Ever since I was a young girl, I have always felt the magic and the wonder of the holiday season. Though I've grown up and no longer live in my childhood home where all that joy was held, I still carry the traditions of my family and return home each year to relish in the pleasant moments of togetherness.

At the heart of the holidays is love, and I've always felt that tenfold each December as we pick a fresh Christmas tree, adorn it with way too many clunky ornaments, some even made by my sister and I years ago, and search high and low around our favorite stores for the perfect gifts to present under it.

I love this time of year and I'm always sad to see it go, so for this year I knew a dedication to holiday traditions here on the Daily Reader was in order, and I found some interesting insights to share with you all. I hope you are inspired and enlightened by these classic activities as you delight in this most wonderful time of the year.

Choosing and Decorating a Tree

Arriving at a Christmas tree farm, you're met with rows and rows of various types of trees, from Blue Spruce to Fraser Fir. One of the best traditions I can think of during the holidays is picking the perfect tree for you and yours, chopping it down, and bringing it home to decorate with lights, candy canes, and all sorts of other accessories.

This tradition allegedly began in the 1820s when the first recorded instance of Christmas tree picking occurred in Pennsylvania's German community, according to History.com. Most Americans in the 19th Century found Christmas trees to be rather strange, and also pagan. Puritans were not fond of celebrating Christmas at all. Tree picking occurred most often in the forest, which led to concerns about deforestation. Today, tree farms come in different sizes, from small, privately owned establishments to larger companies.

The first tree farm recorded was in 1901 in New Jersey, which is where my story began. As a Jersey native, it's been a staple in our family to go to a tree farm in our home state and find the best tree we can from hundreds in a particular batch. Of course, we always get a tree that is much too tall and much too wide for our living room space, but that, too, has become part of the tradition through the years.

Opening an Advent Calendar

Another classic tradition many partake in during this time of the year, including myself, is opening Advent calendars each day of December leading up to December 25. This one began in Germany around 1850 with the Protestants. Back then, they were handmade and wooden. Each day, these individuals would mark a wall with chalk for the days leading up to Christmas and light a candle to commemorate each day.

... the first recorded instance of Christmas tree picking occurred in Pennsylvania's German community

The first printed Advent calendar came out in the early 1900s in the shape of a clock. The idea of having small doors within the printed calendar began in the 1920s with Gerhard Lang's innovation. He's known as the creator of the modern Advent calendar, as noted by DoingHistoryInPublic.org.

Now we fast forward our brief history to the good stuff: chocolate. In the late 1950s, the sweet treat became a key component of Advent calendars as we know them today, making their way all around the world, including here in the United States. So, as you open your final days of goodies, remember that this all began back in Germany with wooden calendars and simple chalk and candles to celebrate the season.

Baking Holiday Cookies

In the colder months, baking is often a popular activity among all people, no matter what they celebrate religiously and culturally. Warming up the house with the oven turned up and the smell of sugary sweets is something most anyone enjoys. I have always loved baking cookies with my mother, trying new recipes, and perfecting our staples.

This tradition also has an interesting background, particularly the part of Christmas where cookies are left out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. "The tradition of leaving cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression. American parents encouraged children to leave cookies and milk out as a way to show gratitude for their blessings. The tradition is thought to have originated from celebrations of Saint Nicholas, a third-century bishop known for his kindness to children," according to CulturallyOurs.com.

The idea of having small doors within the printed calendar began in the 1920s

Cookies are a scrumptious delight that bring a smile to the faces of your loved ones, young and old. Beyond Christmas cookies for Santa, baking cookies during the holiday season in general has gone on since at least the 14th century in Switzerland. During the Medieval times, spices such as cinnamon and ginger were expensive delicacies that were only afforded on holidays. Thus, gingerbread was seen as a special treat, originating in Europe during the 16th century. According to CulturallyOurs.com, Queen Elizabeth I created the first gingerbread man after asking her royal chefs to press the cookies into molds fashioned to look like her favorite courtiers. During the 17th century, Dutch and German settlers introduced cookie cutters, which continue to be a popular component in Christmas baking.

Wrapping Presents

Perhaps you don't consider this one a tradition during the holidays. It might be something you skip as you toss your gifts together into a nice bag to avoid the hassle. However, for me, I have always enjoyed wrapping presents and making them look as fancy as I can. (I unfortunately don't have the talent of art in the physical sense, so often, my attempts aren't what I originally envisioned. But the thought is always there, and that's what counts!)

"The tradition of leaving cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression"

This tradition is one I always look forward to: listening to my favorite holiday tunes or a classic film in the background and preparing all my presents for wrapping, with bows and ribbons galore. A staggering statistic I encountered while researching for this piece came from this tradition. Can you guess how much money Americans spend on wrapping paper each year? $2.6 Billion, according to KSAT.com.

Yeah, that's not a typo. Billions of dollars go into the paper that gets torn apart and discarded year after year, present after present. I don't know about you, but my jaw nearly unhinged at that number. Ah, well. *Adds wrapping paper to my shopping list.*

The tradition of wrapping presents has roots in various countries worldwide, including ancient China. Two thousand years ago, around 100 B.C., the Chinese invented paper and began wrapping items with it. Furoshiki, a traditional wrapping cloth, became a popular material for gift wrapping in Japan in the 1600s.

However, what popularized the idea of wrapping gifts specifically for the holidays was during the Victorian era in England by the upper class, who wrapped gifts in decorative paper, lace, and ribbons. By the early 20th century, tissue paper became popular for wrapping presents in the United States, particularly in the classic Christmas colors of red, green, and white.

Can you guess how much money Americans spend on wrapping paper each year?

The simple act of wrapping a present can be one of the most special traditions of all. Really anything can be a tradition; if it brings you joy and comfort, a tradition it can be.

For those of you reading this piece, perhaps smoking a favorite holiday blend or cigar is one of the focal points of your traditions for the holidays. We hope you enjoy the shared smokes and delight in the flavors, aroma, and experiences they afford in this most festive season.

Let us know in the comments what traditions you hold dear this time of the year. Happy holidays!

Bibliography

• Gupta, K. (2019, December 6). History and culture of christmas cookies. CulturallyOurs.
• History.com Editors. (2023, November 28). History of christmas trees - symbolism, traditions & trivia. History.com.
• Nowroozi, G., & Acosta, S. (2020, December 11). The history behind wrapping paper, and how it became a holiday tradition. KSAT.
• Wakelam, A. (2015, December 1). 1. The History of Advent Calendars. Doing History in Public.