There is just over a week to go until Christmas Day and by now your traditions should have got you well and truly in the mood.
From sending festive well wishes in cards to putting up trees, buying your favourite food and drink and organising where you will be on the big day – there are a whole host of different ways that people choose to celebrate Christmas.
Many traditions have been passed down from generation to generation, making their way into every family’s heart and way of life.
But where do these traditions came from?
Here is everything we know.
Which country first had Christmas trees?
The tradition of decorating trees and placing them in our homes originated in Germany in the 16th century.
Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the first person to add lighted candles to a tree after being awestruck by the brilliance of stars twinkling amid the evergreens. He decided to recapture this scene for his family, erecting a tree in the main room decorated with lighted candles.
The first record of one being on display in the US was in the 1830s by German settlers in Pennsylvania.
In the UK, the Christmas tree tradition became fashionable in 1846 after Queen Victoria and her German prince husband, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing alongside their children surrounding a Christmas tree.
What year was the first Christmas card sent?
In 1843, senior civil servant Sir Henry Cole helped set up the Public Record Office, now known as the Post Office.
Sir Henry, alongside friend and artist John Horsley, designed their first card, which sold for one shilling. This featured two panels, one showing a picture of people looking after the poor and the centre one featuring a family having Christmas dinner.
Sir Henry helped to introduce the penny post, which made receiving parcels and letters more accessible for the poor. And the increasing replacement of horse-drawn carriages with railways meant the sending and receiving of Christmas cards gained popularity among all classes.
How did mince pies get their name?
In the UK, we love a good mince pie but did you know they date back to the 13th century?
Originally made of minced meat, like mutton, they were flavoured with spices and fruit inspired by recipes the Crusaders brought to the UK from the Middle East. They represented the gifts of the Magi (or Wise Men or Kings), with many pies decorated with a picture of the Christ child at Christmas.
During the Victorian era, the pies became sweeter and, eventually, the mince in the pies was left out.
Which country did eggnog come from?
Eggnog, on the other hand, is a traditional drink more popular across the Atlantic. However, the origins of the drink can also be found in the UK.
According to one food blog written by Frederick Douglass Opie, a food history professor at Babson College in Massachusetts, eggnog was a wintertime drink favoured by the British aristocracy. It originated from a flu remedy called posset and the nog was the wooden bowl it was served in.
The drink consists of egg yolk, sugar, milk, thick cream and vanilla extract, often spiked with an alcoholic drink of choice, and topped with freshly grated nutmeg and/or cinnamon sticks.
Where did panettone originate?
There are several legends behind the festive cake’s origins.
One story claims that a Milanese baker named Toni fell in love with an alluring woman who walked past his bakery every day. Hoping to get her to stop by the bakery, Toni spent months perfecting a vanilla-perfumed loaf he named “Pan di Toni”, meaning “Toni’s Bread”.
Another legend explains that the panettone was, again, created by a chef called Toni, when the dessert for the Duke of Milan’s Christmas banquet got burnt. Toni, quick on his feet, created the rich brioche bread filled with raisins and candied fruit, which the duke loved. And, so the tradition of “Pane di Toni” was born.
Who invented Christmas crackers?
Christmas crackers were invented more than 150 years ago, by a baker named Tom Smith, from the East End of London, according to the V&A Museum.
Smith had a bakery in Goswell Road, Clerkenwell in the 1840s where he would sell cakes and sweets.
Inspired by the French bon bon sweets, Smith created sweets with a love motto inside the wrapper. He later added the explosive pop after being inspired by a crackling log fire.
The first cracker device was patented in 1847 before being perfected in the 1860s.
His son, Walter, added paper hats and novelty gifts to the cracker, which are still key elements of Christmas crackers today.
