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A few Christmas facts to wow over the turkey…

Hmmm…: Why are Robins the Christmas bird of choice?

Ahhh…!: The Victorians started using Robins on cards, often delivering mail, as a nod to the red tunics worn by Victorian postman that earned them the name 'redbreasts'.

 

I’ve always wondered…: Why do Christmas crackers go ‘snap!’?
Well…!: The inventor of the Christmas cracker is credited to Victorian wedding cake maker, Tom Smith.  He based his idea for crackers on the French bon bon sweet which is wrapped in a twist of tissue paper.  Tom had the idea of placing a snap into his crackers after he threw a log onto the fire and the fire made a loud snap noise.

 

So…: Where did the carol singer tradition originate? 
An interesting question…: In medieval times all British towns had The Waits, a band of musicians who would welcome official visitors and attend major events.  In 1835 the Municipal Corporations Act abolished The Waits but the memory lingered on to become The Christmas Waits, who were any group of musicians or singers who would perform (usually in exchange for food or money) around their town.

 

Christmas cards…: Now whose bright idea was that?
Actually…: The first official Christmas card was the brainchild of Sir Henry Cole in 1843. 1,000 were produced and sold for a shilling each.

 

I should know this, but: What does Advent mean? 
Ahhh…!: It comes from the latin word adventus which means ‘arrival’, referring to the baby Jesus.

 

I would like a partridge in a pear tree…: When exactly does the twelve days of Christmas start?
So…: The Twelve Days of Christmas start on the last 6 days of the old year (26th Dec) and the first 6 days of the new year (until 6th Jan).  The twelve days represent how long it took the three wise men to find the baby Jesus after seeing the bright star in the desert.

 

Now here’s a question…: Why do we decorate fir trees and bring them indoors? 
Well…!: Folk traditionally dressed trees in winter after the leaves had fallen to ‘cheer the spirit of the tree up’ before Spring.  The custom of bringing in fir trees started in Germany, but it was Prince Albert who was the first to bring a tree inside in this country and as he and Queen Victoria were greatly admired and imitated, soon the whole country was doing it!  St Boniface is said to have believed the fir tree to be symbolic of eternal life and the tree of the Christ child.

So there you go, you are now free to dazzle the family with your fountain of festive knowledge!

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