The Greeks introduced the tradition of a baby to symbolize the rebirth of the god of fertility Dionysus. Early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, but due to its popularity as a new birth they reevaluate their view and allowed members to celebrate the New Year with a baby that symbolized the birth of Jesus.

The Tournament of Roses Parade, in Pasadena, California began in 1886 when members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers to celebrate the ripening of the orange crop. The Rose Bowl football game began as the sports centerpiece of the festival in 1916, although a game had been played on that day in 1902.

The song ‘Auld Lang Syne’, which is sung at midnight of New Years eve in almost every English-speaking country was written by Robert Burns in the 1700′s. It was first published after his death in 1796. The music came from an old Scotch tune. ‘Auld Lang Syne’ means ‘old long since’. In the United States the most popular version is by Bandleader Guy Lombardo, who ushered in the New Year with the song on radio and the early days of television, following a tradition he started at a New Year’s eve party at New York’s Roosevelt Hotel in 1929. He played it every New Year’s eve until his death in 1976.

The watching the ball drop on New Year’s eve at New York’s Times Square began in 1907. The original ball was made of wood and iron. The current ball is of Waterford crystal and weighs 1,070 pounds and is six feet in diameter.

January 1st is ushered in first at Kiritimati on the Christmas Islands, in Kiribati. Not all cultures celebrate January 1st as the beginning of the New Year. The Chinese New Year begins on the new moon of the first lunar month which falls between January 21 and February 21. The Jewish New Year begins on Rosh Hashanah, ‘head of the year’. The Iranian New Year is the moment of the vernal equinox in March or when spring begins.

No one knows the exact day not year of Jesus’ birth. With Bible references it is thought that he was born around 4 BC in the spring. Shepherds bring their sheep in during the winter and not tend to them as related in the Bible.

Christmas was not celebrated in the early days of the American Colonies. In some places the practice of celebrating Christmas was actually banned. It wasn’t until the Victorian times that it restored with a lot of assistance from Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, Clement Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Santa drawings of Thomas Nast.

Santa Claus is a fairly modern invention although he has basis in history. There was a St. Nicholas, a third century saint. But it’s the Dutch Sinterklaas that is the biggest basis. The Sinterklaas feast celebrates the birthday of Saint Nicholas. In 1809 Washington Irving’s Knickerbocker’s History of New York features Sinterklaas.

Bing Crosby has not one but three of the biggest Christmas recording. Everyone knows that his White Christmas was a big hit, but so was his recording of Silent Night in 1935 and I’ll Be Home for Christmas first recorded in 1943 were also big hits. Crosby donated all of his royalties from Silent Night to charity.

The city of North Pole, Alaska with a population of 1750 and located 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks was incorporated on January 15, 1953. The name was selected in an effort to attract business. Many streets bear holiday names: Santa Claus Lane, Snowman Lane, Kris Kringle, Mistletoe, Holiday Rd., Saint Nicholas Drive, North Star Drive, Blitzen, and Donnor. northpolealaska.com

It’s possible that December 25 was selected as the date of Christ’s birth in the early days of Christianity as a way for all to participate.

Yule is one of the pagan holidays and the idea of the Yule log came from that.

Decorating a tree has its origins with the Druids who saw evergreen as symbols of everlasting life and decorating the trees may have also come from the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, a celebration of the Winter Solstice.

Mistletoe is from an ancient Druid custom at the winter solstice with kissing under the mistletoe coming from the Druids as well.

Our vision of Santa Claus comes from many different places and times. There are the Coke Santa’s of the early 20th Century, the 19th century drawings of Thomas Nast and the classic poem by Clement Moore. Moore’s version may have been developed from the Dutch Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas is a traditional Winter holiday figure in the Netherlands, Belgium, Aruba, Suriname and Netherlands Antilles. December 5th is Saint Nicholas’ Eve and is the chief occasion for gift-giving. Sinterklass is the gift giver.

The Saint Nicholas Feast is for Saint Nicholas (280–342). He is patron saint of children and sailors. Nicholas lived in what is present day Turkey and he is said to do secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.

