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{{For|a breakdown of traditions by country|Observance of Christmas by country}}
[[File:Adoration of the sheperds - Matthias Stomer.jpg|thumb|''Adoration of the Shepherds'' by Dutch painter [[Matthias Stomer]], 1632]]
'''Christmas traditions''' include a variety of customs, religious practices, rituals, and folklore associated with the celebration of [[Christmas]]. Many of these traditions vary [[observance of Christmas by country|by country or region]], while others are practiced virtually identically worldwide.
Traditions associated with the Christmas holiday are diverse in their origins and nature, with some having an exclusively [[Christianity|Christian]] character with origins from within the religion. In contrast, others have been described as more cultural or [[secularity|secular]] in nature and have originated outside Christian influence. Christmas traditions have also changed and evolved significantly in the centuries since Christmas was first instituted as a holiday, with celebrations often taking on an entirely different quality or atmosphere depending on the period and geographical region.
==Church attendance==
Christmas Day (inclusive of its [[vigil]], Christmas Eve), is a [[Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)#Festivals|Festival]] in the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Church]], a [[Solemnity]] in the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and a [[Principal Feast]] of the [[Anglican Communion]]. Other Christian denominations do not rank their feast days but place importance on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, as with other Christian feasts like Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost.<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Worship and Music Planning Calendar |url=https://gbod-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/legacy/kintera-files/worship/2018-Music-Worship-Planning-Calendar.docx |publisher=[[The United Methodist Church]]|year=2018|access-date=December 9, 2018}}</ref> As such, for Christians, attending a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day [[church service]] plays an important part in recognition of the [[Christmastide|Christmas season]]. Christmas and Easter are the periods of highest annual church attendance. A 2010 survey by [[Lifeway Christian Resources]] found that six in ten Americans attend church services during this time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Setzer |first1=Ed |title=What Is Church Attendance Like During Christmastime? New Data From Lifeway Research |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/december/what-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html |magazine=[[Christianity Today]] |date=December 14, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129024022/http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/december/what-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html |archive-date=January 29, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the Church of England reported an estimated attendance of {{nowrap|2.5 million}} people at Christmas services in 2015.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/27/british-families-only-attend-church-at-christmas-new-figures-sug/ | title=British families only attend church at Christmas, new figures suggest | first=John | last=Bingham | date=October 27, 2016 | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | access-date=December 24, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227191442/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/27/british-families-only-attend-church-at-christmas-new-figures-sug/ | archive-date=December 27, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Decorations==
{{Main|Christmas decoration}}
[[File:Carnegie Presepio.JPG|thumb|[[Neapolitan nativity scene|Neapolitan ''presepio'']] at the [[Carnegie Museum of Art]] in Pittsburgh]]
The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history. In the 15th century, it was recorded that in London, it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be "decked with [[Quercus ilex|holm]], ivy, [[bay leaves|bays]], and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green".<ref>Miles, Clement A, ''Christmas customs and traditions'', Courier Dover Publications, 1976, {{ISBN|0-486-23354-5}}, p. 272.</ref> The heart-shaped leaves of [[ivy]] were said to symbolize the coming to Earth of Jesus, while [[holly]] was seen as protection against pagans and witches, its thorns and red berries held to represent the [[Crown of Thorns]] worn by Jesus at the crucifixion and the blood he shed.<ref>Heller, Ruth, ''Christmas: Its Carols, Customs & Legends'', Alfred Publishing (1985), {{ISBN|0-7692-4399-1}}, p. 12.</ref><ref name="Ace Collins">{{cite book
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=christmas+colors&pg=PT71
|title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas
|author=Collins, Ace
|publisher=[[Zondervan]]|access-date=December 2, 2010
|isbn = 978-0-310-87388-4
|date = April 1, 2010}}</ref>
The tradition of the [[nativity scene]] comes from Italy. Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint [[Francis of Assisi]] from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe.<ref name=Collins47>Collins, Ace, ''Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas'', Zondervan, (2003), {{ISBN|0-310-24880-9}} p.47.</ref> Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets – renowned manger scene traditions include the colourful ''[[Kraków szopka]]'' in Poland,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/nativitiesofworl0000webe/page/159 Internet Archive] Susan Topp Weber, ''Nativities of the World'', Gibbs Smith, 2013</ref> which imitate [[Kraków]]'s historical buildings as settings, the elaborate Italian ''presepi'' ([[:it:Presepe napoletano|Neapolitan]], [[:it:Presepe genovese|Genoese]] and [[:it:Presepe bolognese|Bolognese]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nuok.it/bulagna/alla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna/ |title=Alla scoperta dei cinque presepi più belli di Bologna | Nuok |publisher=Nuok.it |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227041612/http://www.nuok.it/bulagna/alla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna/ |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/liguria/presepi.html |title=Presepi in Liguria: provincia di Genova, Tigullio -sito di Paolino |publisher=Digilander.libero.it |access-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022942/http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/liguria/presepi.html |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carnegiemnh.org/visit/default.aspx?id=21487 |title=Holidays at the Museums : Carnegie Museum of Natural History |publisher=Carnegiemnh.org |date=November 26, 2013 |access-date=December 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022432/http://www.carnegiemnh.org/visit/default.aspx?id=21487 |archive-date=December 27, 2013 }}</ref><ref>Bershad, David; Carolina Mangone, [https://books.google.com/books?id=llTiET5oCR4C&pg=PA112&dq=neapolitan+nativity+scene ''The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy''], Zondervan, 2001.</ref> or the [[Provence|Provençal]] crèches in [[Le Midi|southern]] France, using hand-painted terracotta figurines called ''[[santon (figurine)|santons]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.simplytreasures.com/t-about-nativity.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914075253/http://www.simplytreasures.com/t-about-nativity.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 14, 2012 |title=The Provençal Nativity Scene |publisher=Simplytreasures.com |access-date=December 25, 2013 }}</ref> In certain parts of the world, notably [[Sicily]], living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint Francis are a popular alternative to static crèches.<ref>Seaburg, Carl, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dLB-UkN5UHYC&pg=PT30&dq=living+nativity+scenes+sicily ''Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology''], iUniverse, 2003.</ref><ref>Bowler, Gerry, [https://books.google.com/books?id=WGaVZ6fEjjsC&pg=PT478&dq=living+nativity+scenes+sicily ''The World Encyclopedia of Christmas''], Random House LLC, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Carol King |url=http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/christmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily |title=A Christmas Living Nativity Scene in Sicily |work=Italy Magazine |date=December 24, 2012 |access-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226023729/http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/christmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children.<ref name=Collins83>Collins p. 83.</ref> In countries where a representation of the [[Nativity scene]] is prevalent, people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family [[heirloom]].
[[File:Clifton Mill Christmas 2005.JPG|thumb|left|Clifton Mill in [[Clifton, Ohio]], is the site of this Christmas display with over 3.5 million lights.]]
The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are [[red]], [[green]], and [[gold (color)|gold]]. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his [[crucifixion]]. Green symbolizes eternal life, particularly the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter. Gold is the first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the [[Magi]], symbolizing royalty.<ref name="Ace Collins" />
The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the Cathedral of Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the [[Protestant Reformers|Protestant Reformer]], [[Martin Bucer]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Senn |first=Frank C. |date=2012 |title=Introduction to Christian Liturgy |publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=9781451424331 |page=118 |quote=The Christmas tree as we know it seemed to emerge in Lutheran lands in Germany in the sixteenth century. Although no specific city or town has been identified as the first to have a Christmas tree, records for the Cathedral of Strassburg indicate that a Christmas tree was set up in that church in 1539 during Martin Bucer's superintendency.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |year=1936 |title=The Christmas Tree |journal=Lutheran Spokesman |volume=29–32 |quote=The Christmas tree became a widespread custom among German Lutherans by the eighteenth century.}}</ref> In the United States, these "German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the [[Moravian Church|Moravians]] put lighted candles on those trees."<ref name="Kelly2010">{{cite book |last=Kelly |first=Joseph F. |date=2010 |title=The Feast of Christmas |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=9780814639320 |page=94 |quote=German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the Moravians put lighted candles on those trees.}}</ref><ref name="Blainey2013">{{cite book |last=Blainey |first=Geoffrey |title=A Short History of Christianity |date=October 24, 2013 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]] |isbn=9781442225909 |page=418 |quote=Many Lutherans continued to set up a small fir tree as their Christmas tree, and it must have been a seasonal sight in Bach's Leipzig at a time when it was virtually unknown in England, and little known in those farmlands of North America where Lutheran immigrants congregated.}}</ref> When [[Christmas decorations|decorating]] the Christmas tree, many individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolizing the [[Star of Bethlehem]], a fact recorded by ''The School Journal'' in 1897.<ref name="Mandryk2005">{{cite book |last=Mandryk |first=DeeAnn |date=October 25, 2005 |title=Canadian Christmas Traditions |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |isbn=9781554390984 |page=[https://archive.org/details/canadianchristma0000mand/page/67 67] |quote=The eight-pointed star became a popular manufactured Christmas ornament around the 1840s and many people place a star on the top of their Christmas tree to represent the Star of Bethlehem. |url=https://archive.org/details/canadianchristma0000mand/page/67 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title= Christmas in Other Lands | last= Wells | first= Dorothy | year=1897|journal=The School Journal|volume=55|pages=697–8|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ePc9AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA697 |quote=Christmas is the occasional of family reunions. Grandmother always has the place of honor. As the time approaches for enjoying the tree, she gathers her grandchildren about her, to tell them the story of the Christ child, with the meaning of the Christ child, with the meaning of the Christmas tree; how the evergreen is meant to represent the life everlasting, the candle lights to recall the light of the world, and the star at the top of the tree is to remind them of the star of Bethlehem.}}</ref>
[[File:1962 Entrance Hall (Official White House) Christmas tree - Jack and Jacqueline Kennedy.jpg|thumb|The official White House Christmas tree for 1962, displayed in the Entrance Hall and presented by [[John F. Kennedy]] and his wife [[Jacqueline Kennedy|Jackie]]]]
Professor David Albert Jones of [[Oxford University]] writes that in the 19th century, it became popular for people also to use an angel to top the Christmas tree to symbolize the angels mentioned in the accounts of the [[Nativity of Jesus]].<ref name="Jones2011">{{cite book |last=Jones |first=David Albert |date=October 27, 2011 |title=Angels |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780191614910 |page=24 |quote=The same ambiguity is seen in that most familiar of angels, the angel on top of the Christmas tree. This decoration, popularized in the nineteenth century, recalls the place of the angels in the Christmas story (Luke 2.9–18).}}</ref> The Christmas tree is considered by some as [[Christianisation]] of [[pagan]] tradition and ritual surrounding the [[Winter Solstice]], which included the use of [[evergreen]] boughs, and an adaptation of pagan [[tree worship]];<ref name=Shaman /> according to eighth-century biographer [[Æddi Stephanus]], [[Saint Boniface]] (634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an axe to an oak tree dedicated to [[Thor]] and pointed out a [[fir tree]], which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to [[Heaven (Christianity)|heaven]]; it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the [[Trinity]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Fritz Allhoff, Scott C. Lowe|title=Christmas|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|year=2010|quote=His biographer, Eddius Stephanus, relates that while Boniface was serving as a missionary near Geismar, Germany, he had enough of the locals' reverence for the old gods. Taking an axe to an oak tree dedicated to Norse god Thor, Boniface chopped the tree down and dared Thor to zap him for it. When nothing happened, Boniface pointed out a young fir tree amid the roots of the oak and explained how this tree was a more fitting object of reverence as it pointed towards the Christian heaven and its triangular shape was reminiscent of the Christian trinity.}}</ref> The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835<ref name=Harper>Harper, Douglas, [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ Christ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509183911/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ |date=May 9, 2006 }}, ''Online Etymology Dictionary'', 2001.</ref> and represents an importation from the [[German language]].<ref name=Shaman>van Renterghem, Tony. ''When Santa was a shaman.'' St. Paul: [[Llewellyn Worldwide|Llewellyn Publications]], 1995. {{ISBN|1-56718-765-X}}.</ref><ref name="Christmas Archives">{{cite web|url=http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html |title=The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree |publisher=The Christmas Archives |access-date=December 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221113003/http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html |archive-date=December 21, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Fashion Era- Christmas">{{cite web |url = http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm |title = Christmas Tradition – The Christmas Tree Custom |publisher = Fashion Era |access-date = December 18, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071218110944/http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm |archive-date = December 18, 2007 |url-status = live }}</ref>
From Germany, the custom was introduced to Britain, first via [[Queen Charlotte]], wife of [[George III]], and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of [[Queen Victoria]]. By 1841, the Christmas tree had become even more widespread throughout Britain.<ref name="Lejeune, Marie Claire p.550">Lejeune, ''Marie Claire''. ''Compendium of symbolic and ritual plants in Europe'', p.550. University of Michigan {{ISBN|90-77135-04-9}}.</ref> By the 1870s, people in the United States had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree.<ref name="Shoemaker">Shoemaker, Alfred Lewis. (1959) ''Christmas in Pennsylvania: a folk-cultural study.'' Edition 40. pp. 52, 53. Stackpole Books 1999. {{ISBN|0-8117-0328-2}}.</ref> Christmas trees may be decorated with [[Christmas lights (holiday decoration)|lights]] and [[Christmas ornaments|ornaments]].
[[File:Advent Wreath (Broadway United Methodist Church).jpg|thumb|left|upright|On Christmas, the Christ Candle in the center of the [[Advent wreath]] is traditionally lit in many [[church service]]s.]]
Since the 16th century, the [[poinsettia]], a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas carrying the Christian symbolism of the [[Star of Bethlehem]]; in that country it is known in Spanish as the ''Flower of the Holy Night''.<ref name="Hewitson2013">{{cite book |last1=Hewitson |first1=Carolyn |title=Festivals |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135057060 |quote=It is said to resemble the star of Bethlehem. The Mexicans call it the flower of the Holy Night, but usually it is called poinsettia after the man who introduced it to America, Dr Joel Poinsett.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = The Legends and Traditions of Holiday Plants|url = http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html|website = www.ipm.iastate.edu|access-date = February 17, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160122071614/http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html|archive-date = January 22, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> Other popular holiday plants include holly, [[mistletoe]], red [[amaryllis]], and [[Christmas cactus]]. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with [[Garland (decoration)|garlands]] and [[evergreen]] foliage. The display of [[Christmas village]]s has also become a tradition in many homes this season. The outside of houses may be decorated with lights and sometimes with illuminated [[Sled|sleighs]], [[snowmen]], and other Christmas figures. Mistletoe features prominently in European myth and folklore (for example, the legend of [[Baldr]]); it is an evergreen parasitic plant that grows on trees, especially apple and poplar, and turns golden when it is dried. It is customary to hang a sprig of mistletoe in the house at Christmas, and anyone standing underneath it may be kissed. Mistletoe has sticky white berries, one of which was traditionally removed whenever someone was kissed under it. This is probably a fertility ritual. The mistletoe berry juice resembles semen.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/traditions/ | title=Mistletoe Traditions | publisher=The Mistletoe Pages | access-date=December 24, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225041045/http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/traditions/ | archive-date=December 25, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Neve a Verona 17.01.2006 033.jpg|thumb|[[Christmas lights]] in [[Verona]], Italy]]
Other traditional decorations include [[Bell (instrument)|bells]], [[candles]], [[candy canes]], [[Christmas stocking|stockings]], [[wreath]]s, and [[angels]]. The wreaths and candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an [[evergreen]], make up Christmas wreaths. Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1173
|title=Liturgical Year : Symbolic Lights and Fires of Christmas (Activity)
|publisher=Catholic Culture
|access-date=December 10, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113131615/http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1173
|archive-date=January 13, 2012
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
[[Christmas lights]] and banners may be hung along streets, music played by speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.<ref>Murray, Brian. [http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/christmaslights.pdf "Christmas lights and community building in America,"] ''History Matters'', Spring 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629182754/http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/christmaslights.pdf |date=June 29, 2010 }}</ref> It is common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured to wrap gifts. In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on [[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]].
==Nativity play==
{{Main|Nativity play}}
[[File:Giotto - Legend of St Francis - -13- - Institution of the Crib at Greccio.jpg|thumb|''St. Francis at [[Greccio]]'' by [[Giotto]], 1295]]
The tradition of the [[Nativity scene]] comes from Italy. One of the earliest representation in art of the nativity was found in the [[early Christian]] [[Roman catacomb]] of [[Catacombs of San Valentino|Saint Valentine]].<ref name="Osborne2020">{{cite book |last1=Osborne |first1=John |title=Rome in the Eighth Century: A History in Art |date=31 May 2020 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-87372-7 |page=31 |language=English}}</ref> It dates to about AD 380.<ref name="Tuleja1999">{{cite book |last1=Tuleja |first1=Thaddeus F. |title=Curious Customs: The Stories Behind More Than 300 Popular American Rituals |date=1999 |publisher=BBS Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-1-57866-070-4 |language=English |quote=Francis Weiser (1952) says that the first known depiction of the nativity scene, found in the catacombs of Rome, dates from AD 380.}}</ref> Another, of similar date, is beneath the pulpit in [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio|Sant'Ambrogio, Milan]].
For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the [[Nativity play]] is one of the oldest Christmastime traditions, with the first reenactment of the [[Nativity of Jesus]] taking place in A.D. 1223 in the Italian town of [[Greccio]].<ref name="Collins2010">{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Ace |title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas |date=2010 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=9780310873884 |pages=139–141}}</ref> In that year, [[Francis of Assisi]] assembled a Nativity scene outside of his church in Italy and children sang Christmas carols celebrating the birth of Jesus.<ref name="Collins2010"/>
Each year, this grew larger, and people travelled from afar to see Francis' depiction of the Nativity of Jesus that came to feature drama and music.<ref name="Collins2010"/> Nativity plays eventually spread throughout all of Europe, where they remain popular. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day church services often came to feature Nativity plays, as did schools and theatres.<ref name="Collins2010"/> In France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain, Nativity plays are often reenacted outdoors in the streets.<ref name="Collins2010"/>
==Midnight Mass==
[[File:Complete-church-midnight-mass (3135957575).jpg|thumb|[[Midnight Mass]] at [[St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Queens)|St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church]], [[New York City]]]]
In many [[Western Christian]] traditions, [[Midnight Mass]] is the first [[Christian liturgy|liturgy]] of [[Christmastide]] that is celebrated on the night of [[Christmas Eve]], traditionally beginning at [[midnight]] when Christmas Eve gives way to [[Christmas Day]]. This popular Christmas custom is a jubilant celebration of the [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] or [[Church service|service of worship]] in honour of the [[Nativity of Jesus]]; even many of those [[Christian denomination]]s that do not regularly employ the word ''mass'' uniquely use the term "Midnight Mass" for their Christmas Eve liturgy as it includes the celebration of [[Holy Communion]].
The tradition of a midnight [[Vigil]] on the eve of Christmas began in the East, and was observed in the late fourth century in Jerusalem by a Christian woman named [[Egeria (pilgrim)|Egeria]] on the night of January 5. The tradition reached the Western world in the year 430 under [[Pope Sixtus III]] in the [[Basilica of St Mary Major]].<ref name="aquinasandmore.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-tradition-of-midnight-mass/article/119|title=The Tradition of Midnight Mass|access-date=2016-12-21|archive-date=2017-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032902/http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-tradition-of-midnight-mass/article/119|url-status=dead}}</ref>
By the twelfth century, the practice of midnight Mass had become more widespread as all priests had been granted the faculty of celebrating three Masses on Christmas Day (previously reserved to the Pope), provided the three different propers were celebrated at their appropriate times of midnight, dawn and day.<ref name="aquinasandmore.com"/>
==Music and carols==
{{Main|Christmas music}}
[[File:Chant'tie d'Cantiques dé Noué Dézembre 2009 Jèrri a.jpg|thumb|Christmas carolers in [[Jersey]]]]
The earliest extant Christmas hymns appeared in fourth-century [[Rome]]. Latin hymns such as "[[Veni redemptor gentium]]", written by [[Ambrose]], Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to [[Arianism]]. "Corde natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's love begotten") by the Spanish poet [[Prudentius]] (d. 413) is still sung in some churches today.<ref>Miles, Clement, ''Christmas customs and traditions'', Courier Dover Publications, 1976, {{ISBN|0-486-23354-5}}, p. 32.</ref> In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas "Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under [[Bernard of Clairvaux]] into a sequence of rhymed [[stanza]]s. In the 12th century, the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional [[Christmas carol]].
By the 13th century, in France, Germany, and Italy, under the influence of [[Francis of Assisi]], a strong tradition of popular Christmas songs in the native language developed.<ref>Miles, pp. 31–37.</ref> Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of [[John Audelay|John Awdlay]], a [[Shropshire]] chaplain, who lists twenty-five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of [[Wassailing|wassailers]], who went from house to house.<ref>Miles, pp. 47–48.</ref>
[[File:Steaua, Bucharest, 1842 crop.jpg|thumb|left|Child singers in [[Bucharest]], 1841]]
The songs, now known specifically as carols, were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide" and Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church. Traditionally, carols have often been based on [[medieval]] chord patterns, which gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like "[[Personent hodie]]", "[[Good King Wenceslas]]", and "[[The Holly and the Ivy]]" can be traced directly back to the [[Middle Ages]]. They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. "[[Adeste Fideles]]" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century.
Singing of carols initially suffered a decline in popularity after the [[Protestant Reformation]] in northern Europe, although some Reformers, like [[Martin Luther]], wrote carols and encouraged their use in worship. Carols largely survived in rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the 19th century. The 18th-century English reformer [[Charles Wesley]] understood the importance of music to worship. In addition to setting many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the [[Great Awakening]] in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols. The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin Rings", later renamed "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]".<ref>{{cite book
|last=Dudley-Smith
|first=Timothy
|author-link=Timothy Dudley-Smith
|title=A Flame of Love
|publisher=Triangle/SPCK
|location=London
|year=1987
|isbn=978-0-281-04300-2
}}</ref>
{{Listen|image=none|help=no
|filename=U.S. Army Band - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.ogg
|title=Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
|description=Performed by the U.S. Army Band Chorus
}}
[[Felix Mendelssohn]] wrote a melody adapted to fit Wesley's words. In Austria in 1818, Mohr and Gruber made a significant addition to the genre when they composed "[[Silent Night]]" for the [[Nikolauskirche, Oberndorf|Nikolauskirche]] in Oberndorf. [[William Sandys (antiquarian)|William Sandys]]' ''Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern'' (1833) contained the first appearance in print of many now-classic English carols and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the festival.<ref>Richard Michael Kelly. ''A Christmas Carol'', Broadview Press, 2003, p. 10. {{ISBN|1-55111-476-3}}.</ref>
Completely secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the late 18th century. "[[Deck the Halls]]" dates from 1784, and the American "[[Jingle Bells]]" was copyrighted in 1857. In the 19th and 20th centuries, African-American spirituals and songs about Christmas, based on the tradition of spirituals, became more widely known. An increasing number of seasonal holiday songs were commercially produced in the 20th century, including jazz and blues variations. In addition, there was a revival of interest in early music, from groups singing folk music, such as The Revels, to performers of early medieval and classical music. [[John Rutter]] has composed many carols including "[[All Bells in Paradise]]", "[[Angels' Carol]]", "[[Candlelight Carol]]", "[[Donkey Carol]]", "[[Jesus Child]]", "[[Shepherd's Pipe Carol]]" and "[[Star Carol]]".
