What’s the Reason Behind the Season?

During the Christmas season families come together to enjoy special activities. People from all over have special holiday traditions, like putting up a Christmas tree, hanging mistletoe, or handing out candy canes. However, not too many people really know where these traditions began.

  So why do people put up a Christmas tree and decorate it? Bringing a tree into the house and decorating it comes from the Germanic tribes in the 8th century who worshipped oak trees and decorated them for Winter Solstice.

People always hang mistletoe around the house or around Christmas parties, but who started this tradition? Mistletoe comes from the descendents of Ireland who thought mistletoe came from Heaven and grew from a tree that came from Earth, which symbolizes the joining of Heaven and Earth.

What about the people who hand out candy canes? Candy canes come from a group of scholars who believed that they were made to represent Jesus, hence it being in the shape of a "J." The white stripes symbolize purity and the red stripes symbolize the blood of Jesus Christ.

  There are many traditions around Christmas time, so enjoy the ongoing family time and keep in mind the historical reasons behind everything we do to celebrate the holiday season.