The proof is in the plum pudding    

There are only a few shopping days left, so what are we to do? Perhaps we could linger under the mistletoe with someone special. That ancient Scandinavian Goddess of Love, Frigga, might be considered the instigator behind this kissing tradition. She evidently was so enthralled with the secret powers of what would happen when a couple stood under the mistletoe that it was almost considered scandalous. Christian priests banned hanging mistletoe due to its idolatrous association, and it was considered a pagan ritual to be avoided. Hence, holly replaced mistletoe, until gradually, romance prevailed.

Have you wondered why you might have a tree in your house during the holidays? The Germans in 700 A.D. started this tradition, picked up by the English and Americans in the 1800s. In 1880, Woolworths’s drug stores sold the first manufactured Christmas ornaments in the world–and they were a huge hit. Hey, it was better (and safer) than the centuries‑old tradition of placing lighted candles on the tree. At the turn of the century, the first electric lights were designed especially for evergreens, and since then no tree has been complete without strings of lights.

Yes, there really is a Santa Claus. That question, posed by skeptics and Scrooges, has been answered eloquently numerous times. Santa is the distant relative of the fourth century saint–Saint Nicholas. His giving spirit and magical ways have become legend, while gladdening the hearts of children all over the world. No population explosion, lack of chimneys, remote locations, inclement weather, or other obstacles can stop him from making an annual appearance.

On a more sinister note (children, stop reading this immediately), some nut in New York City decorated his brownstone mansion with Santa Claus holding the decapitated heads of Barbie dolls. This man claims he is making a statement by showing how commercial Christmas has become. He also has a huge tree in his front yard with Barbie doll heads as the ornaments and an elf with a sword swinging at Santa. This guy should be arrested. Children are crying, adults are aghast, and one eighty‑year‑old man said he almost had a heart attack just walking by this house. Luckily, New York is a very long way from our desert communities.

Oh, did I mention that the “happy” in the holidays might originate from special recipes? My English grandmother (a strict teetotaler) might have started the tradition of baking with booze. We had so much rum and brandy flowing around our kitchen that it’s a good thing no one was a smoker, because we’d have all gone up in flames. My grandmother lit plum puddings on fire, baked rum‑filled cakes, made fruitcakes with a bottle of booze in them, and spiked the eggnog. She really hit the bottle during the holidays. I never saw my grandmother take a drink, but I saw her eat plenty of alcohol. Come to think of it, she was a very happy baker.

The tradition of lighting a bayberry candle on Christmas Eve goes back centuries, to castles in England. It was started as a way to represent the guiding light for the Wise Men to find their way to Baby Jesus. Not able to replicate a bright shining star, the lighting of a candle on Christmas Eve has become a way to signify the eve of greatness.

Not quite ready for the big day? Relax. Now is the time to celebrate the end of another year. It’s never too late to get in the holiday mood. Forget shopping and become a romantic. Be daring and hang some fresh mistletoe. Believe again, for another year, in the magic of Saint Nicholas, the spirit of giving, the birth of greatness, the beauty of a lit tree, and the wonder of all things kind and good that grace our lives. Don’t forget to light a candle.

Still not ready for Christmas? Don’t worry, it will be here in a wink of an eye. Just add a little brandy and rum to everything ... and may your holidays be very, very happy!