==Traditional cuisine==
[[File:Christmas pudding.JPG|thumb|right|[[Christmas pudding]] cooked on [[Stir-up Sunday]], the Sunday before the beginning of the [[Advent]] season]]
A special [[Christmas dinner|Christmas family meal]] is traditionally an important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food served varies greatly from country to country. Some regions have special meals for Christmas Eve, such as [[Sicily]], where 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread, and cider. Special desserts are also prepared, such as [[Christmas pudding]], [[mince pie]]s, [[fruit cake]] and [[Yule log (cake)|Yule log cake]].<ref>Broomfield, Andrea (2007), [https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ_JDp9OgJEC&pg=PA149&dq=christmas+pudding+england ''Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History''], Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, pp. 149–150.</ref><ref>Muir, Frank (1977), ''Christmas customs & traditions'', Taplinger Pub. Co., 1977, p. 58.</ref>
[[File:Panettone - Nicolettone 2017 - IMG 7085 (31752542285).jpg|thumb|left|[[Panettone]]]]
In Poland, other parts of Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, fish is often used for the traditional main course, but richer meat such as lamb is increasingly served. In Sweden, it is common with a special variety of [[smörgåsbord]], where ham, meatballs, and herring play a prominent role. In Germany, France, and Austria, goose and pork are favored. Beef, ham, and chicken in various recipes are popular worldwide. The [[Maltese people|Maltese]] traditionally serve ''[[Imbuljuta tal-Qastan]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html |title=Imbuljuta |publisher=Schoolnet.gov.mt |access-date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122070634/http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html |archive-date=January 22, 2012 }}</ref> a chocolate and chestnuts beverage, after [[Midnight Mass]] and throughout the Christmas season. Slovenes prepare the traditional Christmas bread [[potica]], ''[[bûche de Noël]]'' in France, ''[[panettone]]'' in Italy, and elaborate tarts and cakes. ''Panettone'', an [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] type of [[List of sweet breads|sweet bread]] and [[fruitcake]], originally from [[Milan]], Italy, usually prepared and enjoyed for [[Christmas]] and [[New Year]] in [[Western Europe|Western]], [[Southern Europe|Southern]], and [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]], as well as in [[South America]], [[Eritrea]],<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.madote.com/2016/01/christmas-in-eritrea.html | title=Christmas in Eritrea}}</ref> [[Australia]], the [[United States]], and [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ansa.it/canale_terraegusto/notizie/prodotti_tipici/2017/12/04/negli-usa-tutti-pazzi-per-il-panettone-e-boom-vendite_b653dfb9-ec37-43c9-99bd-345a4abf1af0.html |title= Negli Usa tutti pazzi per il panettone, è boom vendite |language=it |website=Ansa|date= 4 December 2017 }}</ref>
The eating of sweets and chocolates has become popular worldwide, and sweeter Christmas delicacies include the German ''[[stollen]]'', [[marzipan]] cake or candy, and Jamaican rum fruit cake. As one of the few fruits traditionally available to northern countries in winter, oranges have been long associated with special Christmas foods. [[Eggnog]] is a [[added sugar|sweetened]] [[dairy]]-based [[sweetened beverage|beverage]] traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, and whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture). [[Distilled beverage|Spirits]] such as brandy, rum, or bourbon are often added. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.
==Cards==
[[File:Christmas postcard 1907.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright|A 1907 Christmas card with [[Santa Claus|Santa]] and some of his reindeer]]
{{Main|Christmas card}}
Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like that of the first commercial [[Christmas card#History|Christmas card]], produced by [[Sir Henry Cole]] in London in 1843.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1679110.stm "Christmas card sold for record price"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205200933/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1679110.stm |date=February 5, 2006 }}, BBC News. Retrieved October 28, 2011.</ref> The custom of sending them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging [[E-card]]s.
Christmas cards are purchased in considerable quantities and feature commercially designed artwork relevant to the season. The content of the design might relate directly to the [[Nativity of Jesus|Christmas narrative]], with [[Nativity of Jesus in art|depictions of the Nativity of Jesus]], or [[Christian symbols]] such as the [[Star of Bethlehem]], or a white [[dove]], which can represent both the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] and [[Peace]] on Earth. Other Christmas cards are more [[secular]] and can depict [[Christmas tradition]]s, mythical figures such as [[Santa Claus]], objects directly associated with Christmas such as candles, holly and baubles, or a variety of images related to the season, such as Christmastide activities, snow scenes and the wildlife of the northern winter. Some humorous cards and genres depict nostalgic past scenes such as [[crinoline]]d shoppers in idealized 19th-century streetscapes.
Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer, or [[Bible verse|Biblical verse]], while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".
[[File:United States Christmas stamp 1982 Madonna of the Goldfinch, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo c. 1760.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Christmas stamp released in the United States in 1982, featuring a painting by [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]]]]
==Commemorative stamps==
{{Main|Christmas stamp}}
Several nations have issued [[commemorative stamp]]s at Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail [[Christmas card]]s, and they are popular with [[philately|philatelists]]. These stamps are regular [[postage stamp]]s, unlike [[Christmas seal]]s, and are valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale between early October and early December and are printed in considerable quantities.
==Gift giving==
[[File:Gifts xmas.jpg|thumb|right|Christmas gifts under a Christmas tree]]
{{Main|Christmas gift}}
The exchanging of [[gift]]s is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for [[retail]]ers and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with [[Saint Nicholas]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Collins, Ace |title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=giving+gifts+wise+men&pg=PT88 |date=April 20, 2010|access-date=April 10, 2012|publisher=Zondervan|page=17|quote=The legend of St. Nicholas, who became the bishop of Myra in the beginning of the fourth century, is the next link in the Christmas-gift chain. Legend has it that the priest rode across Asia Minor during his life, bestowing gifts upon poor children.|isbn=9780310873884}}</ref> and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the [[Biblical Magi|Magi]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Trexler|first=Richard|title=The Journey of the Magi: Meanings in History of a Christian Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YLmhCHtydKMC&pg=PA17|access-date=April 10, 2012|date=May 23, 1997|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|page=17|quote=This exchange network of ceremonial welcome was mirrored in a second reciprocity allowing early Christians to imagine their own magi: the phenomenon of giving gifts.|isbn=978-0691011264|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223014/https://books.google.com/books?id=YLmhCHtydKMC&pg=PA17|archive-date=December 31, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Collins, Ace|title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=giving+gifts+wise+men&pg=PT88 |date=April 20, 2010|access-date=April 10, 2012|publisher=Zondervan|page=17|quote=Most people today trace the practice of giving gifts on Christmas Day to the three gifts that the Magi gave to Jesus.|isbn=9780310873884}}</ref> The tradition of gift giving in the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] celebration of [[Saturnalia]] may have influenced Christian Christmas customs. Still, on the other hand, the Christian "core dogma of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]], however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event" because it was the Biblical Magi, "together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life."<ref name="Berking1999">{{cite book|last=Berking|first=Helmuth|title=Sociology of Giving|date=March 30, 1999|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-0-85702-613-2|page=14|quote=For the Enlightenment educationalist, gift-giving turned out to be a relic of a pagan custom, namely, the Roman Saturnalia. After the introduction of the Julian calendar in Rome, the 25th of December became the day of ''Sol invictus'' when people greeted the winter solstice. It was the day of the Sun's rebirth, and it was the day of the Christmas festivities – although it was only in the year 336 AD that it appears to have become established as the day of Jesus's birth (see Pannenberg 1989: 57). The Eastern Church adopted this date even later, towards the end of the 4th century, having previously regarded the 6th of January as the day of gift-giving, as it still is in the Italian community of Befana. The winter solstice was a time of festivity in every traditional culture, and the Christian Christmas probably took its place within this mythical context of the solar cult. Its core dogma of the Incarnation, however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event. 'Children were given presents as the Jesus child received gifts from the magi or kings who came from afar to adore him. But in reality it was they, together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life' (ibid.: 61).}}<!--|access-date=December 24, 2015--></ref>
===Gift-bearing figures===
{{Main|Santa Claus|Father Christmas|Christkind}}
[[File:Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg|thumb|Christmas gift-bringers in Europe]]
[[File:Sinterklaas 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Saint Nicholas]], known as [[Sinterklaas]] in the Netherlands, is considered by many to be the original [[Santa Claus]].<ref name="SewardLal2006">{{cite book|last1=Seward|first1=Pat|last2=Lal|first2=Sunandini Arora|title=Netherlands|year=2006|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-2052-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/netherlands0000sewa/page/116 116]|quote=Until quite recently, the celebrations focused solely on Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas (SIN-ter-klahs), as the Dutch call him. ... Interestingly, the American Santa Claus was born out of the Dutch Sinterklaas.|url=https://archive.org/details/netherlands0000sewa/page/116}}</ref>]]
Many figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among these are [[Father Christmas]], also known as [[Santa Claus]] (derived from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the [[Weihnachtsmann]]; [[Saint Nicholas]] or [[Sinterklaas]]; the [[Christkind]]; Kris Kringle; [[Joulupukki]]; [[Nisse (folklore)|tomte/nisse]]; Babbo Natale; [[Basil of Caesarea|Saint Basil]]; Svatý Mikuláš; and [[Ded Moroz]]. The Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted as a [[gnome]] instead of Santa Claus.
The best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa Claus, of diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch ''Sinterklaas'', which means Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century [[Greeks in Turkey#History|Greek]] [[bishop]] of [[Myra]], a city in the [[Roman province]] of [[Lycia]], whose ruins are {{convert|3|km}} from modern [[Demre]] in southwest Turkey.<ref>{{cite book |author= Domenico, Roy Palmer |title= The regions of Italy: a reference guide to history and culture |url= https://archive.org/details/regionsitalyrefe00dome |url-access= limited |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |year= 2002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/regionsitalyrefe00dome/page/n36 21] |isbn= 978-0-313-30733-1 |quote= Saint Nicholas (Bishop of Myra) replaced Sabino as the patron saint of the city... A Greek from what is now Turkey, he lived in the early fourth century.}}</ref><ref name="Collins, Ace 2009 121">{{cite book |author= Collins, Ace |title= Stories Behind Men of Faith |publisher= Zondervan |year= 2009 |url= https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindmen0000coll |url-access= registration |page= [https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindmen0000coll/page/121 121] |isbn= 978-0-310-56456-0 |quote= Nicholas was born in the Greek city of Patara around 270 AD. The son of a businessman named Theophanes and his wife, Nonna, the child's earliest years were spent in Myra... As a port on the Mediterranean Sea, in the middle of the sea lanes that linked Egypt, Greece and Rome, Myra was a destination for traders, fishermen, and merchant sailors. Spawned by the spirit of both the city's Greek heritage and the ruling Roman government, cultural endeavours such as art, drama, and music were mainstays of everyday life. |access-date= June 20, 2015 }}</ref> Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of children, generosity, and giving gifts. His feast day, December 6, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts.<ref name=ADS>Forbes, Bruce David, ''Christmas: a candid history'', University of California Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-520-25104-0}}, pp. 68–79.</ref>
Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop's attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about children's behavior during the past year before deciding whether they deserved a gift. By the 13th century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the Netherlands, and the practice of gift-giving in his name spread to other parts of central and southern Europe. During the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] in 16th–17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or ''Christkindl'', corrupted in English to Kris Kringle, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.<ref name="ADS" />
However, the modern popular image of Santa Claus was created in the United States, particularly in New York. The transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors, including [[Washington Irving]] and the [[German Americans|German-American]] cartoonist [[Thomas Nast]] (1840–1902). Following the [[American Revolutionary War]], some of the inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city's non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch colonial town of [[New Amsterdam]], and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.<ref>{{cite web
|author=Jona Lendering
|url=https://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra3.html#New
|title=Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Santa Claus
|publisher=Livius.org
|date=November 20, 2008
|access-date=February 24, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513114942/https://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra3.html#New
|archive-date=May 13, 2011
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
In 1809, the [[New-York Historical Society]] convened and retroactively named ''Sancte Claus'' the patron saint of [[New Amsterdam|Nieuw Amsterdam]], the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] name for [[New York City]].<ref>[[John Steele Gordon]], ''[[The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653–2000]]'' (Scribner), 1999.</ref> At his first American appearance in 1810, Santa Claus was drawn in bishops' robes. However, as new artists took over, Santa Claus developed more secular attire.<ref>Forbes, Bruce David, ''Christmas: A Candid History'', pp. 80–81.</ref> Nast drew a new image of "Santa Claus" annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the modern vision of the figure, perhaps based on the English figure of Father Christmas. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s<ref name="Mikkelson">Mikkelson, Barbara and David P., [http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp "The Claus That Refreshes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20051201022555/http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp |date=December 1, 2005 }}, Snopes.com, 2006.</ref> and continues through the present day.<ref name=tws2NovV111>{{cite news
|author= Win Rosenfeld
|title= America's Next Top Santa
|publisher= NPR
|quote= Father Christmas – but this Santa also goes by the name Jonathan Meath....
|date= December 25, 2007
|url= https://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/12/americas_next_top_santa_1.html
|access-date= November 22, 2012
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131225170105/http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/12/americas_next_top_santa_1.html
|archive-date= December 25, 2013
|url-status= live
}}</ref><ref name=tws2NovV222>{{cite news
|author= Mary Ann Georgantopoulos
|title= Miracle on Mass. Ave.: City Santa takes suit seriously
|newspaper= Boston Globe
|quote= Meath, who is in his first year of being a full-time Santa, makes appearances around Massachusetts at places such as Swing City in Newton....
|date= December 25, 2007
|url= http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/23/miracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously/
|access-date= November 22, 2012
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131225165438/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/23/miracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously/
|archive-date= December 25, 2013
|url-status= live
}}</ref>
[[File:Child Jesus of Prague (original statue).jpg|thumb|The famous statue of the [[Infant Jesus of Prague]], given by Princess [[Polyxena of Lobkowicz]] to the [[Discalced Carmelites]] in 1628]]
The [[Christ Child]], also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus and the Holy Child , refers to [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]] from his [[Nativity of Jesus|nativity]] until age 12. The four [[canonical gospel]]s, accepted by most Christians today, lack any narration of the years between Jesus' infancy and the [[Finding in the Temple]] when he was 12. In Italy, until the 20th century, before the tradition of letters addressed to [[Santa Claus]] spread throughout the country, it was customary in many families to have children write letters addressed to Christ Child, compositions expressing good intentions for the new year and requests for welcome gifts for Christmas Day.<ref>Jolanda Colombini Monti, ''Lettere a Gesù Bambino'', Editrice Piccoli, 1950.</ref>
Father Christmas, a jolly, stout, bearded man who typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, predates the Santa Claus character. He was first recorded in early 17th century England but was associated with holiday merrymaking and [[drunkenness]] rather than bringing gifts.<ref name=Harper /> In [[Victorian Britain]], his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French [[Père Noël]] evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while [[La Befana]] is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]]. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures, Santa Claus is accompanied by [[Knecht Ruprecht]] or [[Zwarte Piet|Black Peter]]. In other versions, [[elf|elves]] make the toys. His wife is referred to as [[Mrs. Claus]].
There has been some opposition to the narrative of the American evolution of Saint Nicholas into the modern Santa. It has been claimed that the Saint Nicholas Society was not founded until 1835, almost half a century after the end of the American War of Independence.<ref>{{cite web |title = History of the Society |work = The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York |url = http://www.saintnicholassociety.org/history.htm |access-date = December 5, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106142124/http://www.saintnicholassociety.org/history.htm |archive-date = January 6, 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref> Moreover, a study of the "children's books, periodicals and journals" of New Amsterdam by Charles Jones revealed no references to Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Jones |first = Charles W. |title = Knickerbocker Santa Claus |periodical = The New-York Historical Society Quarterly |volume = XXXVIII |issue = 4 }}</ref> However, not all scholars agree with Jones's findings, which he reiterated in a book-length study in 1978;<ref>Jones, Charles W., ''Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978).</ref> Howard G. Hageman, of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, maintains that the tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas in New York was alive and well from the early settlement of the [[Hudson Valley]] on.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hageman |first=Howard G. |year=1979 |title=Review of ''Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend'' |periodical=[[Theology Today]] |location=Princeton |publisher=Princeton Theological Seminary |volume=36 |issue=3 |url=http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm |access-date=December 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207061529/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm |archive-date=December 7, 2008 }}</ref>
Current tradition in several [[Latin American]] countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to Baby Jesus, who is the one who delivers them to the children's homes, a reconciliation between traditional [[Religion|religious beliefs]] and the [[iconography]] of Santa Claus imported from the United States.
In [[South Tyrol]] (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the [[Christkind]] ([[Ježíšek]] in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents. Greek children get their presents from [[Saint Basil]] on New Year's Eve, the eve of that saint's liturgical feast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skiathosbooks.com/saints_basil.htm |title=St. Basil (330–379) |publisher=Skiathosbooks.com |access-date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112035451/http://www.skiathosbooks.com/saints_basil.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref> The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Santa Claus / Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a [[bishop]]'s dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by [[Knecht Ruprecht]]. Although many parents worldwide routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some reject this practice, considering it deceptive.<ref>Matera, Mariane. [http://www.citybeat.com/archives/1996/issue304/cover1.html "Santa: The First Great Lie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914195318/http://citybeat.com/archives/1996/issue304/cover1.html |date=September 14, 2007 }}, ''Citybeat'', Issue 304.</ref>
Multiple gift-giver figures exist in Poland, varying between regions and individual families. St Nicholas (''Święty Mikołaj'') dominates Central and North-East areas, the Starman (''Gwiazdor'') is most common in [[Greater Poland]], Baby Jesus (''Dzieciątko'') is unique to [[Upper Silesia]], with the Little Star (''Gwiazdka'') and the Little Angel (''Aniołek'') being typical in the South and the South-East. Grandfather Frost (''Dziadek Mróz'') is less commonly accepted in some areas of Eastern Poland.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kto przynosi Wam prezenty? Św. Mikołaj, Gwiazdor, Aniołek, Dzieciątko czy może Dziadek Mróz?|url=https://bezprawnik.pl/kto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor/|website=Bezprawnik|language=pl-PL|date=December 22, 2016|access-date=December 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224213716/https://bezprawnik.pl/kto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor/|archive-date=December 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nie tylko Mikołaj, czyli kto według tradycji rozdaje prezenty w różnych regionach Polski?|url=http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114871,19380983,nie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html|website=gazeta.pl|language=pl-PL|access-date=December 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224213619/http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114871,19380983,nie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html|archive-date=December 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It is worth noting that across all of Poland, St Nicholas is the gift giver on the [[Saint Nicholas Day]] on December 6.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Christmas}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christmas traditions| ]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext) | 'The three Christmas colours are ass and tiddys and hair bawls
==Church attendance==
Christmas Day (inclusive of its [[vigil]], Christmas Eve), is a [[Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)#Festivals|Festival]] in the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Church]], a [[Solemnity]] in the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and a [[Principal Feast]] of the [[Anglican Communion]]. Other Christian denominations do not rank their feast days but place importance on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, as with other Christian feasts like Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost.<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Worship and Music Planning Calendar |url=https://gbod-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/legacy/kintera-files/worship/2018-Music-Worship-Planning-Calendar.docx |publisher=[[The United Methodist Church]]|year=2018|access-date=December 9, 2018}}</ref> As such, for Christians, attending a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day [[church service]] plays an important part in recognition of the [[Christmastide|Christmas season]]. Christmas and Easter are the periods of highest annual church attendance. A 2010 survey by [[Lifeway Christian Resources]] found that six in ten Americans attend church services during this time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Setzer |first1=Ed |title=What Is Church Attendance Like During Christmastime? New Data From Lifeway Research |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/december/what-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html |magazine=[[Christianity Today]] |date=December 14, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129024022/http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/december/what-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html |archive-date=January 29, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the Church of England reported an estimated attendance of {{nowrap|2.5 million}} people at Christmas services in 2015.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/27/british-families-only-attend-church-at-christmas-new-figures-sug/ | title=British families only attend church at Christmas, new figures suggest | first=John | last=Bingham | date=October 27, 2016 | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | access-date=December 24, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227191442/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/27/british-families-only-attend-church-at-christmas-new-figures-sug/ | archive-date=December 27, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Decorations==
{{Main|Christmas decoration}}
[[File:Carnegie Presepio.JPG|thumb|[[Neapolitan nativity scene|Neapolitan ''presepio'']] at the [[Carnegie Museum of Art]] in Pittsburgh]]
The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history. In the 15th century, it was recorded that in London, it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be "decked with [[Quercus ilex|holm]], ivy, [[bay leaves|bays]], and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green".<ref>Miles, Clement A, ''Christmas customs and traditions'', Courier Dover Publications, 1976, {{ISBN|0-486-23354-5}}, p. 272.</ref> The heart-shaped leaves of [[ivy]] were said to symbolize the coming to Earth of Jesus, while [[holly]] was seen as protection against pagans and witches, its thorns and red berries held to represent the [[Crown of Thorns]] worn by Jesus at the crucifixion and the blood he shed.<ref>Heller, Ruth, ''Christmas: Its Carols, Customs & Legends'', Alfred Publishing (1985), {{ISBN|0-7692-4399-1}}, p. 12.</ref><ref name="Ace Collins">{{cite book
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=christmas+colors&pg=PT71
|title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas
|author=Collins, Ace
|publisher=[[Zondervan]]|access-date=December 2, 2010
|isbn = 978-0-310-87388-4
|date = April 1, 2010}}</ref>
The tradition of the [[nativity scene]] comes from Italy. Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint [[Francis of Assisi]] from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe.<ref name=Collins47>Collins, Ace, ''Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas'', Zondervan, (2003), {{ISBN|0-310-24880-9}} p.47.</ref> Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets – renowned manger scene traditions include the colourful ''[[Kraków szopka]]'' in Poland,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/nativitiesofworl0000webe/page/159 Internet Archive] Susan Topp Weber, ''Nativities of the World'', Gibbs Smith, 2013</ref> which imitate [[Kraków]]'s historical buildings as settings, the elaborate Italian ''presepi'' ([[:it:Presepe napoletano|Neapolitan]], [[:it:Presepe genovese|Genoese]] and [[:it:Presepe bolognese|Bolognese]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nuok.it/bulagna/alla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna/ |title=Alla scoperta dei cinque presepi più belli di Bologna | Nuok |publisher=Nuok.it |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227041612/http://www.nuok.it/bulagna/alla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna/ |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/liguria/presepi.html |title=Presepi in Liguria: provincia di Genova, Tigullio -sito di Paolino |publisher=Digilander.libero.it |access-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022942/http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/liguria/presepi.html |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carnegiemnh.org/visit/default.aspx?id=21487 |title=Holidays at the Museums : Carnegie Museum of Natural History |publisher=Carnegiemnh.org |date=November 26, 2013 |access-date=December 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022432/http://www.carnegiemnh.org/visit/default.aspx?id=21487 |archive-date=December 27, 2013 }}</ref><ref>Bershad, David; Carolina Mangone, [https://books.google.com/books?id=llTiET5oCR4C&pg=PA112&dq=neapolitan+nativity+scene ''The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy''], Zondervan, 2001.</ref> or the [[Provence|Provençal]] crèches in [[Le Midi|southern]] France, using hand-painted terracotta figurines called ''[[santon (figurine)|santons]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.simplytreasures.com/t-about-nativity.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914075253/http://www.simplytreasures.com/t-about-nativity.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 14, 2012 |title=The Provençal Nativity Scene |publisher=Simplytreasures.com |access-date=December 25, 2013 }}</ref> In certain parts of the world, notably [[Sicily]], living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint Francis are a popular alternative to static crèches.<ref>Seaburg, Carl, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dLB-UkN5UHYC&pg=PT30&dq=living+nativity+scenes+sicily ''Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology''], iUniverse, 2003.</ref><ref>Bowler, Gerry, [https://books.google.com/books?id=WGaVZ6fEjjsC&pg=PT478&dq=living+nativity+scenes+sicily ''The World Encyclopedia of Christmas''], Random House LLC, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Carol King |url=http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/christmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily |title=A Christmas Living Nativity Scene in Sicily |work=Italy Magazine |date=December 24, 2012 |access-date=December 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226023729/http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/christmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children.<ref name=Collins83>Collins p. 83.</ref> In countries where a representation of the [[Nativity scene]] is prevalent, people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family [[heirloom]].
