FROM THE JOURNAL - COCKTAILS & CURIOSITIES
CHRISTMAS 2022 - TRADITIONS
Merry Christmas and welcome to the Twelve Squares of Ginmas!
Every year I set myself a little festive challenge. In the past, I've matched the 12 Days of Christmas with gin brands and cocktails, but this year I've decided to think a little differently.
Instead, I'm diving into the stories behind some of our favourite Christmas traditions. From festive customs and decorations to the little things we simply accept as part of the season, I'll be uncovering where they came from, why they started and how they've become part of Christmas as we know it.
So, pour yourself something festive, settle in, and hopefully we'll both discover a few new Christmas curiosities along the way!
The First Day of Christmas
Cocktail : Cranberry & Orange Negroni
Recipe: Cranberry & Blood Orange Liqueur, Gin, Vermouth, Campari
As today is Christmas Day and we're most likely gathered around our Christmas trees, I found myself wondering where the tradition began.
It seems that evergreen trees and branches have featured in winter celebrations for centuries, but the Christmas tree as we know it is generally believed to have its roots in Germany. Early Paradise Trees—fir trees decorated with apples—were displayed in homes on Christmas Eve, the feast day of Adam and Eve.
Over time, these trees evolved as more decorations were added. The earliest documented Christmas trees appeared in 16th-century Germany, although a popular legend credits the German reformer Martin Luther with introducing candles to the tree after seeing the stars shining through the branches on a winter's walk. The candlelight, it's said, reminded him of the wonder of the Christmas story.
As Germans emigrated, they took the tradition with them. In Britain, it was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who helped make Christmas trees fashionable after an illustration of the royal family around their decorated tree was published in 1848. By the mid-1800s, Christmas trees had become a familiar sight in homes across the country.
As the tradition spread around the world, demand for real trees increased. In Germany, artificial trees made from dyed goose feathers appeared in the late 1800s as an alternative. Over time, new materials were used, and by the 1930s the Addis Brush Company was making artificial trees from surplus brush bristles.
Now that's a fun fact! But did you know the Catholic Church resisted what was seen as a largely Lutheran tradition for many years? The first Christmas tree to stand in St Peter's Square at the Vatican wasn't erected until 1982.
So, whether your tree is real or artificial, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas surrounded by family, friends and a little festive cheer.