History of Christmas Recipes: Eggnog
Eggnogg is a popular Christmas drink. But, how did it originate? By the late 13th Century, monks were known to drink a posset of eggs and figs. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, posset was “a drink made of hot … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: The Date of Christmas
We know that Jesus was not born on December 25th, so why do we celebrate his birthday on this date? The exact birthday of Jesus is unknown. Scholars believe that he may have been born sometime in either spring or … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Gingerbread Cookies
Making gingerbread, whether it is cookies or houses, has become a popular Christmas past time for many families. According to Rhonda Massingham Hart’s Making Gingerbread Houses, the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. An Armenian … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: Christmas Crackers
Christmas crackers are part of the Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the commonwealth countries. “Crackers were originally called ‘cosaques’ and were thought to be named after the ‘Cossack’ soldiers who had a reputation for riding on their … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Yule Log
The Yule Log is a traditional dessert served at Christmas time. The dessert is a sponge cake made to resemble an actual miniature Yule log. The Yule Log is also known as bûche de Noël. “The name bûche de Noël originally … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: Christmas Cards
“The first known ‘personalized’ Christmas Card was sent in 1891 by Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. She was in Glasgow, Scotland at Christmas 1891 and sent cards back to her friends and … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Decorating Christmas Cookies
Another favorite Christmas past-time is decorating Christmas cookies. As early as 1597, Germans began hanging decorated communion wafers on their trees. The Church of England used a practice called mumming, which used food cut outs to help them depict stories … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: Christmas Spirit
Today we talk about the Christmas spirit and how peace on earth and generosity are more prevalent at Christmas. So, is this real or made up and where did it originate? The celebration of Christmas was a marriage of the … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Fruitcake
Fruitcake has had many jokes made about it over the years and become a highly ridiculed Christmas dessert, especially in the United States “The earliest recipe from ancient Rome lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into … Continued
The Pilgrims: Pilgrims Dress
When we picture the Pilgrims it is with them wearing black and white clothes, with large white collars. Often they will have large buckles on their shoes and hats. However, my research shows this is not historically accurate. Actually, the … Continued