[[File:Clifton Mill Christmas 2005.JPG|thumb|left|Clifton Mill in [[Clifton, Ohio]], is the site of this Christmas display with over 3.5 million lights.]]
The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are [[red]], [[green]], and [[gold (color)|gold]]. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his [[crucifixion]]. Green symbolizes eternal life, particularly the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter. Gold is the first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the [[Magi]], symbolizing royalty.<ref name="Ace Collins" />
The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the Cathedral of Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the [[Protestant Reformers|Protestant Reformer]], [[Martin Bucer]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Senn |first=Frank C. |date=2012 |title=Introduction to Christian Liturgy |publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=9781451424331 |page=118 |quote=The Christmas tree as we know it seemed to emerge in Lutheran lands in Germany in the sixteenth century. Although no specific city or town has been identified as the first to have a Christmas tree, records for the Cathedral of Strassburg indicate that a Christmas tree was set up in that church in 1539 during Martin Bucer's superintendency.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |year=1936 |title=The Christmas Tree |journal=Lutheran Spokesman |volume=29–32 |quote=The Christmas tree became a widespread custom among German Lutherans by the eighteenth century.}}</ref> In the United States, these "German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the [[Moravian Church|Moravians]] put lighted candles on those trees."<ref name="Kelly2010">{{cite book |last=Kelly |first=Joseph F. |date=2010 |title=The Feast of Christmas |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=9780814639320 |page=94 |quote=German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the Moravians put lighted candles on those trees.}}</ref><ref name="Blainey2013">{{cite book |last=Blainey |first=Geoffrey |title=A Short History of Christianity |date=October 24, 2013 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]] |isbn=9781442225909 |page=418 |quote=Many Lutherans continued to set up a small fir tree as their Christmas tree, and it must have been a seasonal sight in Bach's Leipzig at a time when it was virtually unknown in England, and little known in those farmlands of North America where Lutheran immigrants congregated.}}</ref> When [[Christmas decorations|decorating]] the Christmas tree, many individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolizing the [[Star of Bethlehem]], a fact recorded by ''The School Journal'' in 1897.<ref name="Mandryk2005">{{cite book |last=Mandryk |first=DeeAnn |date=October 25, 2005 |title=Canadian Christmas Traditions |publisher=James Lorimer & Company |isbn=9781554390984 |page=[https://archive.org/details/canadianchristma0000mand/page/67 67] |quote=The eight-pointed star became a popular manufactured Christmas ornament around the 1840s and many people place a star on the top of their Christmas tree to represent the Star of Bethlehem. |url=https://archive.org/details/canadianchristma0000mand/page/67 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title= Christmas in Other Lands | last= Wells | first= Dorothy | year=1897|journal=The School Journal|volume=55|pages=697–8|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ePc9AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA697 |quote=Christmas is the occasional of family reunions. Grandmother always has the place of honor. As the time approaches for enjoying the tree, she gathers her grandchildren about her, to tell them the story of the Christ child, with the meaning of the Christ child, with the meaning of the Christmas tree; how the evergreen is meant to represent the life everlasting, the candle lights to recall the light of the world, and the star at the top of the tree is to remind them of the star of Bethlehem.}}</ref>
[[File:1962 Entrance Hall (Official White House) Christmas tree - Jack and Jacqueline Kennedy.jpg|thumb|The official White House Christmas tree for 1962, displayed in the Entrance Hall and presented by [[John F. Kennedy]] and his wife [[Jacqueline Kennedy|Jackie]]]]
Professor David Albert Jones of [[Oxford University]] writes that in the 19th century, it became popular for people also to use an angel to top the Christmas tree to symbolize the angels mentioned in the accounts of the [[Nativity of Jesus]].<ref name="Jones2011">{{cite book |last=Jones |first=David Albert |date=October 27, 2011 |title=Angels |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780191614910 |page=24 |quote=The same ambiguity is seen in that most familiar of angels, the angel on top of the Christmas tree. This decoration, popularized in the nineteenth century, recalls the place of the angels in the Christmas story (Luke 2.9–18).}}</ref> The Christmas tree is considered by some as [[Christianisation]] of [[pagan]] tradition and ritual surrounding the [[Winter Solstice]], which included the use of [[evergreen]] boughs, and an adaptation of pagan [[tree worship]];<ref name=Shaman /> according to eighth-century biographer [[Æddi Stephanus]], [[Saint Boniface]] (634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an axe to an oak tree dedicated to [[Thor]] and pointed out a [[fir tree]], which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to [[Heaven (Christianity)|heaven]]; it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the [[Trinity]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Fritz Allhoff, Scott C. Lowe|title=Christmas|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|year=2010|quote=His biographer, Eddius Stephanus, relates that while Boniface was serving as a missionary near Geismar, Germany, he had enough of the locals' reverence for the old gods. Taking an axe to an oak tree dedicated to Norse god Thor, Boniface chopped the tree down and dared Thor to zap him for it. When nothing happened, Boniface pointed out a young fir tree amid the roots of the oak and explained how this tree was a more fitting object of reverence as it pointed towards the Christian heaven and its triangular shape was reminiscent of the Christian trinity.}}</ref> The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835<ref name=Harper>Harper, Douglas, [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ Christ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509183911/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ |date=May 9, 2006 }}, ''Online Etymology Dictionary'', 2001.</ref> and represents an importation from the [[German language]].<ref name=Shaman>van Renterghem, Tony. ''When Santa was a shaman.'' St. Paul: [[Llewellyn Worldwide|Llewellyn Publications]], 1995. {{ISBN|1-56718-765-X}}.</ref><ref name="Christmas Archives">{{cite web|url=http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html |title=The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree |publisher=The Christmas Archives |access-date=December 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221113003/http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html |archive-date=December 21, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Fashion Era- Christmas">{{cite web |url = http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm |title = Christmas Tradition – The Christmas Tree Custom |publisher = Fashion Era |access-date = December 18, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071218110944/http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm |archive-date = December 18, 2007 |url-status = live }}</ref>
From Germany, the custom was introduced to Britain, first via [[Queen Charlotte]], wife of [[George III]], and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of [[Queen Victoria]]. By 1841, the Christmas tree had become even more widespread throughout Britain.<ref name="Lejeune, Marie Claire p.550">Lejeune, ''Marie Claire''. ''Compendium of symbolic and ritual plants in Europe'', p.550. University of Michigan {{ISBN|90-77135-04-9}}.</ref> By the 1870s, people in the United States had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree.<ref name="Shoemaker">Shoemaker, Alfred Lewis. (1959) ''Christmas in Pennsylvania: a folk-cultural study.'' Edition 40. pp. 52, 53. Stackpole Books 1999. {{ISBN|0-8117-0328-2}}.</ref> Christmas trees may be decorated with [[Christmas lights (holiday decoration)|lights]] and [[Christmas ornaments|ornaments]].
[[File:Advent Wreath (Broadway United Methodist Church).jpg|thumb|left|upright|On Christmas, the Christ Candle in the center of the [[Advent wreath]] is traditionally lit in many [[church service]]s.]]
Since the 16th century, the [[poinsettia]], a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas carrying the Christian symbolism of the [[Star of Bethlehem]]; in that country it is known in Spanish as the ''Flower of the Holy Night''.<ref name="Hewitson2013">{{cite book |last1=Hewitson |first1=Carolyn |title=Festivals |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135057060 |quote=It is said to resemble the star of Bethlehem. The Mexicans call it the flower of the Holy Night, but usually it is called poinsettia after the man who introduced it to America, Dr Joel Poinsett.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = The Legends and Traditions of Holiday Plants|url = http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html|website = www.ipm.iastate.edu|access-date = February 17, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160122071614/http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html|archive-date = January 22, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> Other popular holiday plants include holly, [[mistletoe]], red [[amaryllis]], and [[Christmas cactus]]. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with [[Garland (decoration)|garlands]] and [[evergreen]] foliage. The display of [[Christmas village]]s has also become a tradition in many homes this season. The outside of houses may be decorated with lights and sometimes with illuminated [[Sled|sleighs]], [[snowmen]], and other Christmas figures. Mistletoe features prominently in European myth and folklore (for example, the legend of [[Baldr]]); it is an evergreen parasitic plant that grows on trees, especially apple and poplar, and turns golden when it is dried. It is customary to hang a sprig of mistletoe in the house at Christmas, and anyone standing underneath it may be kissed. Mistletoe has sticky white berries, one of which was traditionally removed whenever someone was kissed under it. This is probably a fertility ritual. The mistletoe berry juice resembles semen.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/traditions/ | title=Mistletoe Traditions | publisher=The Mistletoe Pages | access-date=December 24, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225041045/http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/traditions/ | archive-date=December 25, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Neve a Verona 17.01.2006 033.jpg|thumb|[[Christmas lights]] in [[Verona]], Italy]]
Other traditional decorations include [[Bell (instrument)|bells]], [[candles]], [[candy canes]], [[Christmas stocking|stockings]], [[wreath]]s, and [[angels]]. The wreaths and candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an [[evergreen]], make up Christmas wreaths. Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1173
|title=Liturgical Year : Symbolic Lights and Fires of Christmas (Activity)
|publisher=Catholic Culture
|access-date=December 10, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113131615/http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1173
|archive-date=January 13, 2012
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
[[Christmas lights]] and banners may be hung along streets, music played by speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.<ref>Murray, Brian. [http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/christmaslights.pdf "Christmas lights and community building in America,"] ''History Matters'', Spring 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629182754/http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/christmaslights.pdf |date=June 29, 2010 }}</ref> It is common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured to wrap gifts. In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on [[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]].
==Nativity play==
{{Main|Nativity play}}
[[File:Giotto - Legend of St Francis - -13- - Institution of the Crib at Greccio.jpg|thumb|''St. Francis at [[Greccio]]'' by [[Giotto]], 1295]]
The tradition of the [[Nativity scene]] comes from Italy. One of the earliest representation in art of the nativity was found in the [[early Christian]] [[Roman catacomb]] of [[Catacombs of San Valentino|Saint Valentine]].<ref name="Osborne2020">{{cite book |last1=Osborne |first1=John |title=Rome in the Eighth Century: A History in Art |date=31 May 2020 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-87372-7 |page=31 |language=English}}</ref> It dates to about AD 380.<ref name="Tuleja1999">{{cite book |last1=Tuleja |first1=Thaddeus F. |title=Curious Customs: The Stories Behind More Than 300 Popular American Rituals |date=1999 |publisher=BBS Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-1-57866-070-4 |language=English |quote=Francis Weiser (1952) says that the first known depiction of the nativity scene, found in the catacombs of Rome, dates from AD 380.}}</ref> Another, of similar date, is beneath the pulpit in [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio|Sant'Ambrogio, Milan]].
For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the [[Nativity play]] is one of the oldest Christmastime traditions, with the first reenactment of the [[Nativity of Jesus]] taking place in A.D. 1223 in the Italian town of [[Greccio]].<ref name="Collins2010">{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Ace |title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas |date=2010 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=9780310873884 |pages=139–141}}</ref> In that year, [[Francis of Assisi]] assembled a Nativity scene outside of his church in Italy and children sang Christmas carols celebrating the birth of Jesus.<ref name="Collins2010"/>
Each year, this grew larger, and people travelled from afar to see Francis' depiction of the Nativity of Jesus that came to feature drama and music.<ref name="Collins2010"/> Nativity plays eventually spread throughout all of Europe, where they remain popular. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day church services often came to feature Nativity plays, as did schools and theatres.<ref name="Collins2010"/> In France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain, Nativity plays are often reenacted outdoors in the streets.<ref name="Collins2010"/>
==Midnight Mass==
[[File:Complete-church-midnight-mass (3135957575).jpg|thumb|[[Midnight Mass]] at [[St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Queens)|St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church]], [[New York City]]]]
In many [[Western Christian]] traditions, [[Midnight Mass]] is the first [[Christian liturgy|liturgy]] of [[Christmastide]] that is celebrated on the night of [[Christmas Eve]], traditionally beginning at [[midnight]] when Christmas Eve gives way to [[Christmas Day]]. This popular Christmas custom is a jubilant celebration of the [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] or [[Church service|service of worship]] in honour of the [[Nativity of Jesus]]; even many of those [[Christian denomination]]s that do not regularly employ the word ''mass'' uniquely use the term "Midnight Mass" for their Christmas Eve liturgy as it includes the celebration of [[Holy Communion]].
The tradition of a midnight [[Vigil]] on the eve of Christmas began in the East, and was observed in the late fourth century in Jerusalem by a Christian woman named [[Egeria (pilgrim)|Egeria]] on the night of January 5. The tradition reached the Western world in the year 430 under [[Pope Sixtus III]] in the [[Basilica of St Mary Major]].<ref name="aquinasandmore.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-tradition-of-midnight-mass/article/119|title=The Tradition of Midnight Mass|access-date=2016-12-21|archive-date=2017-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032902/http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-tradition-of-midnight-mass/article/119|url-status=dead}}</ref>
By the twelfth century, the practice of midnight Mass had become more widespread as all priests had been granted the faculty of celebrating three Masses on Christmas Day (previously reserved to the Pope), provided the three different propers were celebrated at their appropriate times of midnight, dawn and day.<ref name="aquinasandmore.com"/>
==Music and carols==
{{Main|Christmas music}}
[[File:Chant'tie d'Cantiques dé Noué Dézembre 2009 Jèrri a.jpg|thumb|Christmas carolers in [[Jersey]]]]
The earliest extant Christmas hymns appeared in fourth-century [[Rome]]. Latin hymns such as "[[Veni redemptor gentium]]", written by [[Ambrose]], Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to [[Arianism]]. "Corde natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's love begotten") by the Spanish poet [[Prudentius]] (d. 413) is still sung in some churches today.<ref>Miles, Clement, ''Christmas customs and traditions'', Courier Dover Publications, 1976, {{ISBN|0-486-23354-5}}, p. 32.</ref> In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas "Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under [[Bernard of Clairvaux]] into a sequence of rhymed [[stanza]]s. In the 12th century, the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional [[Christmas carol]].
By the 13th century, in France, Germany, and Italy, under the influence of [[Francis of Assisi]], a strong tradition of popular Christmas songs in the native language developed.<ref>Miles, pp. 31–37.</ref> Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of [[John Audelay|John Awdlay]], a [[Shropshire]] chaplain, who lists twenty-five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of [[Wassailing|wassailers]], who went from house to house.<ref>Miles, pp. 47–48.</ref>
[[File:Steaua, Bucharest, 1842 crop.jpg|thumb|left|Child singers in [[Bucharest]], 1841]]
The songs, now known specifically as carols, were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide" and Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church. Traditionally, carols have often been based on [[medieval]] chord patterns, which gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like "[[Personent hodie]]", "[[Good King Wenceslas]]", and "[[The Holly and the Ivy]]" can be traced directly back to the [[Middle Ages]]. They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. "[[Adeste Fideles]]" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century.
Singing of carols initially suffered a decline in popularity after the [[Protestant Reformation]] in northern Europe, although some Reformers, like [[Martin Luther]], wrote carols and encouraged their use in worship. Carols largely survived in rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the 19th century. The 18th-century English reformer [[Charles Wesley]] understood the importance of music to worship. In addition to setting many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the [[Great Awakening]] in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols. The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin Rings", later renamed "[[Hark! The Herald Angels Sing]]".<ref>{{cite book
|last=Dudley-Smith
|first=Timothy
|author-link=Timothy Dudley-Smith
|title=A Flame of Love
|publisher=Triangle/SPCK
|location=London
|year=1987
|isbn=978-0-281-04300-2
}}</ref>
{{Listen|image=none|help=no
|filename=U.S. Army Band - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.ogg
|title=Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
|description=Performed by the U.S. Army Band Chorus
}}
[[Felix Mendelssohn]] wrote a melody adapted to fit Wesley's words. In Austria in 1818, Mohr and Gruber made a significant addition to the genre when they composed "[[Silent Night]]" for the [[Nikolauskirche, Oberndorf|Nikolauskirche]] in Oberndorf. [[William Sandys (antiquarian)|William Sandys]]' ''Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern'' (1833) contained the first appearance in print of many now-classic English carols and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the festival.<ref>Richard Michael Kelly. ''A Christmas Carol'', Broadview Press, 2003, p. 10. {{ISBN|1-55111-476-3}}.</ref>
Completely secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the late 18th century. "[[Deck the Halls]]" dates from 1784, and the American "[[Jingle Bells]]" was copyrighted in 1857. In the 19th and 20th centuries, African-American spirituals and songs about Christmas, based on the tradition of spirituals, became more widely known. An increasing number of seasonal holiday songs were commercially produced in the 20th century, including jazz and blues variations. In addition, there was a revival of interest in early music, from groups singing folk music, such as The Revels, to performers of early medieval and classical music. [[John Rutter]] has composed many carols including "[[All Bells in Paradise]]", "[[Angels' Carol]]", "[[Candlelight Carol]]", "[[Donkey Carol]]", "[[Jesus Child]]", "[[Shepherd's Pipe Carol]]" and "[[Star Carol]]".
==Traditional cuisine==
[[File:Christmas pudding.JPG|thumb|right|[[Christmas pudding]] cooked on [[Stir-up Sunday]], the Sunday before the beginning of the [[Advent]] season]]
A special [[Christmas dinner|Christmas family meal]] is traditionally an important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food served varies greatly from country to country. Some regions have special meals for Christmas Eve, such as [[Sicily]], where 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread, and cider. Special desserts are also prepared, such as [[Christmas pudding]], [[mince pie]]s, [[fruit cake]] and [[Yule log (cake)|Yule log cake]].<ref>Broomfield, Andrea (2007), [https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ_JDp9OgJEC&pg=PA149&dq=christmas+pudding+england ''Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History''], Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, pp. 149–150.</ref><ref>Muir, Frank (1977), ''Christmas customs & traditions'', Taplinger Pub. Co., 1977, p. 58.</ref>
[[File:Panettone - Nicolettone 2017 - IMG 7085 (31752542285).jpg|thumb|left|[[Panettone]]]]
In Poland, other parts of Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, fish is often used for the traditional main course, but richer meat such as lamb is increasingly served. In Sweden, it is common with a special variety of [[smörgåsbord]], where ham, meatballs, and herring play a prominent role. In Germany, France, and Austria, goose and pork are favored. Beef, ham, and chicken in various recipes are popular worldwide. The [[Maltese people|Maltese]] traditionally serve ''[[Imbuljuta tal-Qastan]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html |title=Imbuljuta |publisher=Schoolnet.gov.mt |access-date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122070634/http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html |archive-date=January 22, 2012 }}</ref> a chocolate and chestnuts beverage, after [[Midnight Mass]] and throughout the Christmas season. Slovenes prepare the traditional Christmas bread [[potica]], ''[[bûche de Noël]]'' in France, ''[[panettone]]'' in Italy, and elaborate tarts and cakes. ''Panettone'', an [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] type of [[List of sweet breads|sweet bread]] and [[fruitcake]], originally from [[Milan]], Italy, usually prepared and enjoyed for [[Christmas]] and [[New Year]] in [[Western Europe|Western]], [[Southern Europe|Southern]], and [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]], as well as in [[South America]], [[Eritrea]],<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.madote.com/2016/01/christmas-in-eritrea.html | title=Christmas in Eritrea}}</ref> [[Australia]], the [[United States]], and [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ansa.it/canale_terraegusto/notizie/prodotti_tipici/2017/12/04/negli-usa-tutti-pazzi-per-il-panettone-e-boom-vendite_b653dfb9-ec37-43c9-99bd-345a4abf1af0.html |title= Negli Usa tutti pazzi per il panettone, è boom vendite |language=it |website=Ansa|date= 4 December 2017 }}</ref>
The eating of sweets and chocolates has become popular worldwide, and sweeter Christmas delicacies include the German ''[[stollen]]'', [[marzipan]] cake or candy, and Jamaican rum fruit cake. As one of the few fruits traditionally available to northern countries in winter, oranges have been long associated with special Christmas foods. [[Eggnog]] is a [[added sugar|sweetened]] [[dairy]]-based [[sweetened beverage|beverage]] traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, and whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture). [[Distilled beverage|Spirits]] such as brandy, rum, or bourbon are often added. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.
==Cards==
[[File:Christmas postcard 1907.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright|A 1907 Christmas card with [[Santa Claus|Santa]] and some of his reindeer]]
{{Main|Christmas card}}
Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like that of the first commercial [[Christmas card#History|Christmas card]], produced by [[Sir Henry Cole]] in London in 1843.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1679110.stm "Christmas card sold for record price"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205200933/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1679110.stm |date=February 5, 2006 }}, BBC News. Retrieved October 28, 2011.</ref> The custom of sending them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging [[E-card]]s.
