December Traditions

December is here blending faith, nature, and magic.

Appalachian traditions are deep rooted and proudly celebrated. Our unique culture originated by a mix of  Christian Scot-Irish traditions, Native American practices, and Mulungeon folk beliefs. These combined created some of the most beloved and recognized seasonal customs and traditions in the world. I'm proud to say that my grandparents, who grew up poor in the Appalachian mountains as children, were traditional as it gets. As a child I remember neighborhood christmas parties and big family celebration traditions that keep my heart warm at 50. They provided strong, beautiful memories of some of the things I am writing about today and I hope my grandchildren will walk away knowing these "Country Christmas" feelings.

The season here focuses on some of my favorite things. No. Not cruises. Things such as eating, drinking, and being MERRY!  And yeah, I do it different than everybody else and you'll do it your way, which is equally lovely.  Below is a list of what you will see if you come visit this month. Also noted things we should do to bring luck into our lives.

Also on this page is my personal message. Please...give yourself some credit and give yourself some slack. It is okay. It is not going to be perfect. It does not have to be perfect. But you need to "BE".  Be present.  Put down that damn phone. Watch the kids. Smell the roses. Literally. Stop. Breathe.  If you dont smoke (you shouldn't that is gross) still do the walk away. Deep breathes. Just a few times and you will feel better, more relaxed, and calm.  Then I suggest smile. Why not? We should all smile more.  Ok. Im done...here are my thoughts as I get some Christmas Spirit going. 

• December Food
  
  • We bake. Christmas Day is known in some areas as "Baking Day". Loaves of bread and cakes baked on Christmas Day are believed to have special healing properties. 
  • Traditional foods included mincemeat, fruitcake made with whiskey, applesauce cake, and pies. Biscuits with chocolate gravy. Handmade candies, pies, and pastries.  Molasses Cookies. Apple Stack Cakes. Ask for some recipes. 
  • Eat "snow cream" (made with snow, sugar, milk, and vanilla) on snowy days.
  • Drinks!
    • Wassail is a warm, spiced drink traditionally enjoyed during the Christmas and New Year holiday season. It is a more complex version of apple cider, combining various fruit juices (typically apple, orange, and lemon) with mulling spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. 
    • The Hot Toddy is a classic, warm alcoholic drink consisting of liquor (typically whiskey), hot water, honey, and lemon, often served with spices like cinnamon or cloves. It is a popular nightcap, a comforting beverage on cold nights, and a traditional home remedy to help relieve cold and flu symptoms. 

    • Mulled wine is a warm, spiced alcoholic drink, typically made with red wine, mulling spices, and citrus, and is especially popular during the winter and Christmas holidays in Europe and North America.

    • Traditional homemade eggnog is made of milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs, one or more alcoholic spirits, and spices, often vanilla or nutmeg and in some recipes, cloves. Some recipes call for the eggs to be separated so that the egg whites can be whipped until they are thick; this gives the drink a frothy texture.
    • Apple cider is a beverage made by pressing apples to produce juice and then fermenting that juice. Alcoholic and non alcoholic variations.
    • Bolio (moonshine, lemons or citris, honey, and caraway seeds)  is a traditional, potent, warm alcoholic punch and holiday staple.
  • Christmas Pokes are a brown paper bag with treats like an orange, apple, and candy. In my region the local churches provide pokes to the Children. 
• Decorate/Your space
  • We decorate using trees, wreaths made of holly and pinecones, and many lights and candles. Stockings filled with oranges, nuts, and peppermint candy.
  • Mistletoe hung. It has the ability to ward off evil spirits. Hang in doorways. Kiss under it on Christmas Eve Midnight for luck in love.
  • Placing a candle in the window was a sign to visitors that the home was awake and welcoming, a tradition that continues today with electric or battery-powered lights.
  • Spiritual practices such as purifying the home or performing divination to predict the new year. Some traditions involve staying up to watch the sunset and staying awake until dawn to greet the sunrise, marking the return of the light.
• Party
  • Music!  Poke and Caroling where groups go calling on the neighbors, making noise at their houses with drinks and laughter. 
  • 12 Days of Christmas?  Yes! This is a celebration of the 12 days after December 25th that often involves family, music, and traditional foods.
  • Old Christmas - on Jan 6th.  One of the beliefs is that the dead return home on Christmas Eve.
  • Our customs are big with gift-giving.  Gifts are often handmade items like knitted garments, quilts, baskets, soaps, useful tools, or homemade toys like rag dolls.
  • Storytelling. This is an old tradition rooted in winter solstice celebrations from pre-Christian times, where families would tell stories to ward off the darkness. Victorian ghost stories had themes of unfinished business, change, and reflection, rather than just supernatural symbols. 
  • Books! people exchange books as gifts on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading them together, often with chocolate and warm drinks. Other traditions include reading a different Christmas book each night throughout December or creating a countdown to Christmas with books. 
  • Fireworks and firecrackers are a tradition dating  back hundreds of years and is still practiced. Colonial Williamsburg does a great show a few times in December. 
  • Horses are still utilized in our area and we have winter rides and horse drawn carriage rides. 
• Traditions
  • Cold ashes from the Christmas fire can be examined the next morning to predict the new year. 
  • Burn ‘Yule logs’ throughout the night on Christmas Eve. This ritual is believed to cleanse the past year’s sins and bring good luck for the coming year. 
  • Yule is a whole other thing that we can look at later this month but it runs from Dec 21st to Jan 1st.  December 21st is the 1st day of Yule.
• Superstitions
  • Dont give shoes - it can lead to the recipient walking out of your life.
  • Open doors and windows at midnight on Christmas Eve -lets evil spirits escape
  • Unmarried woman can visit a hog pen at midnight on Christmas Eve. If she hears an old hog grunting, she will marry an old man. If she hears a young one grunt first, her husband will be young and handsome.
  • Christmas Day Weather predicts the weather for the rest of the year.
    • A warm Christmas suggests a cold Easter.
    • A green (snow-free) Christmas means a white Easter is likely.
    • A windy Christmas indicates a good corn crop.
  • Animals and insects will kneel or sing on Christmas Eve and/or "Old Christmas" (January 6). 
  • Place mistletoe under your pillow on "Old Christmas"  - you will see the face of your true love in a dream. 
  • Leave a piece of bread on the table after Christmas supper to ensure you have enough to eat all year. 
  • Never let the fire go out on Christmas morning, or spirits may take you away.
    • A bright fire is a sign of prosperity
    • a smoldering fire predicts trouble.
  • Welcoming 12 visitors on Christmas Day brings good luck for the whole year.
  • Ghosts walk among us on Christmas Eve. Some families would even set a place at the dinner table for the spirits of loved ones who had passed, in hopes of offering them peace and showing respect.
  • Tap the tree before bringing it inside - By tapping the tree three times before bringing it inside, families were thought to be releasing any mischievous spirits that might have been hiding within the branches. It was also a way of ensuring that the tree would bring joy and not bad luck into the home.
  • Ring bells - for guaranteed happiness and health for the year ahead.

There is so much, I can go on and on. I just wanted to share some of what I do and look forward to this month.  Today is December 1st and the first day of the rest of our lives. Let's make it happy, healthy, and magical.  Step over my cinnamon, I know it is there. 

Stay Spiritual!  Scarlett.