home to his workshop. It didn’t take long for the elves to add miniature scenes to the globes to become Christmas decoration favourites.

9. Nutcrackers

The first time Santa tipped over a nutcracker on a fireplace mantel when filling a stocking—nearly waking up the children—was way back in the 1950s. The wooden dolls, usually made to look like toy soldiers, had been available before then in parts of Europe, sometimes being sold in German Christmas markets, and they were seen as symbols of good luck and protection. When soldiers returned to North America after World War II, many brought nutcrackers home with them as presents. Around the same time, Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker became a popular Christmastime performance. The timing of those two events made nutcrackers a favourite decoration for the holiday season.

10. Christmas crackers

The modern Christmas cracker—a short cardboard tube wrapped in shiny paper and stuffed with small toys—is popular in both Canada and the U.K. Children and adults alike (mostly) enjoy pulling them apart with their dinner neighbour to hear the loud snap and don the ridiculous paper hat. These crackers were first made by a candymaker, Tom Smith, in London in the mid-1850s. The early crackers contained some of his candies, but Smith’s sons later introduced other contents when they took over the family business. Santa has fun promoting himself in the crackers with the Very Bad Santa Jokes included. Here’s one of his favourites just for editors:

What do you call Santa’s little helpers?
Subordinate clauses!

11. Yule logs

Merriam-Webster notes 1725 as the first use of “yule log” as “a large log formerly put on the hearth as the foundation of the fire that was kept burning through the Twelve Days of Christmas, representing light and the return of longer days.” The continuous burning made it extra challenging for Santa to deliver Christmas presents down the chimney, risking singeing his red suit and even his beard! He has joyfully welcomed the more modern style of yule log—the edible chocolate sponge roll enjoyed by many as a Christmas dinner finale.

12. Stockings

The custom of hanging stockings is linked to the story of Santa’s forebear, St. Nicholas, dropping money down the chimney to help out a poor family. Santa continues the tradition for all children around the world, but more often with chocolate coins, nuts and oranges, and small personalized gifts. In some countries, especially in Northern Europe, shoes or boots are put out by the door or a window instead. But beware, naughty children—or editors: remember that Santa may leave a lump of coal if you misbehave—or misplace your modifier!

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From all of us at WCEA, happy holidays to all, however you celebrate and with whatever traditions or decorations you use to brighten up the winter days.