Photo courtesy Wyckoff’s Christmas Tree Farm
By Cassie Galasetti
Many holiday traditions date back hundreds, even thousands of years but are still being practiced and celebrated today. But with the ever-changing digital landscape, modern beliefs and traditions have taken on new looks and meanings. Case in point: pink Christmas trees.
TRIM THE TREES
Yes, pink trees.
Christmas trees in all shades of pink are proving to be a big trend this season. It could be because Pantone announced its 2019 Color of the Year is a shade of pink or maybe because people are looking to do something a little more unique with their decorating.
Wyckoff’s Christmas Tree Farm is New Jersey’s original colored tree farm. Its Christmas trees are dyed with a special colorant to make them pink, purple, dark blue, light blue, magenta, red, black, white and turquoise.
“People are looking for something different,” said John Wyckoff, owner of Wyckoff’s Christmas Tree Farm in Belvidere. “They have their favorite colors, or maybe they want a blue tree because they’re big fans of the Giants or they’re part of the law enforcement.”
“Pink trees are popular with little girls and cancer survivors,” he said. “We even made red and white trees for the colors of our local high school. We like to mix it up and make it fun.” Wyckoff’s has 65 acres of Christmas trees but only 350 colored trees that sell out every year.
Way before the rise of Christianity, plants and trees that were green and stayed green year-round had a special significance in winter. In many areas of the world it was believed that evergreens would keep away illnesses, along with witches, ghosts and evil spirits.
Although it’s up for debate, the first time the evergreen was used as a Christmas tree was either in Tallinn, Estonia or Riga, Latvia. But it wasn’t until the 16th century, when German Christians brought the trees inside their homes as a symbol of everlasting life that the tradition seems to have taken hold.
The idea of the wreath was born when people pruned the trees to make them more uniform looking or to fit into a room. Instead of throwing the pieces away, Europeans intertwined the excess greenery into wreaths.
Sickles Market sells thousands of trees and wreaths each season, from “old fashioned” trees that are unsheared and look like they are from a 1930s or ’40s Christmas to the more traditional Douglas fir and Fraser firs. “In our Christmas Shoppe we have traditional and nontraditional themes throughout,” said Mike Prandato, garden center manager at Sickles Market. “We have separate themes such as nautical, woodland and color schemes like blues, whites and pinks.”
They also keep up with the more modern trends in ornaments. “We have a food tree, every animal imaginable including sloths – yes, sloths – which are extremely popular. We have a unicorn tree which is beyond trendy.”
WRAP IT UP
Another tradition that has been around for years is wrapping a present for gifting.
The tradition’s origins are in Asia where wrapping paper was made of hemp, bamboo fibers and rice straws. Today, wrapping paper has become a huge business; in the United States we purchase around 108 million rolls of wrapping paper a year. Thankfully, most are made of recycled paper. Even so, wrapping paper can be one tradition that could use a creative and modern twist.
Photo courtesy Katie Benson
“Wrapping presents with other materials besides actual store-bought wrapping paper is a fun way to get creative during the holidays and start a new tradition,” said Katie Benson, owner of TableSettingIsMyLife, a local crafter, party planner and Etsy shop owner. “One year I saved all the answer sheets from family game night and made wrapping paper from all the Pictionary, Cranium, Loaded Questions and Scattergories sheets. It was a great way for the family to relive game night! I also love using plain brown paper and stamps as wrapping paper. You can find holiday stamps at your local arts and crafts stores. I always make sure to use letter stamps so I can personalize each present.”
EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Hanukkah traditions and celebrations vary in Jewish households, but the sentiment has remained the same: rededication of faith. Lighting the menorah and eating foods fried in oil are traditional to symbolize the miracle of the oil that kept a menorah lit almost 2,200 years ago.
When it comes to traditional foods, latkes – the Eastern European crispy potato pancakes served with a dollop of sour cream or applesauce – are the most well-known. While it’s important to keep the food tradition alive, there are some ways you can upgrade this dish with a modern twist.
This year try making latkes into bite-size appetizers for a nice change of pace from the side-dish version. For more of an upgrade, you can grate sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes with onion, egg, salt and pepper. In lieu of plain sour cream whip up an apple-raisin chutney and jalapeño lime sour cream for a little heat.
SINGING IN THE SEASON
The tradition of visiting neighbors and singing holiday songs, also known as caroling, dates as far back as the 8th or 9th century. An urban legend says that Christmas caroling actually got its name from a young English girl named Carol Poles, who went missing in London during the holiday season in the late 19th century. Facts are slim, but this story poses that people searched for her by going door-to-door, singing to voice their good intentions.
Today, many caroling groups sing for charity in churches and neighborhoods, but a fun and new way to get your family belting out those holiday favorites is starting your own Christmas karaoke tradition. From “Jingle Bells” to “All I Want for Christmas,” every family member can take center stage right in your living room.
Although the times are changing and we can get lost in the hustle and bustle of this time of year, we can keep the magic of the holidays by updating our traditions with a new modern twist.
