Why we say ‘Merry Christmas’

Surprising stories behind beloved Christmas traditions |

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

By Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Ahead of Christmas, I talked to Brian Earl and Michael Foley, who each published books about the history of the holiday’s traditions this year. Talking to them, what I found most surprising is how some of the rituals came about accidentally. Snow globes started out as devices to help surgeons see better in the operating room. The military started the NORAD Santa Tracker after a child called the wrong number looking for Santa because of a misprint in a newspaper. And the carol “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, written in Oct. 1962, is about the Cuban Missile Crisis, with the line “A star, a star, dancing in the sky” being a metaphor for a bomb. Click here to read the full story.

HISTORY ON TIME.COM A Warning for Today’s Super Rich From Ancient Rome’s Wealthiest Man By Peter Stothard Rome's wealthiest man who helped end the Republic bears echoes with Donal Trump today, writes Peter Stothard Read More » What Happened to the Alternative Currencies That Came Before Crypto By Arpita Aneja While cryptocurrency is a relatively new phenomenon, alternative currencies have been around for a long time. Read More » Column: Modern Hanukkah Traditions Are A Reminder That Extremism Is Always Short-Lived By Alana Vincent The Maccabees would've hated modern Hanukkah traditions. Maybe that's not a bad thing, explains Alana Vincent. Read More » The Surprising Origins of 5 Hanukkah Traditions By Olivia B. Waxman There's lots of history behind favorite Hanukkah traditions such as eating latkes, lighting candles and playing with dreidels Read More » 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' Was Always Controversial. Here's What to Know About Consent in the 1940s By Olivia B. Waxman The song is seen by many as describing a man pressuring a woman on a date Read More »

FROM THE TIME VAULT This week in 1959: Anne Bancroft “Anne Bancroft is always the serious, controlled artist, whose features can change from tenderness to humor to ferocity to sultriness with astonishing ease and conviction… In Miracle Worker, she is completely in charge of an extraordinarily demanding role, a role that requires of the actress what it required of Annie Sullivan in real life: the sensitivity of a poet and the strength of a piano mover.” (Dec. 21, 1959) Read More » This week in 1966: Julie Andrews “The most celebrated movie actress in the U.S. eats ‘squashy and gorgeous’ boiled-potato sandwiches and drives around Hollywood singing at the top of her lungs. She doesn't do these things at the same time, but nobody would be surprised if she did. In a town where everybody plays the angles and wholesomeness is something of an aberration, Julie Andrews, 31, is tolerated as a delightful kook.” (Dec. 23, 1966) Read More » This week in 1986: VCRs “Santa's hottest gift is a magic box that revolutionizes home viewing. Plop… click…whirr…It is not exactly lilting, but that electronic tune is rivaling ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ for popularity this Christmas season. It is the sound of videocassette recorders gathering tapes into their cradles… In its quiet, hypnotic way, it is changing the habits of a nation. The versatile VCR can rerun yesterday's shows today and preserve today's for tomorrow.” (Dec. 15, 1986) Read More »

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEB Document dump: The New York Times’ Michael Levenson and Chris Cameron report on what's in the newly released government files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Short answer: Not much we didn't already know. Education: Education Week’s Sarah Schwartz has all of the details about an American Historical Association project to nail down what exactly is taught in history classrooms nationwide.. Music: CNN’s AJ Willingham outlines how the music in A Charlie Brown Christmas came to be, and the way that it influenced future jazz musicians. Holiday shopping: NPR’s Fernando Alfonso III reports on how Hot Wheels have remained a bestselling toy over the last 50 years. Food for thought: For the Daily Meal, Ashley Reut explains how the “yule log” dessert became a Christmas tradition.

Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters. Subscribe to TIME

TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice.   Connect with TIME via Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters       UNSUBSCRIBE    PRIVACY POLICY   YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS   TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508   Questions? Contact history@time.com   Copyright © 2022 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.