I’d Love To Read About: Christmas Traditions

Have you ever learned a strange fact or seen an unusual thing and thought, I wish there were more books about that? It happens to me all the time. Authors, if you’re listening, here are four Christmas traditions that I wish somebody would write about. (Or take inspiration from. I’m not picky!)

Christmas Traditions

Bringing Scary Back

“There'll be parties for hosting

Marshmallows for toasting

And caroling out in the snow

There'll be scary ghost stories

And tales of the glories of

Christmases long, long ago”

- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Have you ever wondered why so many old Christmas stories have ghosts in them? Before the commercialization of Christmas, holiday celebrations were a bit different from what they are today. Christmas traditions had a lot in common with Pagan Winter Solstice festivals. The Winter Solstice is the darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The Solstice festivals of Yule and Sol Invictus celebrate the death and rebirth of the Sun. What goes well with death and darkness? Ghosts. On the Solstice, ghosts can push through the veil and complete their unfinished business in the world. Even after Christmas branched off from the Pagan festivals, people still gathered to tell scary stories.

Art source and more info.

Now, the ghost story tradition is disappearing. Probably because we don’t gather to tell stories anymore. We gather to watch Elf on TV for the 10 billionth time. I vote we bring back ghost stories.

Bad Santa Krampus

“He sees you when you’re sleeping

He knows when you’re awake

He knows when you’ve been bad or good

So be good for goodness sake"

- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Did you know that Santa Claus has an evil assistant? While Santa delivers gifts and gets all the love and attention, his (probably unpaid intern) Krampus does the dirty work. Krampus is part-goat, part-demon. He’s responsible for punishing the naughty children while Santa rewards the nice ones. In many Alpine towns, Krampus is celebrated with a parade. Every Christmas, men dress up in creepy costumes and make nuisances of themselves. This is my kind of Christmas fun!

Art source and more info.

The Incontinent Christmas Log

“Shit, log

Shit nougats

Hazelnuts and mato cheese

If you don’t shit well

I’ll hit you with a stick

Shit, log”

- Caga Tió

In Spain, children spend the weeks leading up to Christmas decorating a hollow log and stuffing it with treats. They even put the log under a blanket at night to keep it warm. The log’s name is Tió de Nadal. This story isn’t going to end well for it. On Christmas Eve, the children sing traditional songs (like the one up there ^) and smash the log with sticks until it “poops” out treats. After the log is all pooped out, they toss it in the fire. Poor Tió de Nadal. Such an undignified ending.

Photo source and more info.

Kentucky Fried Christmas

“Kentucky for Christmas!”

Most people in Japan don’t celebrate Christmas, but that doesn’t stop them from having traditions. In the 1970s, the American fast-food restaurant KFC ran an advertising campaign in Japan that was so epic it spawned a whole new tradition. The campaign was called Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii! (Kentucky for Christmas!) It encouraged people to eat fried chicken on Christmas Eve. The fried chicken bucket was rebranded a “Party Barrel” and colored red and green. The advertisement was so successful that 3.6 million Japanese families still visit KFC every year on December 24. I love fried chicken. This is a tradition that I fully support.

Photo source and more info.

Do you celebrate Christmas? What are the Christmas traditions where you live?