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Every Christmas we celebrate by singing Christmas Carols,giving presents to friends and family,sending Christmas cards,pulling Christmas crackers before eating turkey and lots of other fun things. All of these are Christmas Traditions - but why do we do them and where do they come from? HOLLY Holly has been used to decorate houses and churches for hundreds of years. The sharp leaves reminds us of Jesus'crown of thorns while the red berries remind us of his blood. CHRISTMAS CAROLS During the 12th Century St Francis of Assisi formally introduced Christmas carols to church services. Carols were banned in England by Oliver Cromwell between 1649 and 1660 but people continued to sing them in other countries. They became very popular in Victorian times when many 'new' carols were written. CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS Hanging stockings from the mantlepiece comes from the story of St. Nicholas. Legend says that he threw a coin down a chimney and it landed in a stocking which was hung there to dry. That is why we put tangerines in stockings too - they symbolise the gold coin. CHRISTMAS CARDS Sir Henry Cole was the first person to make Christmas cards in 1843. He printed 1000 cards and sold them from his London art shop.They were a big hit with the Victorians. Since then Christmas cards have become very popular with billions of cards being sent every year. CHRISTMAS CRACKERS Christmas Crackers were invented by Tom Smith, a London sweet maker, in 1846. The original idea was to wrap his sweets in a twist of fancy coloured paper, but they sold much better when he added love notes (motto's), paper hats,small toys and made then go off with a BANG! CHRISTMAS TREES Christmas trees had been popular in Germany since 700 AD. When Queen Victoria's husband,Albert,moved to England from Germany he brought the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree with him. It is one of the most popular decorations for Christmas. CHRISTMAS DINNER People have always celebrated Christmas with a special meal. Before Victorian times people would eat roast beef, ham or goose for Christmas dinner. Today most people prefer turkey with all the trimmings for Christmas. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS The tradition of giving presents at Christmas started with the Three Wise Men who brought Jesus precious gifts on the first Christmas day. Christmas Cheers!
this really does explain a lot of the christmas traditions. i was just thinking why do we call it christmas. the 't' is silent right or am i just being an idiot.