Christmas cards are purchased in considerable quantities and feature commercially designed artwork relevant to the season. The content of the design might relate directly to the [[Nativity of Jesus|Christmas narrative]], with [[Nativity of Jesus in art|depictions of the Nativity of Jesus]], or [[Christian symbols]] such as the [[Star of Bethlehem]], or a white [[dove]], which can represent both the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] and [[Peace]] on Earth. Other Christmas cards are more [[secular]] and can depict [[Christmas tradition]]s, mythical figures such as [[Santa Claus]], objects directly associated with Christmas such as candles, holly and baubles, or a variety of images related to the season, such as Christmastide activities, snow scenes and the wildlife of the northern winter. Some humorous cards and genres depict nostalgic past scenes such as [[crinoline]]d shoppers in idealized 19th-century streetscapes.
Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer, or [[Bible verse|Biblical verse]], while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".
[[File:United States Christmas stamp 1982 Madonna of the Goldfinch, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo c. 1760.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Christmas stamp released in the United States in 1982, featuring a painting by [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]]]]
==Commemorative stamps==
{{Main|Christmas stamp}}
Several nations have issued [[commemorative stamp]]s at Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail [[Christmas card]]s, and they are popular with [[philately|philatelists]]. These stamps are regular [[postage stamp]]s, unlike [[Christmas seal]]s, and are valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale between early October and early December and are printed in considerable quantities.
==Gift giving==
[[File:Gifts xmas.jpg|thumb|right|Christmas gifts under a Christmas tree]]
{{Main|Christmas gift}}
The exchanging of [[gift]]s is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for [[retail]]ers and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with [[Saint Nicholas]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Collins, Ace |title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=giving+gifts+wise+men&pg=PT88 |date=April 20, 2010|access-date=April 10, 2012|publisher=Zondervan|page=17|quote=The legend of St. Nicholas, who became the bishop of Myra in the beginning of the fourth century, is the next link in the Christmas-gift chain. Legend has it that the priest rode across Asia Minor during his life, bestowing gifts upon poor children.|isbn=9780310873884}}</ref> and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the [[Biblical Magi|Magi]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Trexler|first=Richard|title=The Journey of the Magi: Meanings in History of a Christian Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YLmhCHtydKMC&pg=PA17|access-date=April 10, 2012|date=May 23, 1997|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|page=17|quote=This exchange network of ceremonial welcome was mirrored in a second reciprocity allowing early Christians to imagine their own magi: the phenomenon of giving gifts.|isbn=978-0691011264|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223014/https://books.google.com/books?id=YLmhCHtydKMC&pg=PA17|archive-date=December 31, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Collins, Ace|title=Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=giving+gifts+wise+men&pg=PT88 |date=April 20, 2010|access-date=April 10, 2012|publisher=Zondervan|page=17|quote=Most people today trace the practice of giving gifts on Christmas Day to the three gifts that the Magi gave to Jesus.|isbn=9780310873884}}</ref> The tradition of gift giving in the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] celebration of [[Saturnalia]] may have influenced Christian Christmas customs. Still, on the other hand, the Christian "core dogma of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]], however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event" because it was the Biblical Magi, "together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life."<ref name="Berking1999">{{cite book|last=Berking|first=Helmuth|title=Sociology of Giving|date=March 30, 1999|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-0-85702-613-2|page=14|quote=For the Enlightenment educationalist, gift-giving turned out to be a relic of a pagan custom, namely, the Roman Saturnalia. After the introduction of the Julian calendar in Rome, the 25th of December became the day of ''Sol invictus'' when people greeted the winter solstice. It was the day of the Sun's rebirth, and it was the day of the Christmas festivities – although it was only in the year 336 AD that it appears to have become established as the day of Jesus's birth (see Pannenberg 1989: 57). The Eastern Church adopted this date even later, towards the end of the 4th century, having previously regarded the 6th of January as the day of gift-giving, as it still is in the Italian community of Befana. The winter solstice was a time of festivity in every traditional culture, and the Christian Christmas probably took its place within this mythical context of the solar cult. Its core dogma of the Incarnation, however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event. 'Children were given presents as the Jesus child received gifts from the magi or kings who came from afar to adore him. But in reality it was they, together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life' (ibid.: 61).}}<!--|access-date=December 24, 2015--></ref>
===Gift-bearing figures===
{{Main|Santa Claus|Father Christmas|Christkind}}
[[File:Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg|thumb|Christmas gift-bringers in Europe]]
[[File:Sinterklaas 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Saint Nicholas]], known as [[Sinterklaas]] in the Netherlands, is considered by many to be the original [[Santa Claus]].<ref name="SewardLal2006">{{cite book|last1=Seward|first1=Pat|last2=Lal|first2=Sunandini Arora|title=Netherlands|year=2006|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-2052-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/netherlands0000sewa/page/116 116]|quote=Until quite recently, the celebrations focused solely on Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas (SIN-ter-klahs), as the Dutch call him. ... Interestingly, the American Santa Claus was born out of the Dutch Sinterklaas.|url=https://archive.org/details/netherlands0000sewa/page/116}}</ref>]]
Many figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among these are [[Father Christmas]], also known as [[Santa Claus]] (derived from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the [[Weihnachtsmann]]; [[Saint Nicholas]] or [[Sinterklaas]]; the [[Christkind]]; Kris Kringle; [[Joulupukki]]; [[Nisse (folklore)|tomte/nisse]]; Babbo Natale; [[Basil of Caesarea|Saint Basil]]; Svatý Mikuláš; and [[Ded Moroz]]. The Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted as a [[gnome]] instead of Santa Claus.
The best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa Claus, of diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch ''Sinterklaas'', which means Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century [[Greeks in Turkey#History|Greek]] [[bishop]] of [[Myra]], a city in the [[Roman province]] of [[Lycia]], whose ruins are {{convert|3|km}} from modern [[Demre]] in southwest Turkey.<ref>{{cite book |author= Domenico, Roy Palmer |title= The regions of Italy: a reference guide to history and culture |url= https://archive.org/details/regionsitalyrefe00dome |url-access= limited |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |year= 2002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/regionsitalyrefe00dome/page/n36 21] |isbn= 978-0-313-30733-1 |quote= Saint Nicholas (Bishop of Myra) replaced Sabino as the patron saint of the city... A Greek from what is now Turkey, he lived in the early fourth century.}}</ref><ref name="Collins, Ace 2009 121">{{cite book |author= Collins, Ace |title= Stories Behind Men of Faith |publisher= Zondervan |year= 2009 |url= https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindmen0000coll |url-access= registration |page= [https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindmen0000coll/page/121 121] |isbn= 978-0-310-56456-0 |quote= Nicholas was born in the Greek city of Patara around 270 AD. The son of a businessman named Theophanes and his wife, Nonna, the child's earliest years were spent in Myra... As a port on the Mediterranean Sea, in the middle of the sea lanes that linked Egypt, Greece and Rome, Myra was a destination for traders, fishermen, and merchant sailors. Spawned by the spirit of both the city's Greek heritage and the ruling Roman government, cultural endeavours such as art, drama, and music were mainstays of everyday life. |access-date= June 20, 2015 }}</ref> Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of children, generosity, and giving gifts. His feast day, December 6, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts.<ref name=ADS>Forbes, Bruce David, ''Christmas: a candid history'', University of California Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-520-25104-0}}, pp. 68–79.</ref>
Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop's attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about children's behavior during the past year before deciding whether they deserved a gift. By the 13th century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the Netherlands, and the practice of gift-giving in his name spread to other parts of central and southern Europe. During the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] in 16th–17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or ''Christkindl'', corrupted in English to Kris Kringle, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.<ref name="ADS" />
However, the modern popular image of Santa Claus was created in the United States, particularly in New York. The transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors, including [[Washington Irving]] and the [[German Americans|German-American]] cartoonist [[Thomas Nast]] (1840–1902). Following the [[American Revolutionary War]], some of the inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city's non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch colonial town of [[New Amsterdam]], and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.<ref>{{cite web
|author=Jona Lendering
|url=https://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra3.html#New
|title=Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Santa Claus
|publisher=Livius.org
|date=November 20, 2008
|access-date=February 24, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513114942/https://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra3.html#New
|archive-date=May 13, 2011
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
In 1809, the [[New-York Historical Society]] convened and retroactively named ''Sancte Claus'' the patron saint of [[New Amsterdam|Nieuw Amsterdam]], the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] name for [[New York City]].<ref>[[John Steele Gordon]], ''[[The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653–2000]]'' (Scribner), 1999.</ref> At his first American appearance in 1810, Santa Claus was drawn in bishops' robes. However, as new artists took over, Santa Claus developed more secular attire.<ref>Forbes, Bruce David, ''Christmas: A Candid History'', pp. 80–81.</ref> Nast drew a new image of "Santa Claus" annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the modern vision of the figure, perhaps based on the English figure of Father Christmas. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s<ref name="Mikkelson">Mikkelson, Barbara and David P., [http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp "The Claus That Refreshes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20051201022555/http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp |date=December 1, 2005 }}, Snopes.com, 2006.</ref> and continues through the present day.<ref name=tws2NovV111>{{cite news
|author= Win Rosenfeld
|title= America's Next Top Santa
|publisher= NPR
|quote= Father Christmas – but this Santa also goes by the name Jonathan Meath....
|date= December 25, 2007
|url= https://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/12/americas_next_top_santa_1.html
|access-date= November 22, 2012
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131225170105/http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/12/americas_next_top_santa_1.html
|archive-date= December 25, 2013
|url-status= live
}}</ref><ref name=tws2NovV222>{{cite news
|author= Mary Ann Georgantopoulos
|title= Miracle on Mass. Ave.: City Santa takes suit seriously
|newspaper= Boston Globe
|quote= Meath, who is in his first year of being a full-time Santa, makes appearances around Massachusetts at places such as Swing City in Newton....
|date= December 25, 2007
|url= http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/23/miracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously/
|access-date= November 22, 2012
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131225165438/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/23/miracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously/
|archive-date= December 25, 2013
|url-status= live
}}</ref>
[[File:Child Jesus of Prague (original statue).jpg|thumb|The famous statue of the [[Infant Jesus of Prague]], given by Princess [[Polyxena of Lobkowicz]] to the [[Discalced Carmelites]] in 1628]]
The [[Christ Child]], also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus and the Holy Child , refers to [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]] from his [[Nativity of Jesus|nativity]] until age 12. The four [[canonical gospel]]s, accepted by most Christians today, lack any narration of the years between Jesus' infancy and the [[Finding in the Temple]] when he was 12. In Italy, until the 20th century, before the tradition of letters addressed to [[Santa Claus]] spread throughout the country, it was customary in many families to have children write letters addressed to Christ Child, compositions expressing good intentions for the new year and requests for welcome gifts for Christmas Day.<ref>Jolanda Colombini Monti, ''Lettere a Gesù Bambino'', Editrice Piccoli, 1950.</ref>
Father Christmas, a jolly, stout, bearded man who typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, predates the Santa Claus character. He was first recorded in early 17th century England but was associated with holiday merrymaking and [[drunkenness]] rather than bringing gifts.<ref name=Harper /> In [[Victorian Britain]], his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French [[Père Noël]] evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while [[La Befana]] is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]]. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures, Santa Claus is accompanied by [[Knecht Ruprecht]] or [[Zwarte Piet|Black Peter]]. In other versions, [[elf|elves]] make the toys. His wife is referred to as [[Mrs. Claus]].
There has been some opposition to the narrative of the American evolution of Saint Nicholas into the modern Santa. It has been claimed that the Saint Nicholas Society was not founded until 1835, almost half a century after the end of the American War of Independence.<ref>{{cite web |title = History of the Society |work = The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York |url = http://www.saintnicholassociety.org/history.htm |access-date = December 5, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106142124/http://www.saintnicholassociety.org/history.htm |archive-date = January 6, 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref> Moreover, a study of the "children's books, periodicals and journals" of New Amsterdam by Charles Jones revealed no references to Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Jones |first = Charles W. |title = Knickerbocker Santa Claus |periodical = The New-York Historical Society Quarterly |volume = XXXVIII |issue = 4 }}</ref> However, not all scholars agree with Jones's findings, which he reiterated in a book-length study in 1978;<ref>Jones, Charles W., ''Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978).</ref> Howard G. Hageman, of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, maintains that the tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas in New York was alive and well from the early settlement of the [[Hudson Valley]] on.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hageman |first=Howard G. |year=1979 |title=Review of ''Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend'' |periodical=[[Theology Today]] |location=Princeton |publisher=Princeton Theological Seminary |volume=36 |issue=3 |url=http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm |access-date=December 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207061529/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm |archive-date=December 7, 2008 }}</ref>
Current tradition in several [[Latin American]] countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to Baby Jesus, who is the one who delivers them to the children's homes, a reconciliation between traditional [[Religion|religious beliefs]] and the [[iconography]] of Santa Claus imported from the United States.
In [[South Tyrol]] (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the [[Christkind]] ([[Ježíšek]] in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents. Greek children get their presents from [[Saint Basil]] on New Year's Eve, the eve of that saint's liturgical feast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skiathosbooks.com/saints_basil.htm |title=St. Basil (330–379) |publisher=Skiathosbooks.com |access-date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112035451/http://www.skiathosbooks.com/saints_basil.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}</ref> The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Santa Claus / Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a [[bishop]]'s dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by [[Knecht Ruprecht]]. Although many parents worldwide routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some reject this practice, considering it deceptive.<ref>Matera, Mariane. [http://www.citybeat.com/archives/1996/issue304/cover1.html "Santa: The First Great Lie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914195318/http://citybeat.com/archives/1996/issue304/cover1.html |date=September 14, 2007 }}, ''Citybeat'', Issue 304.</ref>
Multiple gift-giver figures exist in Poland, varying between regions and individual families. St Nicholas (''Święty Mikołaj'') dominates Central and North-East areas, the Starman (''Gwiazdor'') is most common in [[Greater Poland]], Baby Jesus (''Dzieciątko'') is unique to [[Upper Silesia]], with the Little Star (''Gwiazdka'') and the Little Angel (''Aniołek'') being typical in the South and the South-East. Grandfather Frost (''Dziadek Mróz'') is less commonly accepted in some areas of Eastern Poland.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kto przynosi Wam prezenty? Św. Mikołaj, Gwiazdor, Aniołek, Dzieciątko czy może Dziadek Mróz?|url=https://bezprawnik.pl/kto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor/|website=Bezprawnik|language=pl-PL|date=December 22, 2016|access-date=December 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224213716/https://bezprawnik.pl/kto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor/|archive-date=December 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nie tylko Mikołaj, czyli kto według tradycji rozdaje prezenty w różnych regionach Polski?|url=http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114871,19380983,nie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html|website=gazeta.pl|language=pl-PL|access-date=December 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224213619/http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114871,19380983,nie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html|archive-date=December 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It is worth noting that across all of Poland, St Nicholas is the gift giver on the [[Saint Nicholas Day]] on December 6.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Christmas}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christmas traditions| ]]' |
Unified diff of changes made by edit (edit_diff) | '@@ -1,8 +1,3 @@
-{{Short description|Overview of the various traditions practised at Christmas}}
-{{For|a breakdown of traditions by country|Observance of Christmas by country}}
-[[File:Adoration of the sheperds - Matthias Stomer.jpg|thumb|''Adoration of the Shepherds'' by Dutch painter [[Matthias Stomer]], 1632]]
-'''Christmas traditions''' include a variety of customs, religious practices, rituals, and folklore associated with the celebration of [[Christmas]]. Many of these traditions vary [[observance of Christmas by country|by country or region]], while others are practiced virtually identically worldwide.
-
-Traditions associated with the Christmas holiday are diverse in their origins and nature, with some having an exclusively [[Christianity|Christian]] character with origins from within the religion. In contrast, others have been described as more cultural or [[secularity|secular]] in nature and have originated outside Christian influence. Christmas traditions have also changed and evolved significantly in the centuries since Christmas was first instituted as a holiday, with celebrations often taking on an entirely different quality or atmosphere depending on the period and geographical region.
+The three Christmas colours are ass and tiddys and hair bawls
==Church attendance==
' |
New page size (new_size) | 55835 |
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2 => '[[File:Adoration of the sheperds - Matthias Stomer.jpg|thumb|''Adoration of the Shepherds'' by Dutch painter [[Matthias Stomer]], 1632]]',
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40 => 'http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html',
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49 => 'https://web.archive.org/web/20081207061529/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm',
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72 => 'http://www.madote.com/2016/01/christmas-in-eritrea.html',
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Parsed HTML source of the new revision (new_html) | '<div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><p>The three Christmas colours are ass and tiddys and hair bawls
</p>
<div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div>
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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#Church_attendance"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Church attendance</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="#Decorations"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Decorations</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="#Nativity_play"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Nativity play</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="#Midnight_Mass"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Midnight Mass</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="#Music_and_carols"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Music and carols</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="#Traditional_cuisine"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Traditional cuisine</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7"><a href="#Cards"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Cards</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8"><a href="#Commemorative_stamps"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Commemorative stamps</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9"><a href="#Gift_giving"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">Gift giving</span></a>
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<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10"><a href="#Gift-bearing_figures"><span class="tocnumber">9.1</span> <span class="toctext">Gift-bearing figures</span></a></li>
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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-11"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">10</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Church_attendance">Church attendance</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<p>Christmas Day (inclusive of its <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Vigil" title="Vigil">vigil</a>, Christmas Eve), is a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Liturgical_calendar_(Lutheran)#Festivals" title="Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)">Festival</a> in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Lutheranism" title="Lutheranism">Lutheran Church</a>, a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Solemnity" title="Solemnity">Solemnity</a> in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman Catholic Church">Roman Catholic Church</a>, and a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Principal_Feast" title="Principal Feast">Principal Feast</a> of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Anglican_Communion" title="Anglican Communion">Anglican Communion</a>. Other Christian denominations do not rank their feast days but place importance on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, as with other Christian feasts like Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As such, for Christians, attending a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Church_service" title="Church service">church service</a> plays an important part in recognition of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmastide" title="Christmastide">Christmas season</a>. Christmas and Easter are the periods of highest annual church attendance. A 2010 survey by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Lifeway_Christian_Resources" class="mw-redirect" title="Lifeway Christian Resources">Lifeway Christian Resources</a> found that six in ten Americans attend church services during this time.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the United Kingdom, the Church of England reported an estimated attendance of <span class="nowrap">2.5 million</span> people at Christmas services in 2015.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Decorations">Decorations</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_decoration" title="Christmas decoration">Christmas decoration</a></div>
<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Carnegie_Presepio.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Carnegie_Presepio.JPG/220px-Carnegie_Presepio.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="293" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Carnegie_Presepio.JPG/330px-Carnegie_Presepio.JPG 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Carnegie_Presepio.JPG/440px-Carnegie_Presepio.JPG 2x" data-file-width="2736" data-file-height="3648" /></a><figcaption><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Neapolitan_nativity_scene" title="Neapolitan nativity scene">Neapolitan <i>presepio</i></a> at the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carnegie_Museum_of_Art" title="Carnegie Museum of Art">Carnegie Museum of Art</a> in Pittsburgh</figcaption></figure>
<p>The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history. In the 15th century, it was recorded that in London, it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be "decked with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Quercus_ilex" title="Quercus ilex">holm</a>, ivy, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bay_leaves" class="mw-redirect" title="Bay leaves">bays</a>, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green".<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The heart-shaped leaves of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ivy" class="mw-redirect" title="Ivy">ivy</a> were said to symbolize the coming to Earth of Jesus, while <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Holly" title="Holly">holly</a> was seen as protection against pagans and witches, its thorns and red berries held to represent the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Crown_of_Thorns" class="mw-redirect" title="Crown of Thorns">Crown of Thorns</a> worn by Jesus at the crucifixion and the blood he shed.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Ace_Collins_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ace_Collins-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The tradition of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_scene" title="Nativity scene">nativity scene</a> comes from Italy. Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi" title="Francis of Assisi">Francis of Assisi</a> from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins47_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins47-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets – renowned manger scene traditions include the colourful <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_szopka" title="Kraków szopka">Kraków szopka</a></i> in Poland,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which imitate <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w" title="Kraków">Kraków</a>'s historical buildings as settings, the elaborate Italian <i>presepi</i> (<a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presepe_napoletano" class="extiw" title="it:Presepe napoletano">Neapolitan</a>, <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presepe_genovese" class="extiw" title="it:Presepe genovese">Genoese</a> and <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presepe_bolognese" class="extiw" title="it:Presepe bolognese">Bolognese</a>),<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Provence" title="Provence">Provençal</a> crèches in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Le_Midi" class="mw-redirect" title="Le Midi">southern</a> France, using hand-painted terracotta figurines called <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santon_(figurine)" title="Santon (figurine)">santons</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In certain parts of the world, notably <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sicily" title="Sicily">Sicily</a>, living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint Francis are a popular alternative to static crèches.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins83_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins83-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In countries where a representation of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_scene" title="Nativity scene">Nativity scene</a> is prevalent, people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heirloom" title="Heirloom">heirloom</a>.
