For KS2 and kids

Christmas traditions for ages 7 to 11

Why do we have trees, crackers and stockings? Here’s where they came from, step by step.

Christmas in six steps

A name. The word Christmas means “Christ’s mass”. It comes from the Middle English Christemasse, which came from the Old English Cristes mæsse. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christmas
A date. The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on 25 December in 336, in the reign of the emperor Constantine. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christmas
A tree. Fir trees hung with apples are first known in Strasbourg in 1605. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christmas
A card. Henry Cole, later the first director of the V&A, sent the first Christmas card in 1843. V&A: The first Christmas card
A cracker. The Christmas cracker was invented by Tom Smith (1823–1869), a London confectioner and baker who set up shop in Clerkenwell in the 1840s. V&A: The Christmas cracker
A broadcast. The first Christmas Day message by a British monarch was broadcast live by King George V from Sandringham in 1932. BBC: First Empire Address by King George V

Santa Claus is also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Sinterklaas. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Santa Claus

In Italy, Befana is an old woman who fills children’s stockings with presents at Epiphany, 6 January. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Befana

Early on Christmas morning, fiddlers called at houses to wake everyone up for their presents. Culture Vannin: Kiaull Manninagh Jiu, December 2016 (Manx music and dance at Christmas)

Hunt the Wren happens on St Stephen’s Day, 26 December, and has gone on in the Isle of Man without a break for longer than written records. Culture Vannin: Hunt the Wren, a short history of a Manx custom

The Advent wreath began in the 19th century. It first had 24 candles, one for each day from 1 December, but that was awkward, so it shrank to four. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christmas
Tom’s son Walter added the paper hats. V&A: The Christmas cracker
In Australia, where Christmas dinner is often eaten on the beach, Santa wears red swimming trunks as well as his white beard. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christmas
For the Met Office, a “white Christmas” needs just one snowflake to be seen falling in the 24 hours of 25 December, by an official observer or automatic weather station. Met Office: White Christmas and UK Christmas weather records