The Popular Christmas Traditions: The Story Of Santa Claus

Throughout history, countless traditions have been created to celebrate several holidays. Many of those who celebrate the holiday traditions are unaware of their origins, but naturally accept them as cultural customs. To be specific, the popular Christian holiday, Christmas, has influenced many traditions including the stories of Santa Claus, the exchanging of gifts, the placement of trees in homes, and the decoration of glowing lights.

While many traditions are celebrated during the Christmas season, Santa Claus has been beloved by children all around the world for centuries. The myths about Santa Claus are thought to be based upon a 4th century monk named Saint Nicholas who was admired by many for his abundant kindness and donations to the

Before lights were placed on trees, candles were used instead. It is widely believed that Martin Luther, the 16th Century Protestant founder, first added candles to trees. He was walking home on a winter night while writing a sermon, when he saw the stars shining above the evergreen trees. He noticed how beautiful the view looked, and in order to recreate it for his family, he placed lighted candles on his family’s Christmas tree. An inventor named Edward Hibberd Johnson hired Thomas Edison, then a 24 year old inventor, who later created the lightbulb. After Thomas Edison patented the light bulb in 1880, Johnson invested money in Edison’s bulbs and later used them to fashion Christmas lights. He recognized that candles are a fire hazard, and lights would provide a safer alternative. Johnson wired 80 light bulbs of three colors and strung them around his tree. The beautiful, bright tree attracted newspaper reporters and pedestrians who continued to come back each year. In 1894, President Cleveland put lights on the White House tree for the first time. The first set of lights was released to the public in 1900 and priced at $12 or $350 in today’s money. In 1914, the sale price for a 16 ft string of lights decreased to $1.75. Today, 150 million light sets are sold, and 80 million homes are decorated each year which equates to 6% of the United State’s electrical load each