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG/220px-Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG/330px-Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG/440px-Clifton_Mill_Christmas_2005.JPG 2x" data-file-width="2592" data-file-height="1944" /></a><figcaption>Clifton Mill in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Clifton,_Ohio" title="Clifton, Ohio">Clifton, Ohio</a>, is the site of this Christmas display with over 3.5 million lights.</figcaption></figure>
<p>The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Red" title="Red">red</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Green" title="Green">green</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gold_(color)" title="Gold (color)">gold</a>. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Crucifixion" title="Crucifixion">crucifixion</a>. Green symbolizes eternal life, particularly the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter. Gold is the first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Magi" title="Magi">Magi</a>, symbolizing royalty.<sup id="cite_ref-Ace_Collins_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ace_Collins-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the 16th century, with records indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the Cathedral of Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Protestant_Reformers" title="Protestant Reformers">Protestant Reformer</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Martin_Bucer" title="Martin Bucer">Martin Bucer</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the United States, these "German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Moravian_Church" title="Moravian Church">Moravians</a> put lighted candles on those trees."<sup id="cite_ref-Kelly2010_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Kelly2010-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Blainey2013_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Blainey2013-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_decorations" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas decorations">decorating</a> the Christmas tree, many individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolizing the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem" title="Star of Bethlehem">Star of Bethlehem</a>, a fact recorded by <i>The School Journal</i> in 1897.<sup id="cite_ref-Mandryk2005_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Mandryk2005-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:1962_Entrance_Hall_(Official_White_House)_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/1962_Entrance_Hall_%28Official_White_House%29_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg/220px-1962_Entrance_Hall_%28Official_White_House%29_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="217" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/1962_Entrance_Hall_%28Official_White_House%29_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg/330px-1962_Entrance_Hall_%28Official_White_House%29_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/1962_Entrance_Hall_%28Official_White_House%29_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg/440px-1962_Entrance_Hall_%28Official_White_House%29_Christmas_tree_-_Jack_and_Jacqueline_Kennedy.jpg 2x" data-file-width="760" data-file-height="750" /></a><figcaption>The official White House Christmas tree for 1962, displayed in the Entrance Hall and presented by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/John_F._Kennedy" title="John F. Kennedy">John F. Kennedy</a> and his wife <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jacqueline_Kennedy" class="mw-redirect" title="Jacqueline Kennedy">Jackie</a></figcaption></figure>
<p>Professor David Albert Jones of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Oxford_University" class="mw-redirect" title="Oxford University">Oxford University</a> writes that in the 19th century, it became popular for people also to use an angel to top the Christmas tree to symbolize the angels mentioned in the accounts of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">Nativity of Jesus</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Jones2011_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Jones2011-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Christmas tree is considered by some as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christianisation" class="mw-redirect" title="Christianisation">Christianisation</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pagan" class="mw-redirect" title="Pagan">pagan</a> tradition and ritual surrounding the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Winter_Solstice" class="mw-redirect" title="Winter Solstice">Winter Solstice</a>, which included the use of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Evergreen" title="Evergreen">evergreen</a> boughs, and an adaptation of pagan <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tree_worship" class="mw-redirect" title="Tree worship">tree worship</a>;<sup id="cite_ref-Shaman_25-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shaman-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> according to eighth-century biographer <a href="/enwiki/wiki/%C3%86ddi_Stephanus" class="mw-redirect" title="Æddi Stephanus">Æddi Stephanus</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Boniface" title="Saint Boniface">Saint Boniface</a> (634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an axe to an oak tree dedicated to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Thor" title="Thor">Thor</a> and pointed out a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fir_tree" class="mw-redirect" title="Fir tree">fir tree</a>, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heaven_(Christianity)" class="mw-redirect" title="Heaven (Christianity)">heaven</a>; it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Trinity" title="Trinity">Trinity</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835<sup id="cite_ref-Harper_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Harper-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and represents an importation from the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/German_language" title="German language">German language</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Shaman_25-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shaman-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Christmas_Archives_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Christmas_Archives-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Fashion_Era-_Christmas_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fashion_Era-_Christmas-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>From Germany, the custom was introduced to Britain, first via <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Queen_Charlotte" class="mw-redirect" title="Queen Charlotte">Queen Charlotte</a>, wife of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/George_III" title="George III">George III</a>, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Queen_Victoria" title="Queen Victoria">Queen Victoria</a>. By 1841, the Christmas tree had become even more widespread throughout Britain.<sup id="cite_ref-Lejeune,_Marie_Claire_p.550_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Lejeune,_Marie_Claire_p.550-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> By the 1870s, people in the United States had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree.<sup id="cite_ref-Shoemaker_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Shoemaker-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Christmas trees may be decorated with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_lights_(holiday_decoration)" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas lights (holiday decoration)">lights</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_ornaments" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas ornaments">ornaments</a>.
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Advent_Wreath_(Broadway_United_Methodist_Church).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Advent_Wreath_%28Broadway_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg/170px-Advent_Wreath_%28Broadway_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="227" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Advent_Wreath_%28Broadway_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg/255px-Advent_Wreath_%28Broadway_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Advent_Wreath_%28Broadway_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg/340px-Advent_Wreath_%28Broadway_United_Methodist_Church%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="960" data-file-height="1280" /></a><figcaption>On Christmas, the Christ Candle in the center of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent_wreath" title="Advent wreath">Advent wreath</a> is traditionally lit in many <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Church_service" title="Church service">church services</a>.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Since the 16th century, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Poinsettia" title="Poinsettia">poinsettia</a>, a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas carrying the Christian symbolism of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem" title="Star of Bethlehem">Star of Bethlehem</a>; in that country it is known in Spanish as the <i>Flower of the Holy Night</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-Hewitson2013_32-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hewitson2013-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Other popular holiday plants include holly, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mistletoe" title="Mistletoe">mistletoe</a>, red <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Amaryllis" title="Amaryllis">amaryllis</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_cactus" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas cactus">Christmas cactus</a>. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Garland_(decoration)" class="mw-redirect" title="Garland (decoration)">garlands</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Evergreen" title="Evergreen">evergreen</a> foliage. The display of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_village" title="Christmas village">Christmas villages</a> has also become a tradition in many homes this season. The outside of houses may be decorated with lights and sometimes with illuminated <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sled" title="Sled">sleighs</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Snowmen" class="mw-redirect" title="Snowmen">snowmen</a>, and other Christmas figures. Mistletoe features prominently in European myth and folklore (for example, the legend of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Baldr" title="Baldr">Baldr</a>); it is an evergreen parasitic plant that grows on trees, especially apple and poplar, and turns golden when it is dried. It is customary to hang a sprig of mistletoe in the house at Christmas, and anyone standing underneath it may be kissed. Mistletoe has sticky white berries, one of which was traditionally removed whenever someone was kissed under it. This is probably a fertility ritual. The mistletoe berry juice resembles semen.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg/220px-Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg/330px-Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg/440px-Neve_a_Verona_17.01.2006_033.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2288" data-file-height="1712" /></a><figcaption><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_lights" title="Christmas lights">Christmas lights</a> in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Verona" title="Verona">Verona</a>, Italy</figcaption></figure>
<p>Other traditional decorations include <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bell_(instrument)" class="mw-redirect" title="Bell (instrument)">bells</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Candles" class="mw-redirect" title="Candles">candles</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Candy_canes" class="mw-redirect" title="Candy canes">candy canes</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_stocking" title="Christmas stocking">stockings</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wreath" title="Wreath">wreaths</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Angels" class="mw-redirect" title="Angels">angels</a>. The wreaths and candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Evergreen" title="Evergreen">evergreen</a>, make up Christmas wreaths. Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_lights" title="Christmas lights">Christmas lights</a> and banners may be hung along streets, music played by speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured to wrap gifts. In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Twelfth_Night_(holiday)" title="Twelfth Night (holiday)">Twelfth Night</a>.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Nativity_play">Nativity play</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg/220px-Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="241" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg/330px-Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg/440px-Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-13-_-_Institution_of_the_Crib_at_Greccio.jpg 2x" data-file-width="812" data-file-height="890" /></a><figcaption><i>St. Francis at <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Greccio" title="Greccio">Greccio</a></i> by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Giotto" title="Giotto">Giotto</a>, 1295</figcaption></figure>
<p>The tradition of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_scene" title="Nativity scene">Nativity scene</a> comes from Italy. One of the earliest representation in art of the nativity was found in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Early_Christian" class="mw-redirect" title="Early Christian">early Christian</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Roman_catacomb" class="mw-redirect" title="Roman catacomb">Roman catacomb</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Catacombs_of_San_Valentino" title="Catacombs of San Valentino">Saint Valentine</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Osborne2020_37-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Osborne2020-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It dates to about AD 380.<sup id="cite_ref-Tuleja1999_38-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Tuleja1999-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another, of similar date, is beneath the pulpit in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Basilica_of_Sant%27Ambrogio" title="Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio">Sant'Ambrogio, Milan</a>.
</p><p>For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_play" title="Nativity play">Nativity play</a> is one of the oldest Christmastime traditions, with the first reenactment of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">Nativity of Jesus</a> taking place in A.D. 1223 in the Italian town of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Greccio" title="Greccio">Greccio</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins2010_39-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins2010-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In that year, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi" title="Francis of Assisi">Francis of Assisi</a> assembled a Nativity scene outside of his church in Italy and children sang Christmas carols celebrating the birth of Jesus.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins2010_39-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins2010-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Each year, this grew larger, and people travelled from afar to see Francis' depiction of the Nativity of Jesus that came to feature drama and music.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins2010_39-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins2010-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Nativity plays eventually spread throughout all of Europe, where they remain popular. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day church services often came to feature Nativity plays, as did schools and theatres.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins2010_39-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins2010-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain, Nativity plays are often reenacted outdoors in the streets.<sup id="cite_ref-Collins2010_39-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins2010-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Midnight_Mass">Midnight Mass</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Complete-church-midnight-mass_(3135957575).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Complete-church-midnight-mass_%283135957575%29.jpg/220px-Complete-church-midnight-mass_%283135957575%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="136" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Complete-church-midnight-mass_%283135957575%29.jpg/330px-Complete-church-midnight-mass_%283135957575%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Complete-church-midnight-mass_%283135957575%29.jpg/440px-Complete-church-midnight-mass_%283135957575%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3762" data-file-height="2331" /></a><figcaption><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Midnight_Mass" title="Midnight Mass">Midnight Mass</a> at <a href="/enwiki/wiki/St._Sebastian_Roman_Catholic_Church_(Queens)" title="St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Queens)">St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/New_York_City" title="New York City">New York City</a></figcaption></figure>
<p>In many <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Western_Christian" class="mw-redirect" title="Western Christian">Western Christian</a> traditions, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Midnight_Mass" title="Midnight Mass">Midnight Mass</a> is the first <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christian_liturgy" title="Christian liturgy">liturgy</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmastide" title="Christmastide">Christmastide</a> that is celebrated on the night of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Eve" title="Christmas Eve">Christmas Eve</a>, traditionally beginning at <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Midnight" title="Midnight">midnight</a> when Christmas Eve gives way to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Day" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas Day">Christmas Day</a>. This popular Christmas custom is a jubilant celebration of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mass_(liturgy)" title="Mass (liturgy)">mass</a> or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Church_service" title="Church service">service of worship</a> in honour of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">Nativity of Jesus</a>; even many of those <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christian_denomination" title="Christian denomination">Christian denominations</a> that do not regularly employ the word <i>mass</i> uniquely use the term "Midnight Mass" for their Christmas Eve liturgy as it includes the celebration of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Holy_Communion" class="mw-redirect" title="Holy Communion">Holy Communion</a>.
</p><p>The tradition of a midnight <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Vigil" title="Vigil">Vigil</a> on the eve of Christmas began in the East, and was observed in the late fourth century in Jerusalem by a Christian woman named <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Egeria_(pilgrim)" title="Egeria (pilgrim)">Egeria</a> on the night of January 5. The tradition reached the Western world in the year 430 under <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_III" title="Pope Sixtus III">Pope Sixtus III</a> in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Basilica_of_St_Mary_Major" class="mw-redirect" title="Basilica of St Mary Major">Basilica of St Mary Major</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-aquinasandmore.com_40-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-aquinasandmore.com-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>By the twelfth century, the practice of midnight Mass had become more widespread as all priests had been granted the faculty of celebrating three Masses on Christmas Day (previously reserved to the Pope), provided the three different propers were celebrated at their appropriate times of midnight, dawn and day.<sup id="cite_ref-aquinasandmore.com_40-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-aquinasandmore.com-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Music_and_carols">Music and carols</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg/220px-Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="150" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg/330px-Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg/440px-Chant%27tie_d%27Cantiques_d%C3%A9_Nou%C3%A9_D%C3%A9zembre_2009_J%C3%A8rri_a.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3804" data-file-height="2598" /></a><figcaption>Christmas carolers in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jersey" title="Jersey">Jersey</a></figcaption></figure>
<p>The earliest extant Christmas hymns appeared in fourth-century <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rome" title="Rome">Rome</a>. Latin hymns such as "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Veni_redemptor_gentium" title="Veni redemptor gentium">Veni redemptor gentium</a>", written by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ambrose" title="Ambrose">Ambrose</a>, Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Arianism" title="Arianism">Arianism</a>. "Corde natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's love begotten") by the Spanish poet <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Prudentius" title="Prudentius">Prudentius</a> (d. 413) is still sung in some churches today.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas "Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bernard_of_Clairvaux" title="Bernard of Clairvaux">Bernard of Clairvaux</a> into a sequence of rhymed <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stanza" title="Stanza">stanzas</a>. In the 12th century, the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_carol" title="Christmas carol">Christmas carol</a>.
</p><p>By the 13th century, in France, Germany, and Italy, under the influence of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi" title="Francis of Assisi">Francis of Assisi</a>, a strong tradition of popular Christmas songs in the native language developed.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/John_Audelay" title="John Audelay">John Awdlay</a>, a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Shropshire" title="Shropshire">Shropshire</a> chaplain, who lists twenty-five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wassailing" title="Wassailing">wassailers</a>, who went from house to house.<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Steaua,_Bucharest,_1842_crop.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Steaua%2C_Bucharest%2C_1842_crop.jpg/220px-Steaua%2C_Bucharest%2C_1842_crop.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="168" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Steaua%2C_Bucharest%2C_1842_crop.jpg/330px-Steaua%2C_Bucharest%2C_1842_crop.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Steaua%2C_Bucharest%2C_1842_crop.jpg/440px-Steaua%2C_Bucharest%2C_1842_crop.jpg 2x" data-file-width="580" data-file-height="442" /></a><figcaption>Child singers in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bucharest" title="Bucharest">Bucharest</a>, 1841</figcaption></figure>
<p>The songs, now known specifically as carols, were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide" and Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church. Traditionally, carols have often been based on <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Medieval" class="mw-redirect" title="Medieval">medieval</a> chord patterns, which gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Personent_hodie" title="Personent hodie">Personent hodie</a>", "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Good_King_Wenceslas" title="Good King Wenceslas">Good King Wenceslas</a>", and "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/The_Holly_and_the_Ivy" title="The Holly and the Ivy">The Holly and the Ivy</a>" can be traced directly back to the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Middle_Ages" title="Middle Ages">Middle Ages</a>. They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Adeste_Fideles" class="mw-redirect" title="Adeste Fideles">Adeste Fideles</a>" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century.
</p><p>Singing of carols initially suffered a decline in popularity after the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Protestant_Reformation" class="mw-redirect" title="Protestant Reformation">Protestant Reformation</a> in northern Europe, although some Reformers, like <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Martin_Luther" title="Martin Luther">Martin Luther</a>, wrote carols and encouraged their use in worship. Carols largely survived in rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the 19th century. The 18th-century English reformer <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Charles_Wesley" title="Charles Wesley">Charles Wesley</a> understood the importance of music to worship. In addition to setting many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Great_Awakening" title="Great Awakening">Great Awakening</a> in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols. The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin Rings", later renamed "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Hark!_The_Herald_Angels_Sing" title="Hark! The Herald Angels Sing">Hark! The Herald Angels Sing</a>".<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="listen-file-header"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:U.S._Army_Band_-_Hark!_The_Herald_Angels_Sing.ogg" title="File:U.S. Army Band - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.ogg">Hark! The Herald Angels Sing</a></div>
<div><span typeof="mw:File"><span><audio id="mwe_player_0" controls="" preload="none" data-mw-tmh="" class="mw-file-element" width="215" style="width:215px;" data-durationhint="112" data-mwtitle="U.S._Army_Band_-_Hark!_The_Herald_Angels_Sing.ogg" data-mwprovider="wikimediacommons"><source src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/4/43/U.S._Army_Band_-_Hark%21_The_Herald_Angels_Sing.ogg" type="audio/ogg; codecs="vorbis"" data-width="0" data-height="0" /><source src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/43/U.S._Army_Band_-_Hark%21_The_Herald_Angels_Sing.ogg/U.S._Army_Band_-_Hark%21_The_Herald_Angels_Sing.ogg.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" data-transcodekey="mp3" data-width="0" data-height="0" /></audio></span></span></div>
<div class="description">Performed by the U.S. Army Band Chorus</div></div></div></div>
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<p><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohn" title="Felix Mendelssohn">Felix Mendelssohn</a> wrote a melody adapted to fit Wesley's words. In Austria in 1818, Mohr and Gruber made a significant addition to the genre when they composed "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Silent_Night" title="Silent Night">Silent Night</a>" for the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nikolauskirche,_Oberndorf" title="Nikolauskirche, Oberndorf">Nikolauskirche</a> in Oberndorf. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/William_Sandys_(antiquarian)" title="William Sandys (antiquarian)">William Sandys</a>' <i>Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern</i> (1833) contained the first appearance in print of many now-classic English carols and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the festival.<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Completely secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the late 18th century. "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Deck_the_Halls" title="Deck the Halls">Deck the Halls</a>" dates from 1784, and the American "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jingle_Bells" title="Jingle Bells">Jingle Bells</a>" was copyrighted in 1857. In the 19th and 20th centuries, African-American spirituals and songs about Christmas, based on the tradition of spirituals, became more widely known. An increasing number of seasonal holiday songs were commercially produced in the 20th century, including jazz and blues variations. In addition, there was a revival of interest in early music, from groups singing folk music, such as The Revels, to performers of early medieval and classical music. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/John_Rutter" title="John Rutter">John Rutter</a> has composed many carols including "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/All_Bells_in_Paradise" class="mw-redirect" title="All Bells in Paradise">All Bells in Paradise</a>", "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Angels%27_Carol" title="Angels' Carol">Angels' Carol</a>", "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Candlelight_Carol" title="Candlelight Carol">Candlelight Carol</a>", "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Donkey_Carol" title="Donkey Carol">Donkey Carol</a>", "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jesus_Child" class="mw-redirect" title="Jesus Child">Jesus Child</a>", "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Shepherd%27s_Pipe_Carol" title="Shepherd's Pipe Carol">Shepherd's Pipe Carol</a>" and "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Star_Carol" title="Star Carol">Star Carol</a>".
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Traditional_cuisine">Traditional cuisine</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Christmas_pudding.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Christmas_pudding.JPG/220px-Christmas_pudding.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="191" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Christmas_pudding.JPG/330px-Christmas_pudding.JPG 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Christmas_pudding.JPG 2x" data-file-width="353" data-file-height="306" /></a><figcaption><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_pudding" title="Christmas pudding">Christmas pudding</a> cooked on <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stir-up_Sunday" title="Stir-up Sunday">Stir-up Sunday</a>, the Sunday before the beginning of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent" title="Advent">Advent</a> season</figcaption></figure>
<p>A special <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_dinner" title="Christmas dinner">Christmas family meal</a> is traditionally an important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food served varies greatly from country to country. Some regions have special meals for Christmas Eve, such as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sicily" title="Sicily">Sicily</a>, where 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread, and cider. Special desserts are also prepared, such as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_pudding" title="Christmas pudding">Christmas pudding</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mince_pie" title="Mince pie">mince pies</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fruit_cake" class="mw-redirect" title="Fruit cake">fruit cake</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_log_(cake)" title="Yule log (cake)">Yule log cake</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_(31752542285).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_%2831752542285%29.jpg/220px-Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_%2831752542285%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_%2831752542285%29.jpg/330px-Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_%2831752542285%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_%2831752542285%29.jpg/440px-Panettone_-_Nicolettone_2017_-_IMG_7085_%2831752542285%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5164" data-file-height="3443" /></a><figcaption><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Panettone" title="Panettone">Panettone</a></figcaption></figure>
<p>In Poland, other parts of Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, fish is often used for the traditional main course, but richer meat such as lamb is increasingly served. In Sweden, it is common with a special variety of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord" class="mw-redirect" title="Smörgåsbord">smörgåsbord</a>, where ham, meatballs, and herring play a prominent role. In Germany, France, and Austria, goose and pork are favored. Beef, ham, and chicken in various recipes are popular worldwide. The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Maltese_people" title="Maltese people">Maltese</a> traditionally serve <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Imbuljuta_tal-Qastan" title="Imbuljuta tal-Qastan">Imbuljuta tal-Qastan</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> a chocolate and chestnuts beverage, after <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Midnight_Mass" title="Midnight Mass">Midnight Mass</a> and throughout the Christmas season. Slovenes prepare the traditional Christmas bread <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Potica" title="Potica">potica</a>, <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/B%C3%BBche_de_No%C3%ABl" class="mw-redirect" title="Bûche de Noël">bûche de Noël</a></i> in France, <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Panettone" title="Panettone">panettone</a></i> in Italy, and elaborate tarts and cakes. <i>Panettone</i>, an <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Italian_cuisine" title="Italian cuisine">Italian</a> type of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_sweet_breads" title="List of sweet breads">sweet bread</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fruitcake" title="Fruitcake">fruitcake</a>, originally from <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Milan" title="Milan">Milan</a>, Italy, usually prepared and enjoyed for <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas" title="Christmas">Christmas</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/New_Year" title="New Year">New Year</a> in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Western_Europe" title="Western Europe">Western</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Southern_Europe" title="Southern Europe">Southern</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Southeast_Europe" title="Southeast Europe">Southeastern Europe</a>, as well as in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/South_America" title="South America">South America</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Eritrea" title="Eritrea">Eritrea</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Australia" title="Australia">Australia</a>, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Canada" title="Canada">Canada</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>The eating of sweets and chocolates has become popular worldwide, and sweeter Christmas delicacies include the German <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stollen" title="Stollen">stollen</a></i>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Marzipan" title="Marzipan">marzipan</a> cake or candy, and Jamaican rum fruit cake. As one of the few fruits traditionally available to northern countries in winter, oranges have been long associated with special Christmas foods. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Eggnog" title="Eggnog">Eggnog</a> is a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Added_sugar" title="Added sugar">sweetened</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dairy" title="Dairy">dairy</a>-based <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sweetened_beverage" title="Sweetened beverage">beverage</a> traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, and whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture). <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Distilled_beverage" class="mw-redirect" title="Distilled beverage">Spirits</a> such as brandy, rum, or bourbon are often added. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Cards">Cards</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg/170px-Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="262" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg/255px-Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg/340px-Christmas_postcard_1907.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1005" data-file-height="1549" /></a><figcaption>A 1907 Christmas card with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa</a> and some of his reindeer</figcaption></figure>
<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_card" title="Christmas card">Christmas card</a></div>
<p>Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like that of the first commercial <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_card#History" title="Christmas card">Christmas card</a>, produced by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sir_Henry_Cole" class="mw-redirect" title="Sir Henry Cole">Sir Henry Cole</a> in London in 1843.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The custom of sending them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging <a href="/enwiki/wiki/E-card" title="E-card">E-cards</a>.
</p><p>Christmas cards are purchased in considerable quantities and feature commercially designed artwork relevant to the season. The content of the design might relate directly to the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">Christmas narrative</a>, with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus_in_art" title="Nativity of Jesus in art">depictions of the Nativity of Jesus</a>, or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christian_symbols" class="mw-redirect" title="Christian symbols">Christian symbols</a> such as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem" title="Star of Bethlehem">Star of Bethlehem</a>, or a white <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dove" class="mw-redirect" title="Dove">dove</a>, which can represent both the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Holy_Spirit_in_Christianity" title="Holy Spirit in Christianity">Holy Spirit</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Peace" title="Peace">Peace</a> on Earth. Other Christmas cards are more <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Secular" class="mw-redirect" title="Secular">secular</a> and can depict <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_tradition" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas tradition">Christmas traditions</a>, mythical figures such as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa Claus</a>, objects directly associated with Christmas such as candles, holly and baubles, or a variety of images related to the season, such as Christmastide activities, snow scenes and the wildlife of the northern winter. Some humorous cards and genres depict nostalgic past scenes such as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Crinoline" title="Crinoline">crinolined</a> shoppers in idealized 19th-century streetscapes.
