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Deck the halls and grab your eggnog, because in this festive edition of the Roll-Up, we’re unraveling the quirky and little-known origin stories behind four beloved holiday traditions:
The Christmas Card: Back in 1843, Sir Henry Cole enlisted an artsy friend to paint a whopping 1,000 Christmas-themed cards and send them out to all his pals. Grasping at another opportunity to prove their wit, the tradition caught on faster than Jeep Ducking (Google it). Fast forward to the early 1900s when paper and printing costs got cheaper than a bargain-bin reindeer sweater, and two fellas with the last name Hallmark launched their billion-dollar Christmas Card empire. You can thank the Brits for your never-ending family photo shoot for that dreaded Christmas card (P.S. scroll down to see our attempt at a Christmas card).
Eggnog: Modern-day eggnog can be traced back to medieval Britain and a hot, milky, ale-like holiday concoction called 'posset.' In the 1700s, posset sailed across the pond to the American colonies - and to cut costs, resourceful Americans swapped pricey ale for good ol' American rum. This boozy twist made the drink a hit with both elites and everyday folks throughout the colonies, including our Founding Father, George Washington. With Victory as a perpetual cause for celebration, GW served up his legendary take on the drink during legendary holiday parties at Mount Vernon. The parties got so big that Congress commissioned the building of the White House and later caused the onset of Prohibition. You decide if that’s true or not.
Jingle Bells: Surprisingly, the mega-hit Christmas tune, 'Jingle Bells,' had no intention of decking the halls originally. Penned by James Lord Pierpont (fun fact: he's the uncle of JP Morgan), this ditty from 1857 was all about Medford, Massachusetts' wild sleigh races right after Thanksgiving. Believe it or not, the original lyrics were a bit cheeky, featuring pickup lines, snow drag races, and perhaps a tad too much holiday cheer. It didn't sleigh-ride into Christmas stardom until 1902 when the Hayden Quartet gave it a festive makeover with a toned-down rendition that we all know today as Jingle Bells.
NYE Ball Drop: Enter the fascinating world of 'time-balls' - in 1833, the inaugural 'time-ball' was set up at The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. Like clockwork (literally), every day at one o'clock, this ball gracefully descended from a lofty 75-foot wooden post, giving regular folks the scoop on the hour and helping sailors fine-tune their chronometers. Fast forward to 1907, and we're celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square by dropping a giant ball at midnight, a tradition that somehow has continued to this day. Honestly, how does a slow-moving ball on TV indicate celebration??
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