America has plenty of holiday traditions each year, but some of them originated in other countries before making their way here.
• The tradition of decorating Christmas trees dates back to the Middle Ages in Germany, but a New York woodsman named Mark Carr opened the first Christmas tree lot in the U.S. in 1851. Today, about 77% of American households display Christmas trees; about 19% are real and 81% are artificial.
• Leaving out cookies and milk for Santa Claus dates back to ancient Norse mythology but became popular in the U.S. during the 1930s. It was a gesture of gratitude as families struggled through the Great Depression.
• Holiday cards debuted in England in 1843. The tradition was picked up in America by the Kansas City-based Hall Brothers (now Hallmark) in 1915. According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association, more than 1.6 billion holiday cards are sold each year.
• Thomas Edison’s partner is responsible for the idea of stringing bulbs around a Christmas tree. The tradition began in New York in 1882.
• Department store Santas became popular thanks to the owner of a dry goods store in Brockton, Massachusetts. He had a Santa suit made for him to attract customers – and their children – into his store during the Christmas season.
• The poinsettia became America’s official Christmas flower when the country’s first ambassador to Mexico, botanist Joel Roberts Poinsett, brought this native Central American plant to the U.S. back in the 1820s.
• Advent Calendars were conceived by a German publisher in 1903 as a way for children to count down to Christmas by opening one “door” or “window” a day to reveal words of wisdom or a small gift.
• Festa dei sette pesci – “Feast of the Seven Fishes” tradition started in the early 1900s when Italian-American families rekindled the Old Country’s Christmas Eve tradition by preparing a seven-course seafood meal that both made them feel close to their homes, while celebrating the sea, a major connection in Italy. Today, it’s considered one of the oldest Italian traditions — but we give America credit for that!
