As Christmas 2023 approaches, I am thinking again about my own tradition of posting daily for the Twelve Days of Christmas!

For the past 3 years I've challenged myself to post something different each time for the 12 Days of Christmas - gin brands or cocktails that tie into the song or days - and last year I  thought outside the box and went with a Christmas Traditions theme.  

The idea was to do a little research into some of the things we just take for granted over the Festive Season and have no idea where or why they started.  So, keep reading and hopefully you'll learn something new and interesting, as  I did during my research!

I'm of course thinking what to post for 2023/4 Twelve Days of Christmas, so if you find this blog summary interesting, do give me a follow and check back on Christmas Day this year to see what new theme I have decided upon!

All photography and research/writing has been done by myself and if you are interested in the cocktail recipes, they can be found on my Instagram account - agreed, it may be a lot of scrolling down, but hopefully you are inspired as much as I was to create some fun cocktails to enjoy during the holidays.

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the first day of Christmas.

As today is Christmas Day and we are most likely gathered around our trees, I did wonder where and how the tradition started.  

It appears that trees have been used in rituals for centuries but everything points to this starting in Germany with Paradise Trees, which were branches or sticks which were hung with apples and displayed in homes on Christmas Eve - the religious feast day of Adam & Eve.  

These evolved and other decorations were added but the first documented Christmas Tree as we know it was in 1536 and put up by the German preacher Martin Luther.  The story is that he was walking through the forest and looked up at the stars shining through the branches and it reminded him of the Christmas story.  His tree was decorated with candles to represent the stars.

As Germans migrated, they took this tradition with them and it was Queen Victoria who popularised the tradition in England and from around the mid 1800s, Christmas Trees became commonplace in English homes.

The tradition spread world-wide and especially in Germany, it started to have an impact on forests and so the Germans started making artificial trees with goose-feathers around the 1880s.  Over time these made their way into other countries too and trees were also made from other materials. 

It's even reported that in the 1930s a toilet brush manufacturer used surplus products to start the trend of bristle trees!  Now that's a fun fact but did you know that the Catholic Church resisted this Lutheran custom for a very long time and the first Vatican Christmas Tree erected was in 1982?

So whether you have a real or artificial tree up, have a wonderful day with friends and family!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the second day of Christmas.

Chances are you pulled a few crackers yesterday, donned a silly hat that was too big or small, pretended to laugh at the lame jokes and took 5 minutes to locate the novelty toy that shot out the cracker and disappeared into the ether when you pulled it!

But what is this tradition all about and who started it?

Well, we have a chap called Tom Smith to thank for our Christmas Crackers.  In 1840 he visited Paris and came upon French Bon Bon sweets - sugared almonds wrapped in pretty paper.  He thought this was a great idea, so when he returned to London he started selling wrapped sweets.  Unfortunately they didn't do too well outside of Christmas, so he started adding little mottos and jokes inside them to encourage year-round sales!  

Tom patented his first cracker in 1847 and spent several years perfecting it.  In 1861 he launched his range of "Bangs of Expectation" - "Cosaques" which included a snap when the sweet wrappers were pulled apart. Not only were the crackers popular at Christmas, but Tom also marketed a range of designs for novelty use at a variety of occasions.

When his 3 sons took over the business, they introduced the paper hats and also gifts.  The hats or crowns are said to be inspired by Epiphany cakes from Europe, which are often decorated with a paper crown on top, but may also symbolise the crowns of the Three Wise Men.  

The brand Tom Smith still produces luxury crackers to this day, including those for the Royal Household - now I wonder what gifts are included in them....surely not tacky plastic rings!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the third day of Christmas.

Candy Canes!  A tradition that has a 350 year history and special part of Christmas!

We hook them on our trees, use them as present toppers, dunk them in our hot chocolate drinks and a few of us probably pop a filling munching on them over the festive period!

Where are their origins though?  All my research pointed to a Priest in Germany, who made them as a special treat for his choir boys -  around 1670.  

