Things you have always wanted to know about Christmas but always forget to ask

[thirdistheonewiththehairychest]

Who even was King Wenceslas?

He was a tenth-century king of Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) who goes on a journey, braving harsh winter weather, to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen. During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king's footprints, step for step, through the deep snow.

When did the stocking tradition start and why is an orange a common thing to put in them? 🤔

I actually think it's a bit nuts to bring a tree into the house and decorate it.
I know it's pagan routed but why even carry on doing it?

My cats particularly like that we carry on doing it. She gets visibly excited when we bring the tree box in

Why do we stick candles in oranges for christingle services? What does christingle even mean?

I should know this given that I went to a C of E Primary

Why are gingerbread men connected with Christmas?

So from my primary school days it goes something like. The candle is jesus the orange is the world, the sweets/raisins are people and the red ribbon is blood. Something like that anyway I was too busy trying not to set my hair on fire with the candle to listen properly.

He was as much to do with Christmas as Bruce Willis in Diehard. (There's another thread going on this.)
They both just happened around Christmas time

Christingles:

the orange is the world
the four sticks are the four corners of the earth
the sweets are the fruits of the earth
the red ribbon reminds us of Jesus’s blood
the candle is for the light of Christ, lighting up the darkness. Christingle services are often held in advent or at Candlemas (start of Feb).

What the hell does Michael buble have to do with any of it? Is it just because his name sounds like bauble? Is that it?

I was 50 years of age before I even heard the word Christingles.
But then again, I'm an irreligious heathen.

The only time I have encountered Christingels was at some cultish steiner school thing. It was like the wicker man, really.

It was a C of E primary school main event in the 80s and 90s. We had real candles and real hot wax dripping all down our hands while standing at the front of the church trying not to set our hair that had been generously coated in hairspray on fire. My son temporarily got roped into messy church by his friend and they did it once with battery powered candles and no cocktail sticks for safety it was a complete let down. Luckily he soon got bored of church once they started trying to teach him things.

Oo oo oo!! I know this one

Buble does the ubiquitous background music Christmas album

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_(Michael_Bubl%C3%A9_album)

To clarify it is the only time of the year, buble is acceptable. He goes into hibernation the rest of the year

The four sticks are for the four seasons.

In the 60s or 70s the Children's Society latched on to Christingles and turned it into a marketing campaign. I think you were supposed to take a special collection for them at your Christingle service. However my delightful not-Uncle Peter obviously didn't like that idea so his church gave out Christingles on Christmas morning and we sent the Children's Society the money we got from carol singing instead.

(It made the Christmas morning service so much more interesting, but even in a large church in late December it was a bit too light for the candles to be particularly atmospheric...)

I don't actually remember being told the red was Jesus's blood - can't remember for definite whether that church had the red insulating tape ribbon. Possibly another of Uncle Peter's quiet decisions.

Why is Father Christmas' abode associated with both the North Pole AND Lapland?

Call me a cynic but probably because you can't sell expensive holidays to the North Pole.

Because it is lovely? But also because the tree is a symbol of hope and fertility. Evergreens are the embodiment of life. They reminded ancient celts that the winter would end and spring was coming. That there is continuity of life, even in the darkness. Why not do it?

@Snugglemonkey but you're killing the tree by chopping it off and bringing it into the house. It would make more sense to decorate the tree outside in its natural environment.

I love this. He was a king and took his eye opening to serve his people.

Tree indoors not weird because presumably wood was burned in stoves. Yule log was brought in and a bit burned every night until the days started getting longer again. Perhaps to turn the year or ward off the dark or just for luck. But an evergreen branch or tree is very hopeful at the dead time of year. Gradually we started hanging stuff on the branches inside as well as on special trees outdoors.

What's Santa got to do with Baby Jesus?

I'm RC and have never heard of or knowingly participated in a 'Christingle' event. Candles in oranges? Raisins?

I want to know what people see in pantos?