of evergreen plant hung at Christmas time. Custom is that people can kiss each other standing under it.
7. Christmas Bells
Church bells rang to announce the birth of Jesus. They still ring today.
8. Christmas Camels
Camels are the animals the Wisemen rode following the star to where Jesus was born.
9. Candles
Candles represent the light that Jesus brought to earth. Pagans who converted to Christianity used candles on the sacred evergreen tree.
10. Christmas Star
The Star of Bethlehem guided the Three Wisemen to Baby Jesus. The Christmas star announced the birth of Christ. Many songs were written about it. The star appeared on many of the first Christmas cards in the 1840s. Stars were placed on the tops of Christmas Trees.
11. Christmas Gifts
The first Christmas gifts were given by the Wisemen to Baby Jesus.
12. Christmas Holly
Holly is a shrub with spiny leaves and red berries. The leaves remain green throughout the year. Pagans thought its greenness was a promise that the sun would return. Early French and English families hung holly over their doors to symbolize a home in which Christ’s birth is celebrated.
13. Christmas Carols
Caroling is a medieval custom of singing and dancing around a Christmas tree. Most of the early carols were about Mary, the shepherds, the Magi and the birth of Jesus. Later carols were sung by groups of people who would go to homes and sing in harmony. Early carols weren’t holy enough for singing inside a church, so caroling was