The importance and history of Christmas Day

The season of “red and green” is drawing closer, and Christmas Day lovers have already started preparing for it, with Christine Ho of décor shop Party’s saying the perfect time to put up a Christmas tree is at the beginning of Advent.

There is a lot more that goes into it than just a Christmas tree or a piece of tinsel and mistletoe.

Christmas decorations

Decorating your sanctuary for the celebration is “as important as getting the date right”, and understanding the importance and origins of the day is key.

“Tradition is an important ritual that gives us [the] emotional security and a sense of familiarity. In the times we presently live in, it could also represent an element of hope, new beginnings and togetherness in a world that seems to have tilted somewhat awry,” Ho said.

She adds it has invested significantly in a variety of décor this year to prompt shoppers into turning the festive season into a festive home.

Main elements of Christmas

“Christmas lights also have a somewhat commercial genesis. Before electricity, candles were used on trees decoratively, sometimes with disastrous consequences. It was Thomas Edison’s business partner, Edward Johnson, who had the bright idea to adorn trees with lightbulbs,” she said.

According to Ho, the main element of the occasion [the Christmas tree] all started in the 1600s when Germany adopted the Christmas tree as its symbolic celebration of Christmas, with cane-shaped sweets from the tree evidently following suit

Ho said: “There are so many traditions and legends around the holidays, from ancient festivals like Saturnalia through to Christianity and even people of other faiths.

“Everyone has adopted the festive season as a symbolic time of love, giving and sharing joy. And that is not just beautiful, it is also important for humanity,” she concluded.

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