They were only white pulled sugar to start with and straight, not curved.  The hook shape may have represented a shepherd's crook but it's more likely that the curve was added so it could be hung from a Christmas Tree, as it was tradition around the 1700s in Germany, along with other sweet treats, cookies and paper ornaments. 

Another suggestion is that they are J-shaped and stand for Jesus and are to remind children that he is our "rock".  This isn't really something I've ever come across, but nevertheless, the "myth" is out there!  Even the 12 Days of Christmas song gifts are supposed to have some connection with the Bible and that has been debunked too if you research it!

It was only around 1844 when the first striped peppermint stick recipe was published and around 1900 that candy canes became red and white.  It's said the white and red represents purity and sacrifice and again this points to a religious connection which has no historical evidence to support the claim.  All things just point to them being a sweet treat to keep some choir boys quiet during long-winded nativity services!

Today billions of candy canes are manufactured every year and 90% of them are sold in the run up to Christmas.

So whatever you choose to believe, Candy Canes are symbolic of Christmas and we can't get enough of them this time of year.  Perhaps it's the mint in them that helps to settle our distended tummies after all the yummy Christmas food!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 4th day of Christmas.

No doubt you all have an abundance of mincepies in your cupboards..... or bellies!

Nothing to be embarrassed about and I'm about to give you all the excuses you need to keep shovelling them into your cakehole for the next few days!

It's good luck and will bring you happiness - that's why!  British tradition recommends that you eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas and if you don't, you may suffer a year of misfortune! 

The tradition of mincepies dates back to the Middle Ages and they were originally filled with meat, as well as dried fruits, nuts and spices.  

This combination of sweet and savoury was quite common, especially if you were wealthy in medieval times, as honey and dried fruits were expensive.  They were very much a status symbol and were served up by the rich at their Christmas parties - the fancier they were, the wealthier you were thought to be.

The size, filling and shape has changed over the years.  Mincepies were originally shaped oval or large rectangles to represent Baby Jesus's manger, the top representing swaddling clothes and often includig little effigies of Him.   They traditionally included 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples - symbolic of the Christmas story - lamb for the shepherds, spices for the wise men.

Tasty treats and mincepies were banned during Oliver Cromwell's short rule as he wanted to tackle gluttony and said Christmas contained too may religious superstitions. These bans didn't go down well and caused the Plum Pudding Riots in Canterbury in 1658! 

All this changed over the centuries. Eventually meat was removed from the recipe and they morphed into the little round treats that we love today.  

So whether the tradition is myth or truth, it matters not - we all still love our mincepies around Christmas!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 5th day of Christmas.

We all love a Christmas tune and by now we are probably all sick of hearing the same songs over and over again on the radio or telly!   Ignoring the popular Christmas "pop" songs, I thought I would research into one song, which has a bit of a colourful and storied past!

Jingle Bells was originally written for Thanksgiving around 1857 by James Lord Pierpont and called "One Horse Open Sleigh" and first performed by the blackface minstrel performer, Johnny Pell.  Pierpont, son of a minister, was a bit of a rebel from an early age, supported the Confederacy and abandoned his family more than once in order to seek his fortune. 

The song is about commemorating the annual sleigh races held in Massachusetts in the early 1800s and has absolutely no religious or Christmas connection.  Not surprisingly and given his rebellious nature, some of the less-known verses are about picking up girls, drag-racing and even crashing!  Researchers have said it's not even an original song, but copied from other similar sleighing songs which were popular around that time, and that it was purely about making money but it got him voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Fast forward to 1965, Jingle Bells was the first song to be broadcast from space! The Gemini 6 astronauts were a bit high on holiday spirit and played a prank on Mission Control by performing the song on a harmonica and actual bells they had smuggled on board.  

Whether or not it was ever intended to be a Christmas song, it's become a Yuletide staple, associated with winter and Christmas and bit of revelry!  

So while you deal with the earworm, I'll be enjoying a little Gin-gle Bells Cocktail!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 6th day of Christmas.

The history of greeting cards goes back way further in Europe and abroad than it does in the UK.  The ancient Chinese and Egyptians exchanged greetings for many key dates and Europeans began selling and exchanging handmade greeting cards in the early 1400s, but it was the British who commercialised Christmas cards.

