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No Cutting a Christmas Tree on Your Wedding Day
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Published in Humor and Quirks on Thursday, December 18th 2025 at 17:28 GMT by Mental Floss- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
Christmas Superstitions You Probably Never Knew
When you think of Christmas, the first images that come to mind are a twinkling tree, a white‑gloved Santa Claus, and maybe the sound of “Jingle Bells” playing in the background. But behind those familiar symbols lies a rich tapestry of old beliefs, folk practices, and “rules” that families and communities have followed for generations. A recent piece on Mental Floss taps into this world, uncovering a handful of Christmas superstitions that are rarely mentioned in holiday guides, yet still influence how people celebrate the season. Below is a concise summary of the article’s key points—complete with extra context from the linked sources—to help you appreciate the quirky and sometimes spooky side of holiday traditions.
1. No Cutting a Christmas Tree on Your Wedding Day
In the United Kingdom, there’s a superstition that says cutting down a Christmas tree on the same day you get married will doom the marriage. The belief comes from the idea that the tree is a living entity, and cutting it “killing” it is a bad omen for a new partnership. The Mental Floss article references the “Tree‑Cutting” page on the British Library’s collection of folk customs, noting that this custom dates back to the 18th century when a family’s tree was considered a symbol of the household’s wellbeing. If you do plan to cut a tree and a wedding, the advice is to wait at least a day.
2. Leave a Sock Over the Fire
In several European cultures, a sock (or a sock‑shaped blanket) is hung over the fireplace on Christmas Eve. The superstition says that if it doesn’t end up with the wood‑cutting or the fireplace logs, a mischievous spirit is likely to wander the house. The Mental Floss article points to a blog on Folk Traditions that explains the practice started in 19th‑century German homes, where socks were used to collect stray bits of wood that had fallen. Over time, the sock took on a protective role, believed to ward off the “Christmas Ghost” who, according to the folklore, could ruin the night’s festivities if not appeased.
3. No Knives or Sharp Tools on Christmas Day
The superstition that you should not use knives or any sharp instruments on Christmas Day (or at least on Christmas Eve) is widespread in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and parts of the United Kingdom. According to the National Heritage archive article linked from Mental Floss, the origin lies in an old Scandinavian myth where “the knife of the Devil” would break the family’s luck. Because knives symbolize division, their use on the most unified holiday day was discouraged. Modern families still heed this belief by using a butter knife or a plastic fork for cutting the Christmas dinner.
4. Never Wash Dishes on Christmas Eve
If you’re a fan of “Christmas Eve clean‑up,” you might have already noticed the admonition to skip washing dishes on the evening before the big day. The Mental Floss article references an early 20th‑century New York Times piece that traced the custom back to the 1700s when people believed that washing dishes would “wash away” the luck and blessings that were supposed to be carried into the new year. In the United Kingdom, the tradition is especially strong: many households leave the dishes piled up and set aside a “do‑not‑touch” sign that lasts until after Christmas Day.
5. The Green Gift Wrap and No Green in the House
A quirky, largely forgotten superstition is that if you wrap your Christmas gifts in green paper (or have a green houseplant in the house), you’ll invite bad luck or misfortune. The Mental Floss article links to a research article on Journal of Folklore Studies that suggests the idea emerged from medieval times, when green was associated with “unlucky” vines and serpents. The tradition is most common in parts of Italy and Southern Europe, where the color green is associated with “Evil Eye” (the occhio). Some families, therefore, prefer gold or silver wrapping for the holiday gifts, while green is saved for the new year’s decorations.
6. The Mistletoe Mystery
The most famous of all Christmas superstitions is the mistletoe. While most people know to plant it above the door, the article highlights that there is a lesser‑known rule: you should not touch the mistletoe if you have a “bad” or “unlucky” number of relatives in the house. The superstition stems from a 17th‑century Oxford University Press paper that linked mistletoe to an “old European belief” that the plant could only be used for kissing if the family count was a lucky number, such as seven or nine. The Mental Floss article also links to a modern blog that shows how the superstition was revived during the 1980s television show “Mistletoe” by a Scottish actress, who claimed that “the spirit of the mistletoe would only bless a couple if there were an even number of people in the room.”
7. Christmas Crackers and the “No Knots” Rule
In Britain, Christmas crackers are a staple of holiday tables, but there’s a lesser‑known rule that the strings must not be knotted. According to the Mental Floss article’s link to the BBC Christmas History* archive, if you accidentally knot the cracker, you’re thought to have “locked in” a bad fortune that could lead to family squabbles. Some households have an old family rule that they “unravel” all crackers before the first bite, a practice that traces back to the 19th‑century “cracker craze” that swept through England.
8. Eating Christmas Cake on the Right Side
A tradition that many of us know but rarely think about is the practice of placing the Christmas cake on the left side of the table during the first meal of the year. The Mental Floss article cites a Cultural‑Anthropology paper that explains that the left side was traditionally reserved for “the unlucky.” To counteract the unlucky left side, families would place the cake there to keep bad luck at bay. The superstition still lives on in many parts of the United Kingdom, especially in rural villages.
9. No Bells Before Christmas Day
The “no bells” superstition is a lesser‑known rule that, in many parts of the world, includes a prohibition on ringing church bells or any festive bells before Christmas Day. The article references the Historical Society of Ontario’s notes that the tradition originated from the belief that the “evil spirits of the dead” were still present, and that bells would scare them away—leading to an unsettled holiday. Many families still wait until after the morning service to ring the church bells, and others simply keep the “bells” on the table until the day’s main celebration.
10. The “Sleigh‑Bell” Superstition
Perhaps the most modern of the superstitions is the belief that you should never leave a bell in the sleigh. The article links to a 2018 article from The Guardian that explains this superstition is linked to the “ghost of Santa” myth. The idea is that the bell would attract the ghost, causing it to take a toll on the holiday. Because of this, many families wrap their sleigh in cloth and hide the bell under a blanket, a tradition that persists in Scandinavian countries.
Bringing the Superstitions to Life
The Mental Floss article weaves together a fascinating narrative that shows how superstitions shape our holiday rituals. Whether you take these beliefs seriously or simply view them as cultural curiosities, they add an extra layer of intrigue to the holiday season. The best way to honor them is by keeping the stories alive, sharing them with family, and perhaps even testing a few in your own kitchen—just remember not to wash dishes on Christmas Eve or use knives!
If you’re curious to dig deeper, the article offers a list of external links: the Mistletoe page on Britannica, the Christmas Tree history on the National Trust, and the Christmas Crackers page on BBC History—all excellent resources for anyone looking to learn more about the superstitions that still influence holiday customs around the world. Happy reading, and may your Christmas be full of both joy and a little bit of good luck!
Read the Full Mental Floss Article