Christmas celebrations look a lot different today than they did in the days of early Appalachian settlers, but many of our traditions are based on those early Christmases.
1. Fruitcake
You might think of fruitcake as more of a joke than a real gift or traditions today, but early Appalachian people thought of fruitcake as something entirely different.
That's the term most people used when they were talking about apple stack cake. That cake is still considered a treat by many, even if it does take more than 12 hours to make.
East Tennessee tradition: Apple Stack Cake
2. Old Christmas
Some old timers still talk about Old Christmas. Now, the celebration involves little more than just leaving your decorations up for a few extra days.
But when new settlers were moving into this region, Old Christmas was just the day they celebrated Christmas. The date was different because of a change from one calendar to a new one in the 1500s. It took hundreds of years for the whole world to adopt the new dates, and took Appalachian settlers even longer.
Most people had adopted the calendar by the late 1800s, but used Old Christmas as a way to stretch out their celebrations.
3. Superstitions
Appalachian people have a superstition for just about everything. You can catch bad luck by leaving a hat on the bed or exiting from a door you didn't enter through or even running across a black cat.
But Christmas has its own set of superstitions in Appalachia.
A cricket on the hearth? Don't kill it! It's good luck!
Do animals talk at midnight on Christmas? A lot of people will tell you they do.
4. Candles in the window
Still pretty common in Appalachia today, settlers had a pretty good reason for placing candles in the window - they just needed to see.
Often, the candles were a sign to visitors that people in the home were awake and ready to welcome guests.
Now, the candles are usually electric or battery powered, but many people still consider it an important Christmas tradition to light up their windows.
5. Serenading
Now known as caroling, "serenading" was a more mischievous Christmas tradition.
Serenaders would sneak up to their friends' or neighbors' homes and start singing or yelling. If they surprised the family, common courtesy dictated that they deserved some kind of Christmas gift or treat.
Today, many people in our area still drive around singing to their neighbors, but - for most people, anyway - there's less sneaking around.
6. Mistletoe
It's a common decoration for people just about everywhere, but mistletoe was popular in old Appalachia because it was so easy to find.
Mistletoe commonly grows on trees in our area, and it was easy for people to pull down - either by climbing up the tree or by shooting it out.
7. Bringing in the tree
People in Old Appalachia didn't go to a tree farm to find their trees, and they certainly didn't buy artificial ones.
For early settlers, convenience was key, so they stuck to the trees they saw around them, like pine or cedar trees.
They used other natural greenery, like pinecones and mistletoe, to decorate the rest of their homes.
Now, of course, there are hundreds of tree options, from local tree farms to artificial trees painted every color of the rainbow.
8. Christmas cards
Even in the days when mail was harder to send and receive, people in Appalachia often sent postcards wishing their friends, families and neighbors a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year.
Now, many families still send Christmas cards, including family pictures and updates.
9. Santa Train
This 76-year-old tradition started in 1943 in Kingsport, Tennessee. Every year, a train full of gifts - and, of course, Santa - winds its way through Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee.
The train has always been powered by a group of charity organizations and hands out gifts like candy, toys, hats and scarves.
10. Gifts
Most people who celebrate Christmas around the world exchange some kind of gifts, but the gifts children in old Appalachia asked for were unlike anything we'd think of today.
11. The Christmas story
It's still common for people in our region to spend Christmas Eve reading the Christmas story from the Bible with their families. In Appalachia it was common for the patriarch of the family to read the verses.
Later, that tradition evolved to allow the children to read from the family Bible.
12. Helping those in need
Perhaps one of the most enduring traditions from Appalachia is helping people in need.
In old times, people would often try to cook or bake for neighbors in need or invite people into their homes if they had nowhere to go.
Today, holiday donations pour in for food pantries and toy drives across the area.
