Why Is It the Season Of Egg Nog? And Other Surprising Origins of Holiday Traditions

Shortly thereafter your turkey is stuffed, cooked, carved and devoured some of you are off to the Christmas tree farm, climbing into the attic for your Christmas lights or pulling out that heirloom punch bowl in which to serve your passed down family egg nog recipe.  Do you even know, however, why we do all this and where these traditions actually originated?  Well, if you are now scratching your head, I've got you covered and, if anything, you'll now have some interesting trivia to share around that punch bowl.

Egg Nog

The spiked egg and milk mixture definitely has a "love or hate" reputation but it has been popular for over a millennium.  Most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval Britain “posset,” a hot, milky, ale-like drink. By the 13th century, monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs. Milk, eggs, and sherry were foods of the wealthy, so eggnog was often used in toasts to prosperity and good health.  Egg nog became an American holiday tradition in the colonial 1700s as America was colonized with Brits, full of farms, i.e.; chickens and cows, and cheap rum (brandy and rum were heavily taxed; and we know what was the end result of all that taxing!).  The name eggnog, however, remains a mystery. Some say “nog” comes from “noggin,” meaning a wooden cup, or “grog,” a strong beer. By the late 18th century, the combined term “eggnog” stuck.

Each region of the country would adapt egg nog to their liking as the drink gained in popularity during the holidays, a time to toast good health and for the wealthy to imbide during festive times. Even George Washington devised his own version of the brew which was heavy on the alcohol.  Here was the typical recipe for his times:

One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.

I prefer this version as it's made from scratch with no refined sugar and does not rely on 4 (!) liquors for half of its ingredients.  I fall into the camp that feels if you do not like egg nog it is because you have not tasted the real thing.  Give it a try but in moderation as this drink, although offering good fats, is still high in calories.

Egg Nog (serves 4-6)

2 cups milk (or 1 can full fat coconut milk )
1 cup cream (or 1 cup almond milk )
 3-4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup maple syrup or sugar of choice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (ground will do but not preferable)
1/8 tsp ground allspice
3 ounces bourbon, optional

Place the milk and the following 4 ingredients (through vanilla extract) into a blender. Blend for 30 seconds and serve sprinkled with cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, allspice. If making an adult version, add in the bourbon after you have blended.  You can chill milk-egg mixture in refrigerator until ready to serve.

If you prefer to cook your mixture follow these directions:

Mix egg yolks, 2 cups of milk (or coconut nilk) and maple syrup. Stir gently but constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to cling to and coat the back of a spoon, about five to ten minutes. Be patient with this process – if you turn the heat up too high or don’t stir, the egg yolks might turn into scramble eggs.

Remove from heat and set the pot in a larger bowl filled with ice water (careful, so no water overflows into the eggnog!) and stir for 2-3 minutes then add the last cup of cream (or almond milk) and the vanilla extract.  Mix in bourbon too if using.

Let the mixture cool down to room temperature then chill in the fridge. The longer you let the eggnog chill, the thicker and more custard-like it will become.

Christmas Tree

The mother of all Christmas traditions is the Christmas tree, which is the most likely and most visible tradition in our homes during the holidays.  Written records of Christmas trees began to appear in 15th and 16th century central pagan Europe but the modern Christmas tree originated with German Lutherans in the 17th century and spread to Pennsylvania in the 1820s after they began to immigrate to the United States.

The tradition of adornment started, however,with Germany's Prince Albert.  He came to England in 1840 to marry Queen Victoria and he brought the Christmas tree with him. The royal family decorated it with small gifts, toys, candles, candies and fancy cakes, giving rise to the modern ornament. Eight years later, a photograph of the royal tree appeared in a London newspaper, and the decked out Christmas tree became the height of holiday fashion in Europe and America.


Santa Claus

There really was a Saint Nicholas, though he lived in Turkey, not the North Pole. In the 300s, Nicholas was the bishop of Myra with a reputation for secret gift-giving. For centuries, Europeans would celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day on December 6th by giving gifts to children. Over time, the tradition, like Christianity itself, evolved, and became more and more associated with Christmas, not Saint Nicholas’ Day. In many parts of Northern Europe, however, Christians exchange gifts on December 6th, not 25th ( So now I know where my mother's Filipino Feast of the Three Kings' tradition of leaving your shoes on the windowsill on Dec. 6th to be filled with small gifts comes from).

Much of the contemporary American Santa Claus as we know him today, however, traces back to 1821. That’s when Lement C. Moore’s classic poem, “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” was published (that story that begins, “twas the night before Christmas.”).  Before its publication, the folklore around Santa Claus varied considerably across the United States but judging by today's Santa Claus practices Moore has clearly won out.


Mistle Toe

Kissing under the mistletoe has its origins in Pre-Christian Europe. From the Druids to the ancient Greeks, Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, a symbol of male fertility and romance, in cultures across the continent. Though no one is quite sure how the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe arose, it’s likely that it has its roots in Scandinavia.

Celtic legend says the plant can bring good luck, heal wounds, increase fertility and ward off evil spirits. The tradition of smooching underneath the mistletoe began in the Victorian era and was once believed to inevitably lead to marriage.  We should be thankful that no longer holds up, as the kissing has more to do with drinking too much punch rather than courting!

Fruit Cake

Johnny Carson once famously stated, “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” Well, if that’s true, it’s been happening since Ancient times! Cakes made with fruits and nuts have been around for thousands of years. But it wasn't until the 16th century, when Europeans brought sugar back from the Americas and it was discovered that fruit could be preserved by soaking it in large solutions of sugar that the modern fruit cake as we know it was born.

By the 19th century people were combining all sorts of candied fruits — pineapples, plums, dates, pears, cherries, orange peels and cheap nuts — into a cake-like form. In 1913, two of the most famous American bakeries of the time — Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas and The Claxton Bakery in Claxton, Georgia — began to ship mail order fruitcakes.  100 years later, most of us have heard and/or carry on the laborious tradition of making fruitcakes weeks or even a year in advance, storing them in the attic as my mother-in-law has reminisced about.

I have yet to make a fruit cake but here is a recipe from Nigel Slater, one of the best British cookbook authors so its authentic for sure.  And here is the White House version of fruitcake.