Celebrating the Christmas Holidays in the Old West by Reggi Allder

Celebrating the Christmas Holidays in the Old West

In North America, Christmas is filled with electric lights, parades, and gifts as ways to celebrate. Of course, we have a big dinner with turkey and the trimmings, pie, cake, and candy canes. Colorful electric lights are hung on our houses and many lights decorate the Christmas trees in our homes. 

 However, in the 1800s, life was simpler and, at times, tougher. Bad weather made it hard to heat a house without gas or electric heating. In the Prairies, blizzards, rain storms, and lightning might force men on the ranches and farms away from their families to care for the livestock and herd cattle to safety, leaving their families to fend for themselves.

Given the harsh conditions, men and women of the day still did what they could to decorate for and celebrate the Christmas Holiday. Natural evergreens, pine cones, and holly berries were used in the home and Mistletoe was too. Strings of cranberries, popcorn, and paper cutouts were often hung on a tree. Handmade gifts were shared which could include corn husk dolls and wooden toys for the children. Hand-knitted items like mittens and socks were for the grownups and children. Dinner would not be what we would expect today. The fare of nuts vegetables, and perhaps wild birds would be shared. Dried berries might be the dessert, and gingerbread men if the family was lucky.

One item that we still use in our homes today is Mistletoe. It is a parasite found in many parts of the world. In North America, it grows in Oak trees. It is poisonous to people and some animals, but birds eat the berries from the plant. If you have it in your home be sure animals and young kids can’t chew on it.

If it is poisonous, why do we kiss under the mistletoe? After doing research, it appears there are several reasons. It starts with the Norse Goddess Frigga, the goddess of love. She demanded that all animals and plants protect her son Balder from harm. But she forgot to tell the Mistletoe. A mistletoe arrow kills her son. As he was the god of goodness and sunlight —we have long winter nights in the north. Frigga declared the plant shouldn’t harm anything ever again, instead, Mistletoe should inspire love.

From then on, anyone standing under mistletoe gets a kiss. In the 1700s, mistletoe hung in the entryway and a young woman caught in the doorway where mistletoe hung had to be kissed. The idea was to help her find a husband by the following Christmas.

Do you have Mistletoe as part of your decorations? To leave a comment, scroll down and click on the word “comments.”

Whatever your tradition, I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

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Thanks for stopping by and again Happy Holidays to you and yours!