Historical Christmas Traditions We Don’t Question

Christmas is full of small mysteries, including a number passed down through history. Christmas traditions with little-known origins can seem lame -- even slightly deranged. Who first thought it would be a good idea to cut down a perfectly good tree and haul it inside to bedeck the floor with needles? Why, exactly, do folks find it romantic to kiss beneath a noxious parasitic weed tied with ribbon? And what’s with the stripes on candy canes?

Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas as well as the next person. But I mean, really… Really? Let’s look into this, shall we? 

Where Did Christmas Trees Originate?

Martin Luther, the renowned 16th-century German theologian and scholar, is said to have started the Christmas-tree tradition. While walking home through the woods late one night, he admired the stars shining through the trees. Eager to share this experience with his wife, he cut down a fir tree and set it up in his house with lighted candles in the branches.

The first Christmas tree recorded is a sculpture on the keystone of a home in Turckheim, Alsace. The sculpture dates from 1576. Use of Christmas trees spread across Europe. It flourished in England due to the influence of Queen Victoria, who adored them.

Why Do We Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe?

British servants started the Christmas tradition of Kissing beneath the mistletoe, but the practice orginated in response to a legend in Norse mythology. The unromantic truth is that mistletoe is a parasitic plant that robs the nutrients of its tree host. However, in ancient times it was valued as a healing herb. Because the plant is evergreen, it was seen as a symbol of vitality.

Why are Candy Canes Striped?

The first candy canes, made about 350 years ago, had no hook, were white, and contained no added flavors. Legend holds that in 1670 a choirmaster at Germany’s Cologne Cathedral bent the white candy sticks to represent shepherd's hooks for the children who attended the church’s ceremonies.

The first use of candy canes at Christmas was documented in 1847 when August Imgard, an immigrant living in Ohio, hung candy canes to decorate a tree. By the early 18th Century, Christmas cards contained white sugar canes.

It wasn’t until the turn of the 19th Century that the white-and-red striped peppermint candy canes appeared. These weren’t used to commemorate Christmas until Bob McCormack from Atlanta gave them to his friends and family in the 1920’s.

Candy canes were made laboriously by hand through the 1950’s, when Gregory Keller of Bob’s Candies invented a machine that automated the process. This led to worldwide distribution.

Many believe that candy canes are formed to hold special meanings. The red stripes are thought to represent the blood of Christ, and the white stripes to symbolize Jesus’s purity. The three fine stripes stand for the Trinity. The candy’s shape resembles the first letter of ‘Jesus’ or a shepherd’s hook. The candy is hard like the bedrock foundation of the Church. Peppermint stems from hyssop, a Biblical herb symbolic of purity and sacrifice.

These meanings are nice to think about, but we can’t state them for certain. What we do know is that the candy cane, like the other traditional items we discussed, is an indelible part of Christmas.

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres.

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.

Explore Janalyn Voigt's interactive website.

Candy Apples

The Best Thing at Early Fairs

by Martha Rogers

I attended the State Fair of Texas in Dallas every year I was in school and many times after that. Besides the rides, I loved the food we found there from cotton candy to funnel cakes. Now, everything from butter to Oreos is fried.

As I researched my book about the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, I ran across interesting facts about one of my favorite treats from my youth. Candy apples are a staple at most fairs either with the hard candy coating or the smooth caramel one.

The traditional red candy apples we see today are said to have been invented by William W. Kolb, a New Jersey candy-maker, in 1908. While experimenting with red cinnamon candy he made for Christmas, he dipped some apples into the mixture and displayed them in his candy shop. They sold for 5 cents each and became an almost instant hit. It didn’t take long for the treat to spread across New Jersey and then to circuses and candy shops nationwide.

Candy makers began experimenting with colors and coatings which is how the caramel or taffy apple was born. 
Here are examples of some of the colors which all

have a different flavor as well.

The caramel apple came along in the 1950swhen Dan Walker experimented with Kraft caramels and apples. He simply melted down left over caramels and dipped apples into the mixture.

Some experimented with toppings for the glaze and
flavors as well as the aforementioned colors for the coatings. Still, the traditional color for candy apples is red and cinnamon flavored. Coney Island vendors developed a softer coating and flavored it with Cherry. These are referred to as Jelly Apples.

One of my favorites is the nut covered one seen below. 

Fun Facts about Candy Apples:  https://bit.ly/2ISn5iN   International Independent Showmen’s Museum

1. Candy apples are of the hard candy coating variety, not caramel or toffee.

2. They’ve been around over a hundred years.

3. The first ones were for display only by Kolb in his candy store.

4. Candy apples are easiest to make in the fall not only because of the apple harvest, but also because of the lower humidity.

5. Traditional candy apples are cinnamon flavored.

6. In the first half of the 20^th century, candy apples were given out for trick-or-treat. This practice stopped in the 1970s when people began adding dangerous things like razor blades to the apples.

7. Candy apples sweeten holidays around the world. They’re not just American.

8. Certain apples, like Fuji or Granny Smith, are better suited for the treat. They are crisp and hold up better with the coating.

9. They may be healthier than you think, but it depends on what you put into the coating while making it.

You probably own something or have owned something that got its color name from the candy. Candy apple red was and still is a favorite color for cars and other things like fingernail polish, helmets, and even bicycles.

The coating is usually a combination of sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon candies and red food coloring which is cooked to a hard crack stage. The apples are then dipped into the mixture and set aside to allow the gel to cool and harden around the apple.

Recipe for Candy Apples from the Just A Taste website

 https://www.justataste.com/candy-apples/

12 Granny Smith or Fuji Apples
12 lollipop or popsicle sticks

3 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
You will need a good candy thermometer as well

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash and thoroughly dry the apples (See Kelly's Notes below). Insert the lollipop sticks or popsicle sticks so that they are firmly positioned in the apples. Set the apples aside on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and coated with cooking spray.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and cook the mixture until a candy thermometer reaches 300ºF (the hard crack stage).

Remove the candy mixture from the heat and carefully stir in the red food coloring (it may splash, so stand back). You may have to add more than the designated ½ teaspoon, depending on the quality and strength of your food coloring.

One by one, carefully dip the apples into the candy mixture, swirling to coat them thoroughly and allowing any excess to drip back into the pan. Transfer the coated apples to the prepared cookie sheet and allow them to cool until the candy has fully hardened. 

Many people slice the apple rather than try to bite into the hard candy outer coating. It's easier on the teeth, too.

What are your favorite foods at the fair or a carnival?

Martha Rogers is a multi-published author and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston, Texas where they are active members of First Baptist Church. They are the parents of three sons and grandparents to eleven grandchildren and great-grandparents to four, soon to be five. Martha is a retired teacher with twenty-eight years teaching Home Economics and English at the secondary level and eight years at the college level supervising student teachers and teaching freshman English. She is the Director of the Texas Christian Writers Conference held in Houston in August each year, a member of ACFW, ACFW WOTS chapter in Houston, and a member of the writers’ group, Inspirational Writers Alive.

Find Martha at:  www.marthawrogers.com