Holiday Symbols

I remember bowls of apples and walnuts and bits of evergreen or glass ornaments in a big crystal bowl on our holiday mantel when I was a kid. I followed the tradition with my own family, along with the orange in the bottom of the Christmas stocking.

I hadn't really stopped to think that these were age old traditions. The oranges had many meanings, depending on who is telling the tale. And I love the old one about floating candles in walnuts. I can remember using the shells and making little sails for them. Do you have holiday traditions steeped in historical meaning?

Comments

[Susan King]

We made centerpieces of oranges and walnuts and cranberries too, with a candle in the center, and I've always done that my own home. Making special cookies was traditional too--I especially remember baking gingerbread and snickerdoodles with my grandmothers. What a great webpage you found for Christmasy traditions, Pat!

[Anne Gracie]

Pat, as a child I also made little boats out of walnut shells, and had races with them, though it was more of an easter thing for me -- there was a walnut grove near where we usually spent our easters.

We always started Christmas dinner with seafood -- crayfish (lobsters) especially as my grandfather used to catch them. These days they're ridiculously expensive, but even so a lot of people start with seafood.

I always have a bowl of cherries on the table at Christmas, as it's summer, and cherry season here. I always put them in the same Chinese bowl.

After Christmas dinner it's often outdoor activities -- back yard cricket after or beach cricket if you're spending Christmas at the beach. Or if it's really hot, as it was this Christmas (in the high 90s) it's maybe a quiet snooze for some while others play games.

[Patricia Rice]

sometimes my Google-fu works, sometimes it doesn't. We didn't have a lot of traditions (the orphan thing for my parents) so I treasure the few we have.

[Patricia Rice]

cherries would be perfect for Christmas! Apples aren't nearly as red. I'm not sure I'm into seafood for a family dinner, especially since so much of my family won't eat it. But I wouldn't turn away a lobster dinner!

[Anne Gracie]

When my grandfather retired, he bought himself a little boat and became a full-time fisherman, so we were pretty much brought up on seafood. After he died, I was always the one who brought the lobsters to Xmas dinner, because I live near good markets with excellent fresh seafood. Our Christmas starter is always a big platter of prawns, oysters, and other kinds of seafood, and everyone helps themselves. Even when I had a small Christmas Cards dinner for my card-playing friends, I started with prawns and avocado.

[Jana]

As a teacher, I've received my fair share of apple themed ornaments. I know my 8 year old students are completely oblivious to the traditional meaning of their gifts (falling back on the tradition of "an apple for teacher") so it was quite interesting to see that they have a far richer history. I don't use all of the apple ornaments, but the ones I do use will have a new meaning for me (and the others may be re-examined).

[Patricia Rice]

Happy to add meaning to your gifts! I just stayed at the Apple Farm Inn and they give away the most gorgeous wooden apples. I may have to start collecting them!