When jingle bells
hang on the bank door and the local bakery is handing out green and red
reindeer cookies, you know what time of year it is. But what are these
images? Why are stockings, of all things, hung by the chimney with
care,
and why is everyone handing out peppermint sticks? Here's how some of
the
most familiar icons may have found their way into the holiday:
• Santa
Claus: An
amalgam of ancient pagan idols,
elves and heroes, Santa is one of the most universal symbols of
Christmas,
celebrated in one form or another from Australia to Europe to China and
the Philippines. The American Santa Claus is said to trace his roots
primarily
to St. Nicholas, a 4th century Christian bishop, and Father Christmas,
an English character inspired by the Roman god Saturn. The image of
Santa
as a jolly old bearded elf was popularized by the late 19th century
illustrator
and cartoonist Thomas Nast. He's the same guy who came up with the
donkey
and the elephant as symbols of Democratic and Republican parties.
• Stockings:
As legend has it, St. Nicholas was a shy man who tried to be discreet
about
his charity. Once he climbed onto the roof of a poor family's house and
dropped a purse of coins down the chimney, and it landed in a sock a
girl
had hung to dry by fireplace. Hey, it could happen again!
• Candy
canes: These
confections were created
as a tribute to Christ. The pure white candy in the shape of a staff
refers
to Jesus as the sinless shepherd; a broad red stripe symbolizes blood
shed
for the sins of the world, and three thinner stripes represent lashes
from
the Roman soldiers.
• Flying
Reindeer:
Clement Clarke Moore, a New
York professor and poet, spread this notion with his 1823 hit poem
"Visit
from St. Nicholas" ("'Twas the night before Christmas …").
• Mistletoe:
According to Druid superstition, mistletoe was a divine branch that
grafted
itself to an earthly tree (actually, it is a "parasitic" plant), and it
was used for casting spells and curing ills. The Druids believed that
mistletoe,
when held above a woman's head, rendered her incapable of resisting a
man.
