MISTLETOE: Mistletoe has a history as being a symbolic herb that dates back thousands of years. The Greeks and Romans used it as a medical cure for everything from spleen disorders to ulcers and epilepsy. The plant’s romantic overtones may have started with the Celtic Druids of the first century when they administered it to humans and animals to restore vitality. By the 18th century it had become widely incorporated into Christmas celebrations. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe appears to have started among the servants in England before spreading to the middle class.

STOCKINGS: While stockings have been an essential part of the Christmas tradition for centuries, the true origin is not known. The most popular legend about why stockings are hung at Christmas originates from the tale of a widowed father who worried that his impoverished status would make it impossible for his three daughters to marry. St. Nicholas, who was wondering through the village where the man lived, overhead the villagers talk about that family’s plight. So one night, St. Nicholas slid down the chimney of the family’s house and filled the girls’ recently laundered stockings, which were hung by the chimney to dry, with gold coins. When the girls woke up and found their stockings, the family was overjoyed. 

TREE TOPPER: The origin of the Christmas tree topper dates back to the 16th century in Germany where trees were decorated with apples to symbolize the Garden of Eden during religious Paradise plays. By the 18th century, the religious symbolism became more profound with the placing of a large candle on the tree top to represent the Star of Bethlehem. Today, the star has become one of the most recognized and traditional toppers.

CHRISTMAS TREE: It is widely accepted that Christmas trees started in Germany in 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. The earliest record of Christmas trees making their appearance in the U.S. was in the early 1700s when a German community in Pennsylvania had a community tree in the form of a wooden pyramid decorated with candles. Many Puritans opposed the Christmas holiday because of its pagan roots and the Massachusetts Bay Colony outlawed celebrating Christmas. It wasn’t until the 1820s that Christmas gained popularity in America. The first Christmas tree was reportedly displayed in the 1830s.

ORNAMENTS: Christmas ornaments also originated in Germany. The first manufactured Christmas ornaments called baubles were made in the 1800s by Hans Greiner and were a huge commercial success. In the 1890s, Woolworth’s Department Store in the U.S. sold more than $25 million in German-imported ornaments made of lead and hand-blown glass each year. 

YULE LOG: Historians believe the Yule log tradition originated with the ancient Norse celebration, which originated in the Iron Age (1200 to 600 B.C.) . It marked the shortest day of the year and the subsequent return of longer days. To celebrate the reappearance of the sun, the Yule log was burned. With the arrival of Christianity, some traditions between the religious holiday and the pagan festival became conflated (hence why Yuletide and Christmastime are often interchangeable terms in many languages). In the 10th century Norwegian King Haakon Haraldsson made it law that Yule must be celebrated at Christmas. 

CANDY CANE: It is believed that the candy cane dates back to 1670, when a choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany handed out sugar sticks among his young singers to keep them quiet during the Living Creche (Living Nativity) ceremony. In honor of the occasion, he bent the candies to resemble a shepherds’ staff, which also made it easy to hang them on Christmas trees. 

TRAINS: Historians believe the train tradition dates back at least 100 years to the early 1900s, around the time when Lionel began to produce the first electric toy trains. Lionel’s electric toy trains were very popular with children and were among the most requested Christmas gifts. And assembling the train set around the Christmas tree became the natural thing to do. Over time, many families added to their toy train set-up year after year, creating small villages and elaborate layouts with multiple tracks.

GINGERBREAD MAN: The earliest account of person-shaped gingerbread cookies is from the 16th century. Elizabeth I of England surprised guests with biscuits that were designed in their likeness. As time passed, eating gingerbread during cold weather became a tradition as ginger has a comforting way of warming those who eat it. Some believe since gingerbread was once considered a delicacy reserved for special occasions, its connection to Christmas is natural.

PRESENTS: Gift-giving was an ancient Roman tradition during the festival of Saturnalia when thanks was given to the agricultural god Saturn for the bounty provided. The festivities took place from Dec. 17-23, celebrated with a sacrifice and public banquet, followed by private gift-giving.

For Christians, giving gifts at Christmas symbolizes the tributes the three wise men made to baby Jesus after his birth.