</p><p>Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer, or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bible_verse" class="mw-redirect" title="Bible verse">Biblical verse</a>, while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:United_States_Christmas_stamp_1982_Madonna_of_the_Goldfinch,_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_c._1760.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/United_States_Christmas_stamp_1982_Madonna_of_the_Goldfinch%2C_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_c._1760.jpg/170px-United_States_Christmas_stamp_1982_Madonna_of_the_Goldfinch%2C_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_c._1760.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="264" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/United_States_Christmas_stamp_1982_Madonna_of_the_Goldfinch%2C_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_c._1760.jpg/255px-United_States_Christmas_stamp_1982_Madonna_of_the_Goldfinch%2C_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_c._1760.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/United_States_Christmas_stamp_1982_Madonna_of_the_Goldfinch%2C_Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_c._1760.jpg 2x" data-file-width="322" data-file-height="500" /></a><figcaption>Christmas stamp released in the United States in 1982, featuring a painting by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo" title="Giovanni Battista Tiepolo">Giovanni Battista Tiepolo</a></figcaption></figure>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Commemorative_stamps">Commemorative stamps</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_stamp" title="Christmas stamp">Christmas stamp</a></div>
<p>Several nations have issued <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Commemorative_stamp" title="Commemorative stamp">commemorative stamps</a> at Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_card" title="Christmas card">Christmas cards</a>, and they are popular with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Philately" title="Philately">philatelists</a>. These stamps are regular <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Postage_stamp" title="Postage stamp">postage stamps</a>, unlike <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_seal" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas seal">Christmas seals</a>, and are valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale between early October and early December and are printed in considerable quantities.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Gift_giving">Gift giving</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Gifts_xmas.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Gifts_xmas.jpg/220px-Gifts_xmas.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="155" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Gifts_xmas.jpg/330px-Gifts_xmas.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Gifts_xmas.jpg/440px-Gifts_xmas.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="565" /></a><figcaption>Christmas gifts under a Christmas tree</figcaption></figure>
<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_gift" title="Christmas gift">Christmas gift</a></div>
<p>The exchanging of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gift" title="Gift">gifts</a> is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Retail" title="Retail">retailers</a> and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas" title="Saint Nicholas">Saint Nicholas</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">Magi</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The tradition of gift giving in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ancient_Rome" title="Ancient Rome">Roman</a> celebration of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saturnalia" title="Saturnalia">Saturnalia</a> may have influenced Christian Christmas customs. Still, on the other hand, the Christian "core dogma of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Incarnation_(Christianity)" title="Incarnation (Christianity)">Incarnation</a>, however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event" because it was the Biblical Magi, "together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life."<sup id="cite_ref-Berking1999_55-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Berking1999-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Gift-bearing_figures">Gift-bearing figures</h3><span class="mw-editsection">
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<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa Claus</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Father_Christmas" title="Father Christmas">Father Christmas</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christkind" title="Christkind">Christkind</a></div>
<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg/220px-Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="121" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg/330px-Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg/440px-Christmas-gift-bringers-Europe.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1125" data-file-height="621" /></a><figcaption>Christmas gift-bringers in Europe</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Sinterklaas_2007.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Sinterklaas_2007.jpg/220px-Sinterklaas_2007.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="323" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Sinterklaas_2007.jpg/330px-Sinterklaas_2007.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Sinterklaas_2007.jpg/440px-Sinterklaas_2007.jpg 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="735" /></a><figcaption><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas" title="Saint Nicholas">Saint Nicholas</a>, known as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sinterklaas" title="Sinterklaas">Sinterklaas</a> in the Netherlands, is considered by many to be the original <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa Claus</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-SewardLal2006_56-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-SewardLal2006-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></figcaption></figure>
<p>Many figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among these are <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Father_Christmas" title="Father Christmas">Father Christmas</a>, also known as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa Claus</a> (derived from the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Weihnachtsmann" class="mw-redirect" title="Weihnachtsmann">Weihnachtsmann</a>; <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas" title="Saint Nicholas">Saint Nicholas</a> or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sinterklaas" title="Sinterklaas">Sinterklaas</a>; the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christkind" title="Christkind">Christkind</a>; Kris Kringle; <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Joulupukki" title="Joulupukki">Joulupukki</a>; <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nisse_(folklore)" title="Nisse (folklore)">tomte/nisse</a>; Babbo Natale; <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea" title="Basil of Caesarea">Saint Basil</a>; Svatý Mikuláš; and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ded_Moroz" title="Ded Moroz">Ded Moroz</a>. The Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted as a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gnome" title="Gnome">gnome</a> instead of Santa Claus.
</p><p>The best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa Claus, of diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch <i>Sinterklaas</i>, which means Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Greeks_in_Turkey#History" title="Greeks in Turkey">Greek</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bishop" title="Bishop">bishop</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Myra" title="Myra">Myra</a>, a city in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Roman_province" title="Roman province">Roman province</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Lycia" title="Lycia">Lycia</a>, whose ruins are 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from modern <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Demre" title="Demre">Demre</a> in southwest Turkey.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Collins,_Ace_2009_121_58-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Collins,_Ace_2009_121-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of children, generosity, and giving gifts. His feast day, December 6, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts.<sup id="cite_ref-ADS_59-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ADS-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop's attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about children's behavior during the past year before deciding whether they deserved a gift. By the 13th century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the Netherlands, and the practice of gift-giving in his name spread to other parts of central and southern Europe. During the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Protestant_Reformation" class="mw-redirect" title="Protestant Reformation">Reformation</a> in 16th–17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or <i>Christkindl</i>, corrupted in English to Kris Kringle, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.<sup id="cite_ref-ADS_59-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ADS-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>However, the modern popular image of Santa Claus was created in the United States, particularly in New York. The transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors, including <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Washington_Irving" title="Washington Irving">Washington Irving</a> and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/German_Americans" title="German Americans">German-American</a> cartoonist <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Thomas_Nast" title="Thomas Nast">Thomas Nast</a> (1840–1902). Following the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War" title="American Revolutionary War">American Revolutionary War</a>, some of the inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city's non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch colonial town of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/New_Amsterdam" title="New Amsterdam">New Amsterdam</a>, and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>In 1809, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/New-York_Historical_Society" class="mw-redirect" title="New-York Historical Society">New-York Historical Society</a> convened and retroactively named <i>Sancte Claus</i> the patron saint of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/New_Amsterdam" title="New Amsterdam">Nieuw Amsterdam</a>, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> name for <a href="/enwiki/wiki/New_York_City" title="New York City">New York City</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> At his first American appearance in 1810, Santa Claus was drawn in bishops' robes. However, as new artists took over, Santa Claus developed more secular attire.<sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Nast drew a new image of "Santa Claus" annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the modern vision of the figure, perhaps based on the English figure of Father Christmas. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s<sup id="cite_ref-Mikkelson_63-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Mikkelson-63"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and continues through the present day.<sup id="cite_ref-tws2NovV111_64-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-tws2NovV111-64"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-tws2NovV222_65-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-tws2NovV222-65"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Child_Jesus_of_Prague_(original_statue).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Child_Jesus_of_Prague_%28original_statue%29.jpg/220px-Child_Jesus_of_Prague_%28original_statue%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="154" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Child_Jesus_of_Prague_%28original_statue%29.jpg/330px-Child_Jesus_of_Prague_%28original_statue%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Child_Jesus_of_Prague_%28original_statue%29.jpg/440px-Child_Jesus_of_Prague_%28original_statue%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="978" data-file-height="684" /></a><figcaption>The famous statue of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Infant_Jesus_of_Prague" title="Infant Jesus of Prague">Infant Jesus of Prague</a>, given by Princess <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Polyxena_of_Lobkowicz" title="Polyxena of Lobkowicz">Polyxena of Lobkowicz</a> to the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Discalced_Carmelites" title="Discalced Carmelites">Discalced Carmelites</a> in 1628</figcaption></figure>
<p>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christ_Child" title="Christ Child">Christ Child</a>, also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus and the Holy Child , refers to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jesus_in_Christianity" title="Jesus in Christianity">Jesus Christ</a> from his <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">nativity</a> until age 12. The four <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Canonical_gospel" class="mw-redirect" title="Canonical gospel">canonical gospels</a>, accepted by most Christians today, lack any narration of the years between Jesus' infancy and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Finding_in_the_Temple" title="Finding in the Temple">Finding in the Temple</a> when he was 12. In Italy, until the 20th century, before the tradition of letters addressed to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa Claus</a> spread throughout the country, it was customary in many families to have children write letters addressed to Christ Child, compositions expressing good intentions for the new year and requests for welcome gifts for Christmas Day.<sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-66"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>66<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Father Christmas, a jolly, stout, bearded man who typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, predates the Santa Claus character. He was first recorded in early 17th century England but was associated with holiday merrymaking and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Drunkenness" class="mw-redirect" title="Drunkenness">drunkenness</a> rather than bringing gifts.<sup id="cite_ref-Harper_27-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Harper-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Victorian_Britain" class="mw-redirect" title="Victorian Britain">Victorian Britain</a>, his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French <a href="/enwiki/wiki/P%C3%A8re_No%C3%ABl" title="Père Noël">Père Noël</a> evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while <a href="/enwiki/wiki/La_Befana" class="mw-redirect" title="La Befana">La Befana</a> is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Epiphany_(Christian)" class="mw-redirect" title="Epiphany (Christian)">Epiphany</a>. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures, Santa Claus is accompanied by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Knecht_Ruprecht" title="Knecht Ruprecht">Knecht Ruprecht</a> or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Zwarte_Piet" title="Zwarte Piet">Black Peter</a>. In other versions, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Elf" title="Elf">elves</a> make the toys. His wife is referred to as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mrs._Claus" title="Mrs. Claus">Mrs. Claus</a>.
</p><p>There has been some opposition to the narrative of the American evolution of Saint Nicholas into the modern Santa. It has been claimed that the Saint Nicholas Society was not founded until 1835, almost half a century after the end of the American War of Independence.<sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-67"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>67<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Moreover, a study of the "children's books, periodicals and journals" of New Amsterdam by Charles Jones revealed no references to Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas.<sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-68"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>68<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, not all scholars agree with Jones's findings, which he reiterated in a book-length study in 1978;<sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-69"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>69<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Howard G. Hageman, of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, maintains that the tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas in New York was alive and well from the early settlement of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Hudson_Valley" title="Hudson Valley">Hudson Valley</a> on.<sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-70"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>70<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Current tradition in several <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latin_American" class="mw-redirect" title="Latin American">Latin American</a> countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to Baby Jesus, who is the one who delivers them to the children's homes, a reconciliation between traditional <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Religion" title="Religion">religious beliefs</a> and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Iconography" title="Iconography">iconography</a> of Santa Claus imported from the United States.
</p><p>In <a href="/enwiki/wiki/South_Tyrol" title="South Tyrol">South Tyrol</a> (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christkind" title="Christkind">Christkind</a> (<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Je%C5%BE%C3%AD%C5%A1ek" class="mw-redirect" title="Ježíšek">Ježíšek</a> in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents. Greek children get their presents from <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Basil" class="mw-redirect" title="Saint Basil">Saint Basil</a> on New Year's Eve, the eve of that saint's liturgical feast.<sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-71"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>71<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Santa Claus / Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bishop" title="Bishop">bishop</a>'s dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Knecht_Ruprecht" title="Knecht Ruprecht">Knecht Ruprecht</a>. Although many parents worldwide routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some reject this practice, considering it deceptive.<sup id="cite_ref-72" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-72"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>72<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>Multiple gift-giver figures exist in Poland, varying between regions and individual families. St Nicholas (<i>Święty Mikołaj</i>) dominates Central and North-East areas, the Starman (<i>Gwiazdor</i>) is most common in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Greater_Poland" title="Greater Poland">Greater Poland</a>, Baby Jesus (<i>Dzieciątko</i>) is unique to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Upper_Silesia" title="Upper Silesia">Upper Silesia</a>, with the Little Star (<i>Gwiazdka</i>) and the Little Angel (<i>Aniołek</i>) being typical in the South and the South-East. Grandfather Frost (<i>Dziadek Mróz</i>) is less commonly accepted in some areas of Eastern Poland.<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-73"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-74"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>74<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It is worth noting that across all of Poland, St Nicholas is the gift giver on the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Day" title="Saint Nicholas Day">Saint Nicholas Day</a> on December 6.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection">
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://gbod-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/legacy/kintera-files/worship/2018-Music-Worship-Planning-Calendar.docx">"2018 Worship and Music Planning Calendar"</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/The_United_Methodist_Church" class="mw-redirect" title="The United Methodist Church">The United Methodist Church</a>. 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 9,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=2018+Worship+and+Music+Planning+Calendar&rft.pub=The+United+Methodist+Church&rft.date=2018&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fgbod-assets.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fkintera-files%2Fworship%2F2018-Music-Worship-Planning-Calendar.docx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSetzer2015" class="citation magazine cs1">Setzer, Ed (December 14, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/december/what-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html">"What Is Church Attendance Like During Christmastime? New Data From Lifeway Research"</a>. <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christianity_Today" title="Christianity Today">Christianity Today</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180129024022/http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/december/what-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html">Archived</a> from the original on January 29, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 9,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Christianity+Today&rft.atitle=What+Is+Church+Attendance+Like+During+Christmastime%3F+New+Data+From+Lifeway+Research&rft.date=2015-12-14&rft.aulast=Setzer&rft.aufirst=Ed&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christianitytoday.com%2Fedstetzer%2F2015%2Fdecember%2Fwhat-is-church-attendance-like-during-christmastime-new-dat.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miles, Clement A, <i>Christmas customs and traditions</i>, Courier Dover Publications, 1976, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-486-23354-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-486-23354-5">0-486-23354-5</a>, p. 272.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Heller, Ruth, <i>Christmas: Its Carols, Customs & Legends</i>, Alfred Publishing (1985), <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7692-4399-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-7692-4399-1">0-7692-4399-1</a>, p. 12.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Ace_Collins-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Ace_Collins_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Ace_Collins_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCollins,_Ace2010" class="citation book cs1">Collins, Ace (April 1, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=christmas+colors&pg=PT71"><i>Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas</i></a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Zondervan" title="Zondervan">Zondervan</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-310-87388-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-310-87388-4"><bdi>978-0-310-87388-4</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 2,</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Stories+Behind+the+Great+Traditions+of+Christmas&rft.pub=Zondervan&rft.date=2010-04-01&rft.isbn=978-0-310-87388-4&rft.au=Collins%2C+Ace&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dmo8vgZoROl8C%26q%3Dchristmas%2Bcolors%26pg%3DPT71&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Collins47-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Collins47_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Collins, Ace, <i>Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas</i>, Zondervan, (2003), <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-310-24880-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-310-24880-9">0-310-24880-9</a> p.47.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/nativitiesofworl0000webe/page/159">Internet Archive</a> Susan Topp Weber, <i>Nativities of the World</i>, Gibbs Smith, 2013</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131227041612/http://www.nuok.it/bulagna/alla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna/">"Alla scoperta dei cinque presepi più belli di Bologna | Nuok"</a>. Nuok.it. January 24, 2013. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nuok.it/bulagna/alla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna/">the original</a> on December 27, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 25,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Alla+scoperta+dei+cinque+presepi+pi%C3%B9+belli+di+Bologna+%26%23124%3B+Nuok&rft.pub=Nuok.it&rft.date=2013-01-24&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nuok.it%2Fbulagna%2Falla-scoperta-dei-cinque-presepi-piu-belli-di-bologna%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/liguria/presepi.html">"Presepi in Liguria: provincia di Genova, Tigullio -sito di Paolino"</a>. Digilander.libero.it. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022942/http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/liguria/presepi.html">Archived</a> from the original on December 27, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 25,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Presepi+in+Liguria%3A+provincia+di+Genova%2C+Tigullio+-sito+di+Paolino&rft.pub=Digilander.libero.it&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fdigilander.libero.it%2Fpaolore2%2Fliguria%2Fpresepi.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022432/http://www.carnegiemnh.org/visit/default.aspx?id=21487">"Holidays at the Museums : Carnegie Museum of Natural History"</a>. Carnegiemnh.org. November 26, 2013. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.carnegiemnh.org/visit/default.aspx?id=21487">the original</a> on December 27, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 25,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Holidays+at+the+Museums+%3A+Carnegie+Museum+of+Natural+History&rft.pub=Carnegiemnh.org&rft.date=2013-11-26&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.carnegiemnh.org%2Fvisit%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fid%3D21487&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bershad, David; Carolina Mangone, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=llTiET5oCR4C&pg=PA112&dq=neapolitan+nativity+scene"><i>The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy</i></a>, Zondervan, 2001.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.today/20120914075253/http://www.simplytreasures.com/t-about-nativity.aspx">"The Provençal Nativity Scene"</a>. Simplytreasures.com. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.simplytreasures.com/t-about-nativity.aspx">the original</a> on September 14, 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 25,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Proven%C3%A7al+Nativity+Scene&rft.pub=Simplytreasures.com&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplytreasures.com%2Ft-about-nativity.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Seaburg, Carl, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=dLB-UkN5UHYC&pg=PT30&dq=living+nativity+scenes+sicily"><i>Celebrating Christmas: An Anthology</i></a>, iUniverse, 2003.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Bowler, Gerry, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=WGaVZ6fEjjsC&pg=PT478&dq=living+nativity+scenes+sicily"><i>The World Encyclopedia of Christmas</i></a>, Random House LLC, 2012.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCarol_King2012" class="citation web cs1">Carol King (December 24, 2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/christmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily">"A Christmas Living Nativity Scene in Sicily"</a>. <i>Italy Magazine</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131226023729/http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/christmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily">Archived</a> from the original on December 26, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 25,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Italy+Magazine&rft.atitle=A+Christmas+Living+Nativity+Scene+in+Sicily&rft.date=2012-12-24&rft.au=Carol+King&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.italymagazine.com%2Ffeatured-story%2Fchristmas-living-nativity-scene-sicily&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Collins83-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Collins83_17-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Collins p. 83.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSenn2012" class="citation book cs1">Senn, Frank C. (2012). <i>Introduction to Christian Liturgy</i>. Fortress Press. p. 118. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781451424331" title="Special:BookSources/9781451424331"><bdi>9781451424331</bdi></a>. <q>The Christmas tree as we know it seemed to emerge in Lutheran lands in Germany in the sixteenth century. Although no specific city or town has been identified as the first to have a Christmas tree, records for the Cathedral of Strassburg indicate that a Christmas tree was set up in that church in 1539 during Martin Bucer's superintendency.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Introduction+to+Christian+Liturgy&rft.pages=118&rft.pub=Fortress+Press&rft.date=2012&rft.isbn=9781451424331&rft.aulast=Senn&rft.aufirst=Frank+C.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation journal cs1 cs1-prop-long-vol">"The Christmas Tree". <i>Lutheran Spokesman</i>. 29–32. 1936. <q>The Christmas tree became a widespread custom among German Lutherans by the eighteenth century.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Lutheran+Spokesman&rft.atitle=The+Christmas+Tree&rft.volume=29%E2%80%9332&rft.date=1936&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Kelly2010-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Kelly2010_20-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKelly2010" class="citation book cs1">Kelly, Joseph F. (2010). <i>The Feast of Christmas</i>. Liturgical Press. p. 94. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780814639320" title="Special:BookSources/9780814639320"><bdi>9780814639320</bdi></a>. <q>German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them; the Moravians put lighted candles on those trees.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Feast+of+Christmas&rft.pages=94&rft.pub=Liturgical+Press&rft.date=2010&rft.isbn=9780814639320&rft.aulast=Kelly&rft.aufirst=Joseph+F.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Blainey2013-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Blainey2013_21-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBlainey2013" class="citation book cs1">Blainey, Geoffrey (October 24, 2013). <i>A Short History of Christianity</i>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rowman_%26_Littlefield_Publishers" class="mw-redirect" title="Rowman & Littlefield Publishers">Rowman & Littlefield Publishers</a>. p. 418. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781442225909" title="Special:BookSources/9781442225909"><bdi>9781442225909</bdi></a>. <q>Many Lutherans continued to set up a small fir tree as their Christmas tree, and it must have been a seasonal sight in Bach's Leipzig at a time when it was virtually unknown in England, and little known in those farmlands of North America where Lutheran immigrants congregated.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+Short+History+of+Christianity&rft.pages=418&rft.pub=Rowman+%26+Littlefield+Publishers&rft.date=2013-10-24&rft.isbn=9781442225909&rft.aulast=Blainey&rft.aufirst=Geoffrey&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Mandryk2005-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Mandryk2005_22-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMandryk2005" class="citation book cs1">Mandryk, DeeAnn (October 25, 2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/canadianchristma0000mand/page/67"><i>Canadian Christmas Traditions</i></a>. James Lorimer & Company. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/canadianchristma0000mand/page/67">67</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781554390984" title="Special:BookSources/9781554390984"><bdi>9781554390984</bdi></a>. <q>The eight-pointed star became a popular manufactured Christmas ornament around the 1840s and many people place a star on the top of their Christmas tree to represent the Star of Bethlehem.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Canadian+Christmas+Traditions&rft.pages=67&rft.pub=James+Lorimer+%26+Company&rft.date=2005-10-25&rft.isbn=9781554390984&rft.aulast=Mandryk&rft.aufirst=DeeAnn&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcanadianchristma0000mand%2Fpage%2F67&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWells1897" class="citation journal cs1">Wells, Dorothy (1897). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ePc9AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA697">"Christmas in Other Lands"</a>. <i>The School Journal</i>. <b>55</b>: 697–8. <q>Christmas is the occasional of family reunions. Grandmother always has the place of honor. As the time approaches for enjoying the tree, she gathers her grandchildren about her, to tell them the story of the Christ child, with the meaning of the Christ child, with the meaning of the Christmas tree; how the evergreen is meant to represent the life everlasting, the candle lights to recall the light of the world, and the star at the top of the tree is to remind them of the star of Bethlehem.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+School+Journal&rft.atitle=Christmas+in+Other+Lands&rft.volume=55&rft.pages=697-8&rft.date=1897&rft.aulast=Wells&rft.aufirst=Dorothy&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DePc9AQAAMAAJ%26pg%3DPA697&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Jones2011-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Jones2011_24-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJones2011" class="citation book cs1">Jones, David Albert (October 27, 2011). <i>Angels</i>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a>. p. 24. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780191614910" title="Special:BookSources/9780191614910"><bdi>9780191614910</bdi></a>. <q>The same ambiguity is seen in that most familiar of angels, the angel on top of the Christmas tree. This decoration, popularized in the nineteenth century, recalls the place of the angels in the Christmas story (Luke 2.9–18).</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Angels&rft.pages=24&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2011-10-27&rft.isbn=9780191614910&rft.aulast=Jones&rft.aufirst=David+Albert&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Shaman-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Shaman_25-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Shaman_25-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">van Renterghem, Tony. <i>When Santa was a shaman.</i> St. Paul: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Llewellyn_Worldwide" title="Llewellyn Worldwide">Llewellyn Publications</a>, 1995. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-56718-765-X" title="Special:BookSources/1-56718-765-X">1-56718-765-X</a>.</span>
