For many people the Christmas blues lurk right below the festive reds and greens of the holiday season. According to one national poll, about twenty-five percent of all Americans confessed to feeling sad around Christmas time.
The earliest Christians did not celebrate Christmas. In fact, the first Christian calendar listing December 25 as the Feast of the Nativity was compiled in 336 A.D.
Over the past century Americans have turned Christmas into a very expensive holiday. Richard Feinberg, professor of consumer sciences and retailing at Purdue University, estimated that Christmas-related expenses would cost Americans $800 billion in the year 2002.
The Christmas tree originally hails from GERMANY. Today it is a recognized symbol of the holiday in many parts of the globe. The earliest historical reference to decorated Christmas trees in German homes dates back to the sixteenth century (see also CHRISTMAS VILLAGE; ORNAMENTS).
One old Scandinavian Christmas custom is for the birds ... literally. Many Nordic families offer food to the birds at Christmas time. The traditional offering consists of a sheaf of grain placed on a pole, fence, or rooftop.
How long is the Christmas season? The answer varies from place to place and from age to age. In the United States today, the Christmas season is often equated with the shopping and GIFT-return season.
Many people embellish the CHRISTMAS CARDS, letters, and packages they send during the holiday season with special, decorative stamps called Christmas seals.
This five-petalled rose blooms around Christmas time and so acquired the popular names “Christmas rose,” “winter rose,” and “snow rose.” Although at first glance the flowers appear to be white, the petals also carry a faint hint of pink.