In 1843 Sir Henry Cole hired an artist called John Calcott Horsley to design him a seasonal card which he could send to lots of people, because he was too busy to write them all personal messages.  The print run for the cards was 1000 and they were all hand-coloured by a professional colourer.  Cole used as many as he needed and he sold the rest for a shilling each under the pseudonym Felix Summerly.  

The design of the cards depicted acts of charity (feeding and clothing the needy) and a family scene in which children were depicted drinking wine!  Clearly a little controversial, even back then, but it didn't stop people buying the cards and more were printed to satisfy demand.  Some of these cards still exist and one of them sold in 2001 for £22,250 - the world record for the most expensive Christmas card ever sold! 

Do we still send Christmas Cards or is this tradition starting to fall away?  I guess it's quite sad, as they are one of the few things that have handwriting on them - of our parents, grandparents, children.... that makes them quite special and a lovely keepsake too.

Have you any special cards stashed away somewhere?  

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 7th day of Christmas.

The Lord of Misrule is a historic figure who was central to British Christmas celebrations until the Puritans managed to ban the festive season in the 17th Century. 

He was generally a peasant or someone from the lower classes who was appointed to be mock king and be in charge of Christmas festivities - a bit of role reversal and the rowdy ringleader of all Christmas fun.  The tradition originated from The Feast of Fools - a late Medieval and Early Tudor tradition and turned things on their head, so that fools could become Kings and Kings could behave as fools! 

The Lord of Misrule would be kitted out in elaborate clothing and jewels which they would even parade about in the street.  They had the power to do whatever they wanted and command anyone to do anything.  The festivities were often raucous parties which were held from Christmas Eve until Twelfth Night. 

With the rise of the Puritan party in the 17th century, the custom was seen to be too raucous and disruptive and was outlawed and soon became forgotten.  Dickens and other writers, as well as the Anglican Church helped revive the holiday by changing the consciousness of Christmas and how it was celebrated, with an emphasise on family, religion and gift giving.

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 8th day of Christmas.

Chances are you bought a kit and tried to "glue" a Gingerbread House together with the kids or a bevvie on the side!  Is it still standing or have you bashed it up already to munch it alongside a cuppa?

Gingerbread has a long history but we have the Germans to thank for another Christmas tradition that has taken over the world!  

In the 17th century only professional gingerbread bakers were allowed to bake gingerbread, with the exception of Christmas and Easter, when the ban was lifted.  Perhaps this is why there is a connection between Christmas and Gingerbread, but we didn't see houses built of it until around 1812.  

Gingerbread Houses became popular when the Brothers Grimm wrote Hansel & Gretel, although it's not sure if they originated as a result of the fairytale or vice versa.  Nevertheless, the tradition has spread around the world with more and more extravagant creations and constructions seen each year at Christmas and chefs even competing to create the largest gingerbread villages.

So whether you knew there was a connection to the Grimms fairytale or not, I'm sure you must have thought about it while gluing one together and decorating it with loads of sweets and icing sugar snow!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 9th day of Christmas.

Did you know that our loveable red-nosed reindeer has not even been around for a century?

He was only created in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department store asked one of their copywriters to create a Christmas Story they could give away to their shoppers. The store had been giving away colouring books for years and they thought that creating their own book would save them money.

34 year old Robert L May had the honour of coming up with the story which has won the hearts of everyone since then and his brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks adapted the story into a song, which was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949.

The inspiration behind the story was May's daughter, Barbara, who was obsessed with reindeer, but also the story of the Ugly Duckling.  At the time of writing Rudolph, May, an aspiring author but stuck in a rut writing copy for catalogues, was heavily in debt and his wife, who had been suffering from a long illness, was dying.  Reindeers already featured in the Christmas season, thanks to the 1820s poem, A Visit form Saint Nicholas.  May came up with the 9th reindeer and chose Rudolph for alliterative purposes.