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<li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFritz_Allhoff,_Scott_C._Lowe2010" class="citation book cs1">Fritz Allhoff, Scott C. Lowe (2010). <i>Christmas</i>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/John_Wiley_%26_Sons" class="mw-redirect" title="John Wiley & Sons">John Wiley & Sons</a>. <q>His biographer, Eddius Stephanus, relates that while Boniface was serving as a missionary near Geismar, Germany, he had enough of the locals' reverence for the old gods. Taking an axe to an oak tree dedicated to Norse god Thor, Boniface chopped the tree down and dared Thor to zap him for it. When nothing happened, Boniface pointed out a young fir tree amid the roots of the oak and explained how this tree was a more fitting object of reverence as it pointed towards the Christian heaven and its triangular shape was reminiscent of the Christian trinity.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Christmas&rft.pub=John+Wiley+%26+Sons&rft.date=2010&rft.au=Fritz+Allhoff%2C+Scott+C.+Lowe&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Harper-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Harper_27-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Harper_27-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Harper, Douglas, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ">Christ</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060509183911/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Christ">Archived</a> May 9, 2006, at the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, <i>Online Etymology Dictionary</i>, 2001.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Christmas_Archives-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Christmas_Archives_28-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071221113003/http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html">"The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree"</a>. The Christmas Archives. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html">the original</a> on December 21, 2007<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 18,</span> 2007</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Chronological+History+of+the+Christmas+Tree&rft.pub=The+Christmas+Archives&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.christmasarchives.com%2Ftrees.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Fashion_Era-_Christmas-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Fashion_Era-_Christmas_29-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm">"Christmas Tradition – The Christmas Tree Custom"</a>. Fashion Era. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071218110944/http://www.fashion-era.com/Christmas/christmas_customs_tree_history.htm">Archived</a> from the original on December 18, 2007<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 18,</span> 2007</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Christmas+Tradition+%E2%80%93+The+Christmas+Tree+Custom&rft.pub=Fashion+Era&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fashion-era.com%2FChristmas%2Fchristmas_customs_tree_history.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Lejeune,_Marie_Claire_p.550-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Lejeune,_Marie_Claire_p.550_30-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lejeune, <i>Marie Claire</i>. <i>Compendium of symbolic and ritual plants in Europe</i>, p.550. University of Michigan <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/90-77135-04-9" title="Special:BookSources/90-77135-04-9">90-77135-04-9</a>.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Shoemaker-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Shoemaker_31-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Shoemaker, Alfred Lewis. (1959) <i>Christmas in Pennsylvania: a folk-cultural study.</i> Edition 40. pp. 52, 53. Stackpole Books 1999. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8117-0328-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-8117-0328-2">0-8117-0328-2</a>.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Hewitson2013-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Hewitson2013_32-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHewitson2013" class="citation book cs1">Hewitson, Carolyn (2013). <i>Festivals</i>. Routledge. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781135057060" title="Special:BookSources/9781135057060"><bdi>9781135057060</bdi></a>. <q>It is said to resemble the star of Bethlehem. The Mexicans call it the flower of the Holy Night, but usually it is called poinsettia after the man who introduced it to America, Dr Joel Poinsett.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Festivals&rft.pub=Routledge&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=9781135057060&rft.aulast=Hewitson&rft.aufirst=Carolyn&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html">"The Legends and Traditions of Holiday Plants"</a>. <i>www.ipm.iastate.edu</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160122071614/http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/12-8-1995/trad.html">Archived</a> from the original on January 22, 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 17,</span> 2016</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.ipm.iastate.edu&rft.atitle=The+Legends+and+Traditions+of+Holiday+Plants&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ipm.iastate.edu%2Fipm%2Fhortnews%2F1995%2F12-8-1995%2Ftrad.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/traditions/">"Mistletoe Traditions"</a>. The Mistletoe Pages. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171225041045/http://mistletoe.org.uk/homewp/index.php/traditions/">Archived</a> from the original on December 25, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 24,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Mistletoe+Traditions&rft.pub=The+Mistletoe+Pages&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fmistletoe.org.uk%2Fhomewp%2Findex.php%2Ftraditions%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1173">"Liturgical Year : Symbolic Lights and Fires of Christmas (Activity)"</a>. Catholic Culture. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120113131615/http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1173">Archived</a> from the original on January 13, 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 10,</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Liturgical+Year+%3A+Symbolic+Lights+and+Fires+of+Christmas+%28Activity%29&rft.pub=Catholic+Culture&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicculture.org%2Fculture%2Fliturgicalyear%2Factivities%2Fview.cfm%3Fid%3D1173&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Murray, Brian. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/christmaslights.pdf">"Christmas lights and community building in America,"</a> <i>History Matters</i>, Spring 2006. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100629182754/http://www.historymatters.appstate.edu/documents/christmaslights.pdf">Archived</a> June 29, 2010, at the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Osborne2020-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Osborne2020_37-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFOsborne2020" class="citation book cs1">Osborne, John (31 May 2020). <i>Rome in the Eighth Century: A History in Art</i>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cambridge_University_Press" title="Cambridge University Press">Cambridge University Press</a>. p. 31. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-108-87372-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-108-87372-7"><bdi>978-1-108-87372-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Rome+in+the+Eighth+Century%3A+A+History+in+Art&rft.pages=31&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2020-05-31&rft.isbn=978-1-108-87372-7&rft.aulast=Osborne&rft.aufirst=John&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Tuleja1999-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Tuleja1999_38-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTuleja1999" class="citation book cs1">Tuleja, Thaddeus F. (1999). <i>Curious Customs: The Stories Behind More Than 300 Popular American Rituals</i>. BBS Publishing Corporation. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-57866-070-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-57866-070-4"><bdi>978-1-57866-070-4</bdi></a>. <q>Francis Weiser (1952) says that the first known depiction of the nativity scene, found in the catacombs of Rome, dates from AD 380.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Curious+Customs%3A+The+Stories+Behind+More+Than+300+Popular+American+Rituals&rft.pub=BBS+Publishing+Corporation&rft.date=1999&rft.isbn=978-1-57866-070-4&rft.aulast=Tuleja&rft.aufirst=Thaddeus+F.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Collins2010-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Collins2010_39-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Collins2010_39-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Collins2010_39-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Collins2010_39-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Collins2010_39-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCollins2010" class="citation book cs1">Collins, Ace (2010). <i>Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas</i>. Zondervan. pp. 139–141. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780310873884" title="Special:BookSources/9780310873884"><bdi>9780310873884</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Stories+Behind+the+Great+Traditions+of+Christmas&rft.pages=139-141&rft.pub=Zondervan&rft.date=2010&rft.isbn=9780310873884&rft.aulast=Collins&rft.aufirst=Ace&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-aquinasandmore.com-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-aquinasandmore.com_40-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-aquinasandmore.com_40-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032902/http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-tradition-of-midnight-mass/article/119">"The Tradition of Midnight Mass"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-articles/the-tradition-of-midnight-mass/article/119">the original</a> on 2017-12-01<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-12-21</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Tradition+of+Midnight+Mass&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aquinasandmore.com%2Fcatholic-articles%2Fthe-tradition-of-midnight-mass%2Farticle%2F119&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-41">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miles, Clement, <i>Christmas customs and traditions</i>, Courier Dover Publications, 1976, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-486-23354-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-486-23354-5">0-486-23354-5</a>, p. 32.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miles, pp. 31–37.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Miles, pp. 47–48.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDudley-Smith1987" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Timothy_Dudley-Smith" title="Timothy Dudley-Smith">Dudley-Smith, Timothy</a> (1987). <i>A Flame of Love</i>. London: Triangle/SPCK. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-281-04300-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-281-04300-2"><bdi>978-0-281-04300-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+Flame+of+Love&rft.place=London&rft.pub=Triangle%2FSPCK&rft.date=1987&rft.isbn=978-0-281-04300-2&rft.aulast=Dudley-Smith&rft.aufirst=Timothy&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-45">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard Michael Kelly. <i>A Christmas Carol</i>, Broadview Press, 2003, p. 10. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55111-476-3" title="Special:BookSources/1-55111-476-3">1-55111-476-3</a>.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Broomfield, Andrea (2007), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ_JDp9OgJEC&pg=PA149&dq=christmas+pudding+england"><i>Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History</i></a>, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, pp. 149–150.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Muir, Frank (1977), <i>Christmas customs & traditions</i>, Taplinger Pub. Co., 1977, p. 58.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120122070634/http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html">"Imbuljuta"</a>. Schoolnet.gov.mt. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://schoolnet.gov.mt/HelloEurope/activities/recepies/imbuljuta.html">the original</a> on January 22, 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 3,</span> 2012</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Imbuljuta&rft.pub=Schoolnet.gov.mt&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolnet.gov.mt%2FHelloEurope%2Factivities%2Frecepies%2Fimbuljuta.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-49">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.madote.com/2016/01/christmas-in-eritrea.html">"Christmas in Eritrea"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Christmas+in+Eritrea&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.madote.com%2F2016%2F01%2Fchristmas-in-eritrea.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ansa.it/canale_terraegusto/notizie/prodotti_tipici/2017/12/04/negli-usa-tutti-pazzi-per-il-panettone-e-boom-vendite_b653dfb9-ec37-43c9-99bd-345a4abf1af0.html">"Negli Usa tutti pazzi per il panettone, è boom vendite"</a>. <i>Ansa</i> (in Italian). 4 December 2017.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Ansa&rft.atitle=Negli+Usa+tutti+pazzi+per+il+panettone%2C+%C3%A8+boom+vendite&rft.date=2017-12-04&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ansa.it%2Fcanale_terraegusto%2Fnotizie%2Fprodotti_tipici%2F2017%2F12%2F04%2Fnegli-usa-tutti-pazzi-per-il-panettone-e-boom-vendite_b653dfb9-ec37-43c9-99bd-345a4abf1af0.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1679110.stm">"Christmas card sold for record price"</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060205200933/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1679110.stm">Archived</a> February 5, 2006, at the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, BBC News. Retrieved October 28, 2011.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCollins,_Ace2010" class="citation book cs1">Collins, Ace (April 20, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=giving+gifts+wise+men&pg=PT88"><i>Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas</i></a>. Zondervan. p. 17. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780310873884" title="Special:BookSources/9780310873884"><bdi>9780310873884</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 10,</span> 2012</span>. <q>The legend of St. Nicholas, who became the bishop of Myra in the beginning of the fourth century, is the next link in the Christmas-gift chain. Legend has it that the priest rode across Asia Minor during his life, bestowing gifts upon poor children.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Stories+Behind+the+Great+Traditions+of+Christmas&rft.pages=17&rft.pub=Zondervan&rft.date=2010-04-20&rft.isbn=9780310873884&rft.au=Collins%2C+Ace&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dmo8vgZoROl8C%26q%3Dgiving%2Bgifts%2Bwise%2Bmen%26pg%3DPT88&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTrexler1997" class="citation book cs1">Trexler, Richard (May 23, 1997). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=YLmhCHtydKMC&pg=PA17"><i>The Journey of the Magi: Meanings in History of a Christian Story</i></a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Princeton_University_Press" title="Princeton University Press">Princeton University Press</a>. p. 17. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0691011264" title="Special:BookSources/978-0691011264"><bdi>978-0691011264</bdi></a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223014/https://books.google.com/books?id=YLmhCHtydKMC&pg=PA17">Archived</a> from the original on December 31, 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 10,</span> 2012</span>. <q>This exchange network of ceremonial welcome was mirrored in a second reciprocity allowing early Christians to imagine their own magi: the phenomenon of giving gifts.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Journey+of+the+Magi%3A+Meanings+in+History+of+a+Christian+Story&rft.pages=17&rft.pub=Princeton+University+Press&rft.date=1997-05-23&rft.isbn=978-0691011264&rft.aulast=Trexler&rft.aufirst=Richard&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DYLmhCHtydKMC%26pg%3DPA17&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-54">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCollins,_Ace2010" class="citation book cs1">Collins, Ace (April 20, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=mo8vgZoROl8C&q=giving+gifts+wise+men&pg=PT88"><i>Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas</i></a>. Zondervan. p. 17. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780310873884" title="Special:BookSources/9780310873884"><bdi>9780310873884</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 10,</span> 2012</span>. <q>Most people today trace the practice of giving gifts on Christmas Day to the three gifts that the Magi gave to Jesus.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Stories+Behind+the+Great+Traditions+of+Christmas&rft.pages=17&rft.pub=Zondervan&rft.date=2010-04-20&rft.isbn=9780310873884&rft.au=Collins%2C+Ace&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dmo8vgZoROl8C%26q%3Dgiving%2Bgifts%2Bwise%2Bmen%26pg%3DPT88&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Berking1999-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Berking1999_55-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBerking1999" class="citation book cs1">Berking, Helmuth (March 30, 1999). <i>Sociology of Giving</i>. SAGE Publications. p. 14. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85702-613-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-85702-613-2"><bdi>978-0-85702-613-2</bdi></a>. <q>For the Enlightenment educationalist, gift-giving turned out to be a relic of a pagan custom, namely, the Roman Saturnalia. After the introduction of the Julian calendar in Rome, the 25th of December became the day of <i>Sol invictus</i> when people greeted the winter solstice. It was the day of the Sun's rebirth, and it was the day of the Christmas festivities – although it was only in the year 336 AD that it appears to have become established as the day of Jesus's birth (see Pannenberg 1989: 57). The Eastern Church adopted this date even later, towards the end of the 4th century, having previously regarded the 6th of January as the day of gift-giving, as it still is in the Italian community of Befana. The winter solstice was a time of festivity in every traditional culture, and the Christian Christmas probably took its place within this mythical context of the solar cult. Its core dogma of the Incarnation, however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event. 'Children were given presents as the Jesus child received gifts from the magi or kings who came from afar to adore him. But in reality it was they, together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life' (ibid.: 61).</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Sociology+of+Giving&rft.pages=14&rft.pub=SAGE+Publications&rft.date=1999-03-30&rft.isbn=978-0-85702-613-2&rft.aulast=Berking&rft.aufirst=Helmuth&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-SewardLal2006-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-SewardLal2006_56-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSewardLal2006" class="citation book cs1">Seward, Pat; Lal, Sunandini Arora (2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/netherlands0000sewa/page/116"><i>Netherlands</i></a>. Marshall Cavendish. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/netherlands0000sewa/page/116">116</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7614-2052-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-7614-2052-1"><bdi>978-0-7614-2052-1</bdi></a>. <q>Until quite recently, the celebrations focused solely on Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas (SIN-ter-klahs), as the Dutch call him. ... Interestingly, the American Santa Claus was born out of the Dutch Sinterklaas.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Netherlands&rft.pages=116&rft.pub=Marshall+Cavendish&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=978-0-7614-2052-1&rft.aulast=Seward&rft.aufirst=Pat&rft.au=Lal%2C+Sunandini+Arora&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fnetherlands0000sewa%2Fpage%2F116&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-57">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDomenico,_Roy_Palmer2002" class="citation book cs1">Domenico, Roy Palmer (2002). <span class="id-lock-limited" title="Free access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/regionsitalyrefe00dome"><i>The regions of Italy: a reference guide to history and culture</i></a></span>. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/regionsitalyrefe00dome/page/n36">21</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-313-30733-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-313-30733-1"><bdi>978-0-313-30733-1</bdi></a>. <q>Saint Nicholas (Bishop of Myra) replaced Sabino as the patron saint of the city... A Greek from what is now Turkey, he lived in the early fourth century.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+regions+of+Italy%3A+a+reference+guide+to+history+and+culture&rft.pages=21&rft.pub=Greenwood+Publishing+Group&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=978-0-313-30733-1&rft.au=Domenico%2C+Roy+Palmer&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fregionsitalyrefe00dome&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Collins,_Ace_2009_121-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Collins,_Ace_2009_121_58-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCollins,_Ace2009" class="citation book cs1">Collins, Ace (2009). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindmen0000coll"><i>Stories Behind Men of Faith</i></a></span>. Zondervan. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/storiesbehindmen0000coll/page/121">121</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-310-56456-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-310-56456-0"><bdi>978-0-310-56456-0</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 20,</span> 2015</span>. <q>Nicholas was born in the Greek city of Patara around 270 AD. The son of a businessman named Theophanes and his wife, Nonna, the child's earliest years were spent in Myra... As a port on the Mediterranean Sea, in the middle of the sea lanes that linked Egypt, Greece and Rome, Myra was a destination for traders, fishermen, and merchant sailors. Spawned by the spirit of both the city's Greek heritage and the ruling Roman government, cultural endeavours such as art, drama, and music were mainstays of everyday life.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Stories+Behind+Men+of+Faith&rft.pages=121&rft.pub=Zondervan&rft.date=2009&rft.isbn=978-0-310-56456-0&rft.au=Collins%2C+Ace&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fstoriesbehindmen0000coll&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-ADS-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-ADS_59-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-ADS_59-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Forbes, Bruce David, <i>Christmas: a candid history</i>, University of California Press, 2007, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-520-25104-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-520-25104-0">0-520-25104-0</a>, pp. 68–79.</span>
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<li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJona_Lendering2008" class="citation web cs1">Jona Lendering (November 20, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra3.html#New">"Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Santa Claus"</a>. Livius.org. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110513114942/https://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra3.html#New">Archived</a> from the original on May 13, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 24,</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Saint+Nicholas%2C+Sinterklaas%2C+Santa+Claus&rft.pub=Livius.org&rft.date=2008-11-20&rft.au=Jona+Lendering&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livius.org%2Fne-nn%2Fnicholas%2Fnicholas_of_myra3.html%23New&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-61">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/John_Steele_Gordon" title="John Steele Gordon">John Steele Gordon</a>, <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/The_Great_Game:_The_Emergence_of_Wall_Street_as_a_World_Power:_1653%E2%80%932000" class="mw-redirect" title="The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653–2000">The Great Game: The Emergence of Wall Street as a World Power: 1653–2000</a></i> (Scribner), 1999.</span>
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<li id="cite_note-62"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-62">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Forbes, Bruce David, <i>Christmas: A Candid History</i>, pp. 80–81.</span>
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<li id="cite_note-Mikkelson-63"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Mikkelson_63-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Mikkelson, Barbara and David P., <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp">"The Claus That Refreshes"</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20051201022555/http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp">Archived</a> December 1, 2005, at <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Archive-It" class="mw-redirect" title="Archive-It">Archive-It</a>, Snopes.com, 2006.</span>
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<li id="cite_note-tws2NovV111-64"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-tws2NovV111_64-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWin_Rosenfeld2007" class="citation news cs1">Win Rosenfeld (December 25, 2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/12/americas_next_top_santa_1.html">"America's Next Top Santa"</a>. NPR. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131225170105/http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/12/americas_next_top_santa_1.html">Archived</a> from the original on December 25, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">November 22,</span> 2012</span>. <q>Father Christmas – but this Santa also goes by the name Jonathan Meath....</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=America%27s+Next+Top+Santa&rft.date=2007-12-25&rft.au=Win+Rosenfeld&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fblogs%2Fbryantpark%2F2007%2F12%2Famericas_next_top_santa_1.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-tws2NovV222-65"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-tws2NovV222_65-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMary_Ann_Georgantopoulos2007" class="citation news cs1">Mary Ann Georgantopoulos (December 25, 2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/23/miracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously/">"Miracle on Mass. Ave.: City Santa takes suit seriously"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131225165438/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/12/23/miracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously/">Archived</a> from the original on December 25, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">November 22,</span> 2012</span>. <q>Meath, who is in his first year of being a full-time Santa, makes appearances around Massachusetts at places such as Swing City in Newton....</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=Miracle+on+Mass.+Ave.%3A+City+Santa+takes+suit+seriously&rft.date=2007-12-25&rft.au=Mary+Ann+Georgantopoulos&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmassachusetts%2Farticles%2F2007%2F12%2F23%2Fmiracle_on_mass_ave_city_santa_takes_suit_seriously%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-66"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-66">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Jolanda Colombini Monti, <i>Lettere a Gesù Bambino</i>, Editrice Piccoli, 1950.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-67"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-67">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.saintnicholassociety.org/history.htm">"History of the Society"</a>. <i>The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090106142124/http://www.saintnicholassociety.org/history.htm">Archived</a> from the original on January 6, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 5,</span> 2008</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Saint+Nicholas+Society+of+the+City+of+New+York&rft.atitle=History+of+the+Society&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saintnicholassociety.org%2Fhistory.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-68"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-68">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJones" class="citation news cs1">Jones, Charles W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus". <i>The New-York Historical Society Quarterly</i>. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 4.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New-York+Historical+Society+Quarterly&rft.atitle=Knickerbocker+Santa+Claus&rft.volume=XXXVIII&rft.issue=4&rft.aulast=Jones&rft.aufirst=Charles+W.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-69"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-69">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Jones, Charles W., <i>Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend</i> (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978).</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-70"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-70">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHageman1979" class="citation news cs1">Hageman, Howard G. (1979). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081207061529/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm">"Review of <i>Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend</i>"</a>. <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Theology_Today" title="Theology Today">Theology Today</a></i>. Vol. 36, no. 3. Princeton: Princeton Theological Seminary. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-bookreview15.htm">the original</a> on December 7, 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 5,</span> 2008</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Theology+Today&rft.atitle=Review+of+Saint+Nicholas+of+Myra%2C+Bari%2C+and+Manhattan%3A+Biography+of+a+Legend&rft.volume=36&rft.issue=3&rft.date=1979&rft.aulast=Hageman&rft.aufirst=Howard+G.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftheologytoday.ptsem.edu%2Foct1979%2Fv36-3-bookreview15.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-71"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-71">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120112035451/http://www.skiathosbooks.com/saints_basil.htm">"St. Basil (330–379)"</a>. Skiathosbooks.com. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.skiathosbooks.com/saints_basil.htm">the original</a> on January 12, 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 3,</span> 2012</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=St.+Basil+%28330%E2%80%93379%29&rft.pub=Skiathosbooks.com&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skiathosbooks.com%2Fsaints_basil.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-72"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-72">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Matera, Mariane. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.citybeat.com/archives/1996/issue304/cover1.html">"Santa: The First Great Lie"</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070914195318/http://citybeat.com/archives/1996/issue304/cover1.html">Archived</a> September 14, 2007, at the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, <i>Citybeat</i>, Issue 304.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-73"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-73">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://bezprawnik.pl/kto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor/">"Kto przynosi Wam prezenty? Św. Mikołaj, Gwiazdor, Aniołek, Dzieciątko czy może Dziadek Mróz?"</a>. <i>Bezprawnik</i> (in Polish). December 22, 2016. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171224213716/https://bezprawnik.pl/kto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor/">Archived</a> from the original on December 24, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 24,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Bezprawnik&rft.atitle=Kto+przynosi+Wam+prezenty%3F+%C5%9Aw.+Miko%C5%82aj%2C+Gwiazdor%2C+Anio%C5%82ek%2C+Dzieci%C4%85tko+czy+mo%C5%BCe+Dziadek+Mr%C3%B3z%3F&rft.date=2016-12-22&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbezprawnik.pl%2Fkto-przynosi-prezenty-mikolaj-gwiazdor%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-74"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-74">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114871,19380983,nie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html">"Nie tylko Mikołaj, czyli kto według tradycji rozdaje prezenty w różnych regionach Polski?"</a>. <i>gazeta.pl</i> (in Polish). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171224213619/http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114871,19380983,nie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html">Archived</a> from the original on December 24, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 24,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=gazeta.pl&rft.atitle=Nie+tylko+Miko%C5%82aj%2C+czyli+kto+wed%C5%82ug+tradycji+rozdaje+prezenty+w+r%C3%B3%C5%BCnych+regionach+Polski%3F&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwiadomosci.gazeta.pl%2Fwiadomosci%2F1%2C114871%2C19380983%2Cnie-tylko-mikolaj-czyli-kto-wedlug-tradycji-rozdaje-prezenty.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AChristmas+traditions" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
