As you decorate your tree and wrap up your Christmas gifts SOUTHWEST SUNSHINE would like to share a few things about the holidays that you probably aren’t aware of.
Although people all over the world celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, the Bible does not mention a date for Jesus’ birth. Most historians actually believe that Jesus was born sometime during the spring, which would explain the description of the shepherds who were herding their animals. Pope Julius decided on the Feast of the Nativity in the 4th century declaring December 25th as Jesus’ birthday.
During WWI, after a grueling five months of battle, the Western front took a Christmas Eve break from fighting in order to sing Christmas carols to each other across the bloody battlefield. The allied troops called out, “Merry Christmas, in English. Thank goodness, it wasn’t a trick with dozens of fighters from Britain greeting and shaking hands with the enemy. Some even exchanged cigarettes as gifts. Dubbed the 1914 Christmas Truce, it was one of the last known examples of chivalry during wartime.
Just like the popular Energizer bunny, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was created by Montgomery Ward. The advertising gimmick was devised to lure Christmas shoppers into the department store in 1939. Copywriter Robert L. May was hired to write a short story that would later be turned into a song thanks to his brother in law who loved the short story so much that he decided to write a song about it. Burl Ives recorded it in 1949.
Frosty the Snowman was originally used to showcase whiskey in 1890. After Prohibition, the snowman quickly became the star of alcohol ads and appeared in Miller beer, Jack Daniel’s, Schlitz Beer, Chivas Regal Scotch, and Mount Whitney beer to name just a few.
According to Teutonic and Celtic legend, the mistletoe that you kiss under is actually magical as it can increase fertility, heal wounds, ward off evil spirits, and bring you good luck. The kissing tradition didn’t actually begin until the Victorian era, which is quite surprising if you consider how stuffy and repressed the behavior was at the time.
Christians weren’t the first to decorate trees. Even before Christianity hit the scene, Germans would decorate the evergreens to brighten up the gloomy and dark days of Winter Solstice.
This Christmas take a moment to remember what it must have been like during the holidays and rejoice in the fact that you don’t have to leave your home or office to order something from SOUTHWEST SUNSHINE for everyone on your list.