His wife's conditioned worsened during the summer and she passed away in the July and May buried himself into writing the story and a month later he submitted his draft.

It was printed in 1939 as a soft cover and 2.4 million copies were distributed for free.  The musical version pushed this best-seller beyond anyone's expectations and the brand got the family through a really tough time. 

May received royalties on more than 100 red-nosed products, as well as the song, as he was given the copyright in 1947.  He passed away in 1976 at the age of 71.

May said that the moral of the story is that tolerance and perseverance can overcome adversity.

Take your differences and make good use of them.

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 10th day of Christmas.

Chances are most of you tucked into a turkey with trimmings or a roast of some sort on Christmas Day.  This tradition is probably followed in many countries around the world, but not in Japan!  Here the Colonel is king!

Yep - the Japanese can't get enough Kentucky on Christmas day and this is due to a ridiculously successful campaign by KFC in the 1970s and it's established a tradition amongst Japanese families to tuck into fried chicken on Christmas Day!  If you are in Japan and you want your party barrel for Christmas Day, you will have to order well in advance and even make restaurant reservations!  Although Christmas is acknowledged, it's not really celebrated in any other way in Japan.

It's estimated that 3.6million families tuck into the turkey substitute Christmas Dinner each year and account for almost a third of annual sales for the brand.  It's become a symbol of family reunion and it's one that is finger-licking good!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 11th day of Christmas.

Yule is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world and refers to a midwinter festival, centred around the winter solstice.  When Christianity spread through Europe and the British Isles in the 4th century, some aspects of this Germanic or Scandinavian pagan festival were adopted to celebrate the birth of Christ and Pope Julius I aligned the Christmas feast day with the Roman pagan holiday.

The burning of a log started way back before medieval times and was part of the winter solstice ritual which was said to welcome back the sun as it marked the shortest day of the year.  It's possible that candles and lights associated now with Christmas may symbolise the flames of the Yule Log. 

The log was essentially a whole tree, carefully chosen (either gifted or cut from your own land but never bought), decorated with ribbons, ivy, holly or evergreens, symbolising new life) and dragged into the house.  This ceremony was known as Bringing in the Yule Log, and would ensure good luck in the new year to anyone who helped drag it home.  The largest end could be placed into the fireplace where it would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log - a relighting process which was carried out with much care after a blessing was said over it.  The tree would be inched into the fire and burn through the 12 nights of Christmas, often with wine poured over it to make it feel welcome and smell nice when it burned.

This tradition of burning a log and planting of the ashes in the soil, still stands in some cultures, but for others, smaller fireplaces and hearths meant they were more practical for baking, so the log evolved into a chocolate log-shaped cake!

Now I don't want to start an argument, but don't you think Colin the Caterpillar is really just a Yule Log?

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

...the 12th day of Christmas.

For my final tradition, I'm heading across the pond again to the USA to figure out what all the hype is about the Christmas Pickle!  No, not the type you find in your Christmas MaccyD, the one hung on your tree!

I'll be interested to know from my US friends whether any of you follow the tradition of hiding an ornamental pickle on your tree so that whoever finds it is rewarded with an extra gift from Santa.  Being green, it is well camouflaged and difficult to find and puts a little bit of extra fun into the morning's celebrations.  Traditionally it's the last ornament to be hung on Christmas Eve, while everyone is sleeping, and the whole family can join in the fun of finding it whilst appreciating all the other beautiful decorations on the tree.

As to the origins, I'm going to trust Wiki on this and agree that it was probably a tradition that was created in the late 19th century and a bit of a marketing exercise by Woolworths, who were importing glass decorations from Germany and France into America.  It's certainly a strange tradition and most likely thought up by a salesman in order to try and shift a batch of pickle decorations included in a shipment.  

I think it's a great idea actually and am sorry I didn't do that with my boys!  They are grown up enough now to drink, so perhaps I can try and introduce a Christmas Morning Gibson.... what do you think? 

On that note #twelfdaysofginmas is done and dusted!   I hope you've enjoyed this year's version as much as I've enjoyed researching, writing and drinking all the cocktails!