</ol></div></div>
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color:white"><div>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Blue_Christmas_(holiday)" title="Blue Christmas (holiday)"><span style="color:white">Blue Christmas</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boxing_Day" title="Boxing Day"><span style="color:white">Boxing Day</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Children%27s_Day" title="Children's Day"><span style="color:white">Children's Day</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Eve" title="Christmas Eve"><span style="color:white">Christmas Eve</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_Day" title="Saint Nicholas Day"><span style="color:white">Saint Nicholas Day</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Stephen%27s_Day" title="Saint Stephen's Day"><span style="color:white">Saint Stephen's Day</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sol_Invictus" title="Sol Invictus"><span style="color:white">Sol Invictus</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule" title="Yule"><span style="color:white">Yule</span></a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%">In<br />Christianity</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">Biblical Magi</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi" title="Adoration of the Magi">Adoration of the Magi</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Shepherds" title="Adoration of the Shepherds">Adoration of the Shepherds</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent" title="Advent">Advent</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gabriel" title="Gabriel">Angel Gabriel</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Annunciation" title="Annunciation">Annunciation</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Annunciation_to_the_shepherds" title="Annunciation to the shepherds">Annunciation to the shepherds</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Baptism_of_the_Lord" class="mw-redirect" title="Baptism of the Lord">Baptism of the Lord</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bethlehem" title="Bethlehem">Bethlehem</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmastide" title="Christmastide">Christmastide</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)" title="Epiphany (holiday)">Epiphany</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Herod_the_Great" title="Herod the Great">Herod the Great</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jesus" title="Jesus">Jesus</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Joseph" title="Saint Joseph">Joseph</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mary,_mother_of_Jesus" title="Mary, mother of Jesus">Mary</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents" title="Massacre of the Innocents">Massacre of the Innocents</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Flight_into_Egypt" title="Flight into Egypt">flight into Egypt</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_Fast" title="Nativity Fast">Nativity Fast</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus" title="Nativity of Jesus">Nativity of Jesus</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus_in_art" title="Nativity of Jesus in art">in art</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus_in_later_culture" title="Nativity of Jesus in later culture">in later culture</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nativity_scene" title="Nativity scene">Nativity scene</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Neapolitan_nativity_scene" title="Neapolitan nativity scene">Neapolitan</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem" title="Star of Bethlehem">Star of Bethlehem</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Twelfth_Night_(holiday)" title="Twelfth Night (holiday)">Twelfth Night</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">In <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Folklore" title="Folklore"><span style="color:white">folklore</span></a></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Badalisc" title="Badalisc">Badalisc</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Caganer" title="Caganer">Caganer</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christkind" title="Christkind">Christkind</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gr%C3%BDla" title="Grýla">Grýla</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jack_Frost" title="Jack Frost">Jack Frost</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Korvatunturi" title="Korvatunturi">Korvatunturi</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Kallikantzaros" title="Kallikantzaros">Kallikantzaros</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Legend_of_the_Christmas_Spider" title="Legend of the Christmas Spider">Legend of the Christmas Spider</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mari_Lwyd" title="Mari Lwyd">Mari Lwyd</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Miner%27s_figure" title="Miner's figure">Miner's figure</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nisse_(folklore)" title="Nisse (folklore)">Nisse</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/North_Pole" title="North Pole">North Pole</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Old_Man_Winter" title="Old Man Winter">Old Man Winter</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Perchta" title="Perchta">Perchta</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa%27s_workshop" title="Santa's workshop">Santa's workshop</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ti%C3%B3_de_Nadal" title="Tió de Nadal">Tió de Nadal</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Turo%C5%84" title="Turoń">Turoń</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Vertep" title="Vertep">Vertep</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia" title="Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia">Wenceslaus</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_cat" title="Yule cat">Yule cat</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_Lads" class="mw-redirect" title="Yule Lads">Yule Lads</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_gift-bringer" title="Christmas gift-bringer"><span style="color:white">Gift-bringers</span></a></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas" title="Saint Nicholas">Saint Nicholas</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Saint_Nicholas_(European_folklore)" title="Saint Nicholas (European folklore)">folklore</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus" title="Santa Claus">Santa Claus</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Befana" title="Befana">Befana</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ded_Moroz" title="Ded Moroz">Ded Moroz</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Father_Christmas" title="Father Christmas">Father Christmas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Grandpa_Indian" title="Grandpa Indian">Grandpa Indian</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Joulupukki" title="Joulupukki">Joulupukki</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Julemanden" title="Julemanden">Julemanden</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Noel_Baba" title="Noel Baba">Noel Baba</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Olentzero" title="Olentzero">Olentzero</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/P%C3%A8re_No%C3%ABl" title="Père Noël">Père Noël</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sinterklaas" title="Sinterklaas">Sinterklaas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_and_winter_gift-bringers" title="List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers">Others</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas" title="Companions of Saint Nicholas"><span style="color:white">Companions of<br />Saint Nicholas</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Belsnickel" title="Belsnickel">Belsnickel</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_elf" title="Christmas elf">Elves</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Knecht_Ruprecht" title="Knecht Ruprecht">Knecht Ruprecht</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Krampus" title="Krampus">Krampus</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mrs._Claus" title="Mrs. Claus">Mrs. Claus</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Fouettard" title="Père Fouettard">Père Fouettard</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sack_Man" title="Sack Man">Sack Man</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus%27_daughter" title="Santa Claus' daughter">Santa Claus' daughter</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus%27s_reindeer" title="Santa Claus's reindeer">Santa's reindeer</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer" title="Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer">Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Snegurochka" title="Snegurochka">Snegurochka</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Zwarte_Piet" title="Zwarte Piet">Zwarte Piet</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><a class="mw-selflink selflink"><span style="color:white">Traditions</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent_calendar" title="Advent calendar">Advent calendar</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent_candle" title="Advent candle">Advent candle</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent_wreath" title="Advent wreath">Advent wreath</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boar%27s_Head_Feast" title="Boar's Head Feast">Boar's Head Feast</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Schwibbogen" title="Schwibbogen">Candle arches</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Chalking_the_door" title="Chalking the door">Chalking the door</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_card" title="Christmas card">Cards</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carols_by_Candlelight" title="Carols by Candlelight">Carols by Candlelight</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cavalcade_of_Magi" title="Cavalcade of Magi">Cavalcade of Magi</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christingle" title="Christingle">Christingle</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_jumper" title="Christmas jumper">Christmas jumper</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Peace" title="Christmas Peace">Christmas Peace</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_cracker" title="Christmas cracker">Crackers</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_decoration" title="Christmas decoration">Decorations</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Didukh" title="Didukh">Didukh</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Category:Christmas_events_and_celebrations" title="Category:Christmas events and celebrations">Events and celebrations</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Feast_of_the_Seven_Fishes" title="Feast of the Seven Fishes">Feast of the Seven Fishes</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Flying_Santa" title="Flying Santa">Flying Santa</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_gift" title="Christmas gift">Gifts</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Google_Santa_Tracker" title="Google Santa Tracker">Google Santa Tracker</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Hamper#Christmas_hamper" title="Hamper">Hampers</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Las_Posadas" title="Las Posadas">Las Posadas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Round-robin_letter" title="Round-robin letter">Letters</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_lights" title="Christmas lights">Lights</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Lord_of_Misrule" title="Lord of Misrule">Lord of Misrule</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_market" title="Christmas market">Markets</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Category:Christmas_meals_and_feasts" title="Category:Christmas meals and feasts">Meals and feasts</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Midnight_Mass" title="Midnight Mass">Midnight Mass</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Moravian_star" title="Moravian star">Moravian star</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mummer%27s_play" class="mw-redirect" title="Mummer's play">Mummer's play</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nine_Lessons_and_Carols" title="Nine Lessons and Carols">Nine Lessons and Carols</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/NORAD_Tracks_Santa" title="NORAD Tracks Santa">NORAD Tracks Santa</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nutcracker" title="Nutcracker">Nutcrackers</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nutcracker_doll" title="Nutcracker doll">dolls</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_ornament" title="Christmas ornament">Ornaments</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus_parade" title="Santa Claus parade">Parades</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_and_holiday_season_parades" title="List of Christmas and holiday season parades">list</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pi%C3%B1ata" title="Piñata">Piñatas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Poinsettia" title="Poinsettia">Poinsettia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_pyramid" title="Christmas pyramid">Pyramids</a></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/R%C3%A4uchermann" title="Räuchermann">Räuchermann</a></i></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_seal" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas seal">Seals</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Secret_Santa" title="Secret Santa">Secret Santa</a></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Spanbaum" title="Spanbaum">Spanbaum</a></i></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w_szopka" title="Kraków szopka">Szopka</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_stamp" title="Christmas stamp">Stamps</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_stocking" title="Christmas stocking">Stockings</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_tree" title="Christmas tree">Tree</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas" title="Twelve Days of Christmas">Twelve Days</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wassailing" title="Wassailing">Wassailing</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_window" title="Christmas window">Windows</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_goat" title="Yule goat">Yule goat</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_log" title="Yule log">Yule log</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Observance_of_Christmas_by_country" title="Observance of Christmas by country"><span style="color:white">By country</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Australia" title="Christmas in Australia">Australia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Colombia" title="Christmas in Colombia">Colombia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_and_Christmas_in_Denmark" title="Yule and Christmas in Denmark">Denmark</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Category:Christmas_in_England" title="Category:Christmas in England">England</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ethiopian_Christmas" title="Ethiopian Christmas">Ethiopia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Finland" title="Christmas in Finland">Finland</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_France" title="Christmas in France">France</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Weihnachten" title="Weihnachten">Germany</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Nazi_Germany" title="Christmas in Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Hungary" title="Christmas in Hungary">Hungary</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Iceland" title="Christmas in Iceland">Iceland</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Indonesia" title="Christmas in Indonesia">Indonesia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Ireland" title="Christmas in Ireland">Ireland</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Italy" title="Christmas in Italy">Italy</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Mexico" title="Christmas in Mexico">Mexico</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_New_Zealand" title="Christmas in New Zealand">New Zealand</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Norway" title="Christmas in Norway">Norway</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_the_Philippines" title="Christmas in the Philippines">Philippines</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Poland" title="Christmas in Poland">Poland</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Romania" title="Christmas in Romania">Romania</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Russia" title="Christmas in Russia">Russia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Scotland" title="Christmas in Scotland">Scotland</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Serbia" title="Christmas in Serbia">Serbia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Sweden" title="Christmas in Sweden">Sweden</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Ukraine" title="Christmas in Ukraine">Ukraine</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Category:Christmas_in_the_United_States" title="Category:Christmas in the United States">United States</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_the_American_Civil_War" title="Christmas in the American Civil War">American Civil War</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_Hawaii" title="Christmas in Hawaii">Hawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_New_Mexico" title="Christmas in New Mexico">New Mexico</a></li></ul></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_music" title="Christmas music"><span style="color:white">Music</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_carol" title="Christmas carol">Carols</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_carols" title="List of Christmas carols">list</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_operas" title="List of Christmas operas">Operas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_music" title="Christmas music">Songs</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_hit_singles_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="List of Christmas hit singles in the United Kingdom">Hit singles in the UK</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_popular_Christmas_singles_in_the_United_States" title="List of popular Christmas singles in the United States">Hit singles in the US</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Billboard_Christmas_Holiday_charts" title="Billboard Christmas Holiday charts">Music charts (<i>Billboard</i>)</a></li>
<li>Music books
<ul><li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carols_for_Choirs" title="Carols for Choirs">Carols for Choirs</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/The_Oxford_Book_of_Carols" title="The Oxford Book of Carols">The Oxford Book of Carols</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/The_New_Oxford_Book_of_Carols" title="The New Oxford Book of Carols">The New Oxford Book of Carols</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Piae_Cantiones" title="Piae Cantiones">Piae Cantiones</a></i></li></ul></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_by_medium" title="Christmas by medium"><span style="color:white">Other media</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_literature" class="mw-redirect" title="Christmas in literature">In literature</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_novels" class="mw-redirect" title="List of Christmas novels">novels</a></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol" title="A Christmas Carol">A Christmas Carol</a></i></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_films" title="List of Christmas films">Films (Christmas,</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus_in_film" title="Santa Claus in film">Santa,</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_horror" title="Christmas horror">Christmas horror</a>)</li>
<li>Poetry
<ul><li>"<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Old_Santeclaus_with_Much_Delight" title="Old Santeclaus with Much Delight">Old Santeclaus with Much Delight</a>"</li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas" title="A Visit from St. Nicholas">A Visit from St. Nicholas</a></i></li>
<li>"<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Day_in_the_Workhouse" title="Christmas Day in the Workhouse">Christmas Day in the Workhouse</a>"</li>
<li>"<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Journey_of_the_Magi" title="Journey of the Magi">Journey of the Magi</a>"</li>
<li>"<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tomten" class="mw-redirect" title="Tomten">Tomten</a>"</li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_television_specials" title="List of Christmas television specials">Christmas television specials</a>
<ul><li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_Log_(TV_program)" title="Yule Log (TV program)">Yule Log</a></i></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Apollo_8_Genesis_reading" title="Apollo 8 Genesis reading">Apollo 8 Genesis reading</a></li></ul></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%">In<br />modern<br />society</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Advent_Conspiracy" title="Advent Conspiracy">Advent Conspiracy</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Black_Friday_(partying)" title="Black Friday (partying)">Black Friday (partying)</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)" title="Black Friday (shopping)">Black Friday (shopping)</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bronner%27s_Christmas_Wonderland" title="Bronner's Christmas Wonderland">Bronner's Christmas Wonderland</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_and_holiday_season" title="Christmas and holiday season">Christmas and holiday season</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_club" title="Christmas club">Christmas club</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_creep" title="Christmas creep">Christmas creep</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Day_(Trading)_Act_2004" title="Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004">Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Royal_Institution_Christmas_Lectures" title="Royal Institution Christmas Lectures">Christmas Lectures</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Mountains" title="Christmas Mountains">Christmas Mountains</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_seals" title="Christmas seals">Christmas seals</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_truce" title="Christmas truce">Christmas truce</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_controversies" title="Christmas controversies">Controversies</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cyber_Monday" title="Cyber Monday">Cyber Monday</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Economics_of_Christmas" title="Economics of Christmas">Economics</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Giving_Tuesday" class="mw-redirect" title="Giving Tuesday">Giving Tuesday</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Grinch" title="Grinch">Grinch</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Spanish_Christmas_Lottery" title="Spanish Christmas Lottery">El Gordo</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jews_and_Christmas" title="Jews and Christmas">Jews and Christmas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_July" title="Christmas in July">In July</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_in_August_(Yellowstone)" title="Christmas in August (Yellowstone)">In August</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/NBA_Christmas_games" title="NBA Christmas games">NBA games</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/NFL_on_Christmas_Day" title="NFL on Christmas Day">NFL games</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pikkujoulu" title="Pikkujoulu">Pikkujoulu</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/SantaCon" title="SantaCon">SantaCon</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa%27s_Candy_Castle" title="Santa's Candy Castle">Santa's Candy Castle</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Santa_Claus_Village" title="Santa Claus Village">Santa Claus Village</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ebenezer_Scrooge" title="Ebenezer Scrooge">Scrooge</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Small_Business_Saturday" title="Small Business Saturday">Small Business Saturday</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Super_Saturday" title="Super Saturday">Super Saturday</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_jumper" title="Christmas jumper">Ugly sweaters</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Virginia_O%27Hanlon" title="Virginia O'Hanlon">Virginia O'Hanlon</a> ("<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus" title="Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus">Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus</a>")</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/White_Christmas_(weather)" title="White Christmas (weather)">White Christmas</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_multinational_festivals_and_holidays" title="List of multinational festivals and holidays">Winter festivals</a></li>
<li><i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/WWE_Tribute_to_the_Troops" title="WWE Tribute to the Troops">WWE Tribute to the Troops</a></i></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Xmas" title="Xmas">Xmas</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:1%"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/List_of_Christmas_dishes" title="List of Christmas dishes"><span style="color:white">Food and<br />drink</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_dinner" title="Christmas dinner"><span style="color:white">Dinner</span></a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Joulup%C3%B6yt%C3%A4" title="Joulupöytä">Joulupöytä</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Julebord" title="Julebord">Julebord</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/K%C5%AB%C4%8Dios" title="Kūčios">Kūčios</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/R%C3%A9veillon" title="Réveillon">Réveillon</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Thirteen_desserts" title="Thirteen desserts">Thirteen desserts</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Twelve-dish_Christmas_Eve_supper" title="Twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper">Twelve-dish supper</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord" class="mw-redirect" title="Smörgåsbord">Smörgåsbord</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Wigilia" title="Wigilia">Wigilia</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em">Sweets</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Baked_Alaska" title="Baked Alaska">Baked Alaska</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Candy_cane" title="Candy cane">Candy cane</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_cake" title="Christmas cake">Cake</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_cookie" title="Christmas cookie">Cookie</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cozonac" title="Cozonac">Cozonac</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fruitcake" title="Fruitcake">Fruitcake</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gingerbread" title="Gingerbread">Gingerbread</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Kutia" title="Kutia">Kutia</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mak%C3%B3wki" title="Makówki">Makówki</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Melomakarono" title="Melomakarono">Melomakarono</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mince_pie" title="Mince pie">Mince pie</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pampushka" title="Pampushka">Pampushka</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Panettone" title="Panettone">Panettone</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pavlova_(cake)" class="mw-redirect" title="Pavlova (cake)">Pavlova</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pecan_pie" title="Pecan pie">Pecan pie</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Poppy_seed_roll" title="Poppy seed roll">Poppy seed roll</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_pudding" title="Christmas pudding">Pudding</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pumpkin_pie" title="Pumpkin pie">Pumpkin pie</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Qurabiya" title="Qurabiya">Qurabiya</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Red_velvet_cake" title="Red velvet cake">Red velvet cake</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sugar_plum" title="Sugar plum">Sugar plum</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stollen" title="Stollen">Stollen</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Szaloncukor" title="Szaloncukor">Szaloncukor</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Turr%C3%B3n" title="Turrón">Turrón</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Yule_log_(cake)" title="Yule log (cake)">Yule log</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em">Soup</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Menudo_(soup)" title="Menudo (soup)">Menudo</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Borscht" title="Borscht">Borscht</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em">Sauces</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bread_sauce" title="Bread sauce">Bread sauce</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cranberry_sauce" title="Cranberry sauce">Cranberry sauce</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Redcurrant_sauce" title="Redcurrant sauce">Redcurrant sauce</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em">Beverages</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Apple_cider" title="Apple cider">Apple cider</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Champurrado" title="Champurrado">Champurrado</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Eggnog" title="Eggnog">Eggnog</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Hot_chocolate" title="Hot chocolate">Hot chocolate</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Kissel" title="Kissel">Kissel</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mulled_wine" title="Mulled wine">Mulled wine</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Smoking_Bishop" class="mw-redirect" title="Smoking Bishop">Smoking Bishop</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ponche_crema" title="Ponche crema">Ponche crema</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Snowball_(cocktail)" title="Snowball (cocktail)">Snowball</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em">Dumplings</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Hallaca" title="Hallaca">Hallaca</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pierogi" title="Pierogi">Pierogi</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tamale" title="Tamale">Tamale</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Varenyky" class="mw-redirect" title="Varenyky">Varenyky</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white;width:6.5em">Meat and fish</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carp" title="Carp">Carp</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gefilte_fish" title="Gefilte fish">Gefilte fish</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_ham" title="Christmas ham">Ham</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pickled_herring" title="Pickled herring">Pickled herring</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Roast_goose" title="Roast goose">Roast goose</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Romeritos" title="Romeritos">Romeritos</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stuffing" title="Stuffing">Stuffing</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tourti%C3%A8re" title="Tourtière">Tourtière</a> (<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Meat_pie" title="Meat pie">meat pie</a>)</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Turkey_meat" title="Turkey meat">Turkey</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="background:#CE1D20; color:white"><div>
<ul><li><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Category"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png" decoding="async" width="16" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/23px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/31px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="180" data-file-height="185" /></span></span> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Category:Christmas" title="Category:Christmas"><span style="color:white">Category</span></a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
<div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-label="Navbox" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a>: National <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q717040#identifiers" title="Edit this at Wikidata"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" /></a></span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://d-nb.info/gnd/7502017-8">Germany</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip tooltip-dotted" title="vánoční zvyky"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://aleph.nkp.cz/F/?func=find-c&local_base=aut&ccl_term=ica=ph137511&CON_LNG=ENG">Czech Republic</a></span></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div>' |
Whether or not the change was made through a Tor exit node (tor_exit_node) | false |
Unix timestamp of change (timestamp) | '1733945199' |