MERRY CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS HISTORY: HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS CARD

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THIS WILL BE THE LAST POST ON THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS AS WE WATCH IT FADE AWAY UNTIL NEXT YEAR.  MAY THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT AND KINDNESS IN GIVING TO OTHERS STAY WITH YOU EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR 2020!  CHRISTMAS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY, AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR COULD NOT BE REMEMBERED MORE OFTEN.  IF YOU BELIEVE AS A CHRISTIAN, WE ARE SAVED DUE TO THE GREATEST GIFT EVER GIVEN TO US:  THE BIRTH OF GOD’S SON IN HUMAN FORM WHO WALKED HERE ON EARTH TO SAVE US FROM OUR OWN SINS, AND DIED BECAUSE OF ONE OF THEM.  LET US NOT FORGET WHAT THE TRUE SPIRIT OF GIVING MEANS AND HOLD THIS IN OUR HEARTS AT ALL TIMES. 

NOW ONTO A LIGHTER SUBJECT:  THE HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS CARD.  THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD WAS DESIGNED IN 1843 BY SIR HENRY AND HIS ARTIST FRIEND, JOHN HORSLEY IN THE U.K.  THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD HAD THREE SIDES TO IT.  TWO SIDES DEPICTED THE ART OF GIVING TO THE POOR, WHILE THE OTHER SIDE SHOWED A FAMILY HAVING A LARGE CHRISTMAS DINNER.  THESE CARDS SOLD FOR ABOUT 1 SHILLING EACH OR 5 TO 8 CENTS PER CARD.  AROUND THAT SAME YEAR, THE FIRST POST OFFICE OPENED, SELLING POSTAGE STAMPS FOR A PENNY.  THE RAILWAYS WERE BEING GREATLY EXPANDED BY THEN, ALLOWING THE MAIL TO BE DELIVERED IN MASSIVE QUANTITIES COMPARED TO THE HORSE AND BUGGY DAYS.

THE FIRST “PERSONALIZED” CHRISTMAS CARD WAS SENT OUT IN 1891 BY ANNIE OAKLEY LIN GLASGOW, SCOTLAND,  WHERE SHE SENT HER FRIENDS PICTURES OF HER RIDING A HORSE ON HER CARD.  BY THE 1860’s, CHRISTMAS CARDS WERE QUITE POPULAR IN ALL OF EUROPE, AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.  AROUND THIS TIME, JOHN EGLEY, WHO CREATED SOME OF THE COVERS FOR CHARLES DICKEN’S BOOKS, CREATED SOME VERY FAMOUS CHRISTMAS CARDS IN THE EARLY 1900’s THAT ARE NOW ON DISPLAY IN THE BRITISH MUSUEM. CHRISTMAS CARDS WERE EXTREMELY POPULAR IN GERMANY.  ALSO, IN THE EARLY 1900’S THEY BEGAN TO BE MANUFACTURED IN BULK, AS THEY WERE EXTREMELY POPULAR AT THIS POINT, ALL OVER THE WORLD.

TODAY, CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR.  HERE ARE SOME FACTS OF TRIVIA TODAY:  IN 2010, 1.6 BILLION CHRISTMAS CARDS WERE SOLD IN THE U.S.A.  COMPARED TO 678.9 MILLION IN EUROPE.  ONLY 15% OF MEN SEND OUT CHRISTMAS CARDS.  WOMEN ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF MAILING THEM. 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING OUR FINAL “HISTORY LESSON” ON CHRISTMAS PAST AND PRESENT.  DAILY WISDOM WORDS WISHES YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES THE HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS.  GOD BLESS,

SAMANTHA LEBOEUF/DAILY WISDOM WORDS

CHRISTMAS HISTORY/THE MISTLETOE

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KISSING UNDER SPRIGS OF MISTLETOE IS YET ANOTHER PART OF THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS!  SURPRISINGLY, THE MISTLETOE STARTED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO IN ANCIENT GREECE.  MANY ANCIENT CULTURES PRIZED MISTLETOE FOR BEING THE HEALING MAGIC NEEDED FOR MANY THINGS.