Then there is the English Father Christmas. Father Christmas is a symbolic figure associated with Christmas and the season’s spirit of good cheer. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France (Père Noël) Spain (Papá Noel), Malta (il-Krismis Fader), Portugal (Pai Natal), Italy (Babbo Natale) and Romania (Moş Crăciun)

Even though not called Father Christmas, the Ghost of Christmas Present from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, fits the description. The Ghost is a spirit of good cheer and is a great genial man in a green coat lined with fur.

No matter the name, he is a great spirit of Christmas for many from Children from the ages of 2 to 102.

O Holy Night
While Christmas is a religious holiday and Christmas Carols are a popular choice to be recorded, they are not at the top of my list of favorite songs. I do enjoy listening to versions of Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful and others, the one Carol that I would have to consider my favorite is O Holy Night written in 1847 composed by Adolphe Adam to the french poem “Minuit, chrétiens” by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877. I have no favorite version, although I do prefer hearing it done by a female performer.

I Believe in Father Christmas
Upon listening to the song, without really listening to the lyrics, this song written Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and writing partner Peter Sinfield, it sounds like a nice little Christmas song. But it’s really a protest song against the commercialization of Christmas. It still makes my favorite list.

White Christmas
Even though I really consider this song to be over played, one has to admit that it does put those who have had snow on Christmas day, in a thoughtful remembrance. The Irving Berlin song was first introduced in the 1942 film Holiday Inn by Bing Crosby. He recorded the song again in 1947, the original master was damaged. It is this version that is most played.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas
If not for White Christmas, this song would perhaps be considered Bing Crosby’s Christmas song. He recorded the song in 1943, during the height of World War II. The song touched the hearts of soldiers at war and the families at home. The song writing credit is to Buck Ram, Kim Gannon and Walter Kent. My favoite version of the song was done in the 1950s by Perry Como.

The Christmas Song
I’m sure that when Mel Torme and Bob Wells sat down that hot summer afternoon in 1944 they had no idea that they would be writing one of the most recorded and played Christmas song. Nat ‘King’ Cole first recorded his version in 1946 and as they say, the rest is history, since it still stands out as my favorite.

The Virginia House of Burgesses on May 15, 1776 resolved that “the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress” be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the united Colonies free and independent states.”

Lee presented on June 6, 1776, a resolution to congress that read;

Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances.

That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.

Debate began on the resolution, but it was decided to wait for three week so that the delegates could send the resolution to their home colonies and receive direction on voting. It also appeared to those present that the resolution would pass and that there needed to be a suitable declaration for the resolution.

On June 11, 1776 a committee, consisting of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut, was formed. They were known as the Committee of Five.

The committee delegated that Jefferson would write the draft. Jefferson and the committee worked on it from June 12 until June 27. Franklin and Adams made several minor corrections and the entire committee made additional changes and additions, a total of forty-seven alterations including the insertion of three complete paragraphs from Jefferson’s original draft. Jefferson then produced another copy incorporating these changes and the committee presented this copy to the Continental Congress on Friday June 28, 1776.

On Monday July 1st, congress started debate on the Lee Resolution. On July 2, 1776 a final vote was taken. It was passed. South Carolina still wasn’t in favor of independence, but Edward Rutledge, who opposed independence and had many motions to delay the vote, convinced the delegation that for the sake of unanimity, they should vote in favor. The New York delegation abstained, since they did not have instructions from their home government.

In a letter that John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3 he said;

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.

Finally at a little after 11 o’clock on Thursday morning July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved. This was after many hours of debate during the two days leading to the vote. There were thirty-nine revisions to the committee’s draft, including the deletion of language that denounced King George III for promoting the slave trade. John Hancock, as President of Congress, and Charles Thompson, Secretary of Congress signed the document. Again the New York delegation abstained from the vote, but did approve the Declaration five days later.

It wasn’t until July 19th that congress ordered that the Declaration to be officially inscribed and signed by its members. Congressional delegates began to sign the officially inscribed copy on August 2. It was even signed by some members who had not voted for its adoption and some who was not even present at Congress when the vote was cast.

Note:
This was originally written in 2006 and has been republished on various sites each year since then.