By: Ava Leeney
What would Christmas be without cookies? It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without something baking in the oven. Maybe it’s a family tradition or maybe you simply love experimenting in the kitchen. But Christmas cookies aren't only delicious but also are rooted with an interesting past.
An early example of Christmas cookies in North America came over by the Dutch in the early 17th century. A change to importation laws was made making cookie cutters available in America. Because of the new found popularity of the cutters, companies began publishing shaped cookie recipes in cookbooks.
1930 really changed the use of cookies during Christmas, when they started being left for Santa on Christmas eve. Stemming from the Great Depression, leaving cookies and milk for Santa became a holiday staple. The idea was to show children to give, even when money is tight. This tradition however can be traced back to Greek mythology, it was believed that a god named Odin would give out peasants if something was lifted for him in return.
The idea of cookies and milk has been modernized over time. During the beginning of leaving something for Santa, it was accustomed to leave stockings on the chimney filled with treats for him. Now that has morphed into leaving our own stalking out for Santa to fill.
Comments