ANCIENT GREEKS USED MISTLETOE FOR MENSTRUAL CRAMPS, TO SPLEEN DISORDERS.  THE ROMAN NATURALIST, PLINY THE ELDER, NOTED IT COULD BE USED AS A BALM AGAINST EPILEPSY, ULCERS, AND POISONS.

THE PLANTS ROMANTIC OVERTONES MOST LIKELY STARTED WITH THE CELTIC DRUIDS OF THE 1ST CENTURY A.D.  BECAUSE MISTLETOE COULD BLOSSOM DURING THE FROZEN WINTER, THE DRUIDS CAME TO VIEW IT AS A SACRED SYMBOL OF VIVACITY, AND THEY ADMINISTERED IT TO ANIMALS AND HUMANS ALIKE BECAUSE OF THE FERTILITY QUALITIES IT WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE.

ANOTHER FAMOUS CHAPTER IN MISTLETOE FOLKLORE COMES FROM THE NORSE MYTHOLOGY .  AS THE STORY GOES, WHEN THE GOD ODINS SON BALDUR WAS PROPHESIED TO DIE, HIS MOTHER, FRIGG, THE GODESS OF LOVE WENT TO ALL THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD TO SECURE AN OATH THAT THEY WOULD NOT HARM HIM.  FRIGG NEGLECTED TO CONSULT WITH THE UNASSUMING MISTLETOE, SO THE SCHEMING GOD LOKI MADE AN ARROW FROM THE PLANT AND SAW THAT IT WAS USED TO KILL THE OTHERWISE INVINCIBLE BALDUR.  ACCORDING TO ONE SUNNIER VERSION OF THE MYTH, THE GODS WERE ABLE TO RESURRECT BALDUR FROM THE DEAD.  DELIGHTED, FRIGG THEN DECLARED THE MISTLETOE A SYMBOL OF LOVE AND VOWED TO PLANT A KIS ON ALL THOSE WHO PASSED BENEATH IT.

MISTLETOES ASSOCIATION WITH FERTILITY AND VITALITY CONTINUED THROUGH THE Middle Ages.  BY THE 18TH CENTURY, IT HAD BECOME WIDELY INCORPORATED INTO CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS.  JUST HOW IT MADE THE JUMP FROM SACRED HERB TO HOLIDAY DECORATION REMAINS UP FOR DEBATE, BUT THE KISSING TRADITION SEEMS TO HAVE FIRST CAUGHT ON BY SERVANTS IN ENGLAND BEFORE SPREADING TO THE MIDDLE CLASSES.  AS PART OF THE EARLY TRADITION, MEN WERE ALLOWED TO STEAL A KISS FROM ANY WOMAN CAUGHT STANDING UNDER THE MISTLETOE, AND REFUSING WAS VEIWED AS BAD LUCK.

TODAY, WE STILL CONSIDER THE MISTLETOE TO BE A PART OF OUR HOLIDAY TRADITIONS.  SOMEONE WHO STANDS UNDER THE MISTLETOE, MUST KISS THE MAN NEAREST TO HER.  IT IS FASCINATING TO ME HOW MUCH HISTORY IS IN ALL THE PARTS OF THE TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS!  I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO SHARE ANY FUNNY STORIES OR COMMENTS OR A POEM ABOUT MISTLETOE BENEATH THIS POST IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Samantha Leboeuf/DWW

FROM ALL OF US AT DAILY WISDOM WORDS, WE WISH YOU AND YOURS A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY!!! WE LOVE OUR MEMBERS FOR ALL THEIR WONDERFUL POSTS, PARTICIPATION AND ENJOYMENT OF THIS WRITING AND AUTHOR WEBSITE.  AS OUR GIFT TO YOU, WE HAVE DISCOUNTED THE PRICE OF MEMBERSHIP 50% TO $5 INSTEAD OF $10.  WE LOVE HAVING  NEW MEMBERS JOIN AS PART OF OUR GROWING FAMILY!!  WE ARE A GROWING WEBSITE FOR ALL KINDS OF WRITERS, WITH SO MUCH TO OFFER.  HAVE A LOOKSE AFTER READING THIS POST.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

INFORMATION ABOUT MISTLETOE TAKEN FROM THE HISTORY WEBSITE