A Few Christmas Tidbits

www.laurirobinson.blogspot.com

Our tree has been up for weeks, (most of) the presents are wrapped, the cards have been mailed, cookies baked, and this week the parties begin. Our oldest granddaughter’s birthday is the 23^rd, so we have three full days of gatherings with family and friends. 

It is a busy time of year, and I hope you are all ready for your festivities to begin. I thought I’d just share a few little facts about this time of the year….

Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since 1850.

Alabama was the first state to officially recognize Christmas in 1836, however, Christmas wasn’t declared an official holiday in the United States until 1870 and Oklahoma didn’t declare it as a state holiday until 1907.

Mistletoe is from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, which means “little dung twig” because the plant spreads though bird droppings.

The Aztecs called the poinsettia Cuetlaxochitl which means “flower which wilts”, and the poinsettia is not poisonous.

Some reports claim that President Franklin Pierce was the first president to have a Christmas tree in the White house in 1856, and others claim it was President Benjamin Harrison in 1889, but there is no dispute that President Theodore Roosevelt banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1901. 

President Coolidge started the lighting ceremony in 1923, copying many small communities. As the grid had broadened and brought electricity to smaller towns, having tree lighting ceremonies was a popular community event.

During a meeting of the New York Historical Society in 1804, a member passed out wooden cutouts of jolly old St. Nick along with stockings filled with toys, and that image of St. Nick became the Santa Clause image we know today.  However, his clothes were blue, white, and green. His famous red suit came about in an ad by Coco Cola in 1930.

Washing Irving (the author who created the Headless Horseman) is who created Santa flying in a sleigh in 1819, and Montgomery Ward created Rudolph as a marketing gimmick for a children’s holiday coloring book.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Reads

www.laurirobinson.blogspot.com

It’s almost here—the time for Christmas traditions old and new. 

A few tidbits: Prior to the 1850’s, Christmas trees in homes were rare. It wasn’t until after President Franklin Pierce set up the first Christmas tree in the White House in 1856, that the tradition took off. Forward thinking entrepreneurs had already been working on building the newly acquired American tradition with the first ‘Christmas Tree Lot’ appearing in New York City in 1851, and shortly thereafter companies such as FW Woolworth began selling glass ornaments and patterns for families to sew their own Christmas decorations.  

Electric lights, promising to be safer than the regularly used candles, were invented in 1882, but again, didn’t grow in popularity until after used in the White House by President Calvin Coolidge in 1923. A German company also created an artificial tree, again, in response to tree fires as well as the number of furs being cut down, but the artificial tree didn’t take off until the 1960’s during the era of plastic and the ‘hip’ silver aluminum trees. (Oh, yes, we had one of those.)

America can claim the turkey dinner as its own. Goose, ham, or beef roasts, are/were common other places, but the turkey, native to America, quickly became the most popular dish served. Benjamin Franklin nominated the turkey to be the ‘national bird’ but the bald eagle won that position.

Along with the tree and food, the holiday soon became a highly celebrated occasion, including family gatherings and community celebrations.  

Our family has many traditions, some old and some new. One of my personal favorites is reading Christmas stories. I gather books year round and save them to start reading as soon as Thanksgiving dinner has been served. 

On that note, I’m excited to have two new Christmas stories released this year. 

Christmas Cowboy Kisses. My story, Christmas with Her Cowboy, is part of this Harlequin Anthology that was released in October. 

Christmas with Her Cowboy by Lauri Robinson—Ranch hand Tanner Maxwell is not pleased that Anna Hagan has returned to the Double Bar for Christmas. But the little girl he once knew is now all grown up….

The other wonderful stories in this anthology include: 

 A Family for Christmas by Carolyn Davidson—When a handsome widower and his young boy are stranded at Joy Watson's Missouri homestead just before Christmas, the true meaning of love and family is revealed.

A Christmas Miracle by Carol Arens—Laira Lynne is striving to save her beloved town. New arrival Rayne Lantree is the only man with the power to make her dream come true…if he'll just believe in a little Christmas magic! 

My second one is in Harlequin’s Undone line, Snowbound with Sheriff will be released December 1st.

Southern Montana, 1886

When Chayston Williams agreed to act as sheriff of Spring Valley, Montana, he never dreamed his duties would include delivering his father's pretty young mail-order bride to the family ranch in time for a Christmas wedding!

Violet Ritter promised her late stepfather that she would marry the man of his choosing. But she's shocked to discover her husband-to-be is old enough to have a grown son of his own! And she's even more surprised by her attraction to the ornery young man….

When a blizzard strands them in the sheriff's office for two days—and two nights—how will Chayston and Violet stop the fire between them from blazing out of control?

Happy Holidays!