Hours Update: ALL Weston Nurseries and Weston Wholesale locations will be closed on Easter Sunday, March 31st.

Christmas: How Gift-Giving And Caroling Began

Christmas: How Gift-Giving And Caroling Began

Northern Europe has been the historic cradle of many customs and traditions we associate with Christmas today. Below are three of them.

Gift-giving

Gift-giving has its roots in pagan rituals held during the winter. When Christianity folded these rituals into Christmas, the justification for bearing gifts was redirected to the Three Wise Men, the Magi, who gave gifts to the infant Jesus. But in early modern Europe, it also had its roots in Christmas begging. At that time, Christmas bore little resemblance to the family-centered holiday celebrated today. During the holiday seasons, bands of young men, often rowdy, would “wassail” from home to home and demand handouts from the gentry, says Stephen Nissenbaum, author of “The Battle for Christmas.” Christmas involved an exchange between the social classes. 

But when Christmas was domesticated in the 1800s in the United States, the recipients of gift-giving shifted from the lower classes to children, given by versions of Santa Claus. It was then that a marketing opportunity was created, bringing us to the Santa-in-the-shopping-mall phenomenon that we recognize today.

Caroling

Like so many other Christmas traditions, carols have their roots in pagan rituals appropriated by the nascent Christian Church when, in the 4th century, it officially named Christmas the celebration of Christ Jesus’ birth. The first carols were liturgical songs, with little in common with what we might call carols today.

At the same time, the practice of “wassailing” in early modern Europe gave rise to the door-to-door phenomenon – though it was rejected as a sin by the Puritans, because it was associated with heavy drinking and rowdiness. The rise of peaceful, “modern” singing of Christmas hymns, either in church or on the streets, came in vogue in the Victorian Era.

It’s during this period that the famed “Good King Wenceslas” was written, and that “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “The First Noel,” and “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen” were popularized.

Santa Claus

The origins of Santa Claus trace back to what is now Turkey, to legends surrounding St. Nicholas, a monk. Revered for his kindness, he became known as the protector of children. But modern Santa, whose name is derived from the Dutch “Sinterklaas,” came later. At the turn of the 19th century, Christmas was a time of rowdy revelry. John Pintard, a member of the New York Historical Society who was attempting to tame Christmas, introduced St. Nicholas to the United States in the early 1800s. At about the same time, Washington Irving popularized the figure with his “A History of New York” in 1809 in which he mentions St. Nick 25 times. Santa’s modern “right jolly old elf” image comes from the 1822 poem “An account of a visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as ” ‘Twas the Night before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke Moore.

By Sara Miller Llana , Christian Science Monitor

Share Via:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print
WESTON NURSERIES

Weston Nurseries is committed to being a center for horticultural knowledge. Enjoy!

SEARCH TOPICS
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
SHOP

Shops Trees, Shrubs, & Perennials – in stores and online.

EXPLORE MORE
PLANT CARE
SOCIAL
SEARCH BY MONTH
Archives
EVENTS & CLASSES

Online Shopping at Weston Nurseries

We are excited to offer two unique opportunities to shop online at Weston Nurseries.

Farm To Door™

WN Online Shopping icons_Ship to Door
Plants shipped directly to you!

Browse our online inventory for a huge selection of plants available to ship directly from the farm to your home! Anywhere in New England!*

Shop Our Garden Centers

WN Online Shopping icons-02
Great for large plants and larger orders!

Shop your local store for plants, garden supplies, soil, mulch and more. Then pick up your order at the garden center or arrange for local drop off!

If you are interested in ordering gift cards, please click here!
*Some restrictions may apply to certain states.

CHRISTMAS TREE SALE

bALSAM fIR cHRISTMAS TREES - WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Come into any of our garden centers at Hopkinton, Hingham, or Chelmsford starting today, December 15th and save on Balsam Fir Christmas Trees while supplies last!

Also this is the LAST CHANCE to earn Holiday Dollars! (thru Dec 17)

*Sale Fine Print:For “Cash and Carry” transactions only. Offer good while supplies last.

No open orders or deliveries for future dates. All Flash Sale products must be taken the same day. Not valid on previous orders. No transfers allowed between stores on any sale items.

Skip to content