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relatively recent vintage, what would the holidays be for many of us without thoughts of taking a horse-drawn sleigh, through snow-covered woods to Grandma’s house where family, a decorated tree, and presents from Santa await. This is certainly an appropriate image for old-time Rappahannock County where celebrations were centered about the home and family and church and presents were often fruit and nuts stuffed into stockings ‘hung by the chimney with care’.
And yet some of our holiday traditions are very old. Centuries before the birth of Christ, people the world over developed customs to overcome their trepidations and depression over the long nights of the winter solstice. Food, drink, light, greenery, and human generosity were all mixed, matched, and expanded by various cultures over thousands of years.
Evergreens as winter decorations have long been a symbol of the longed-for renewal and fertility of spring in cultures as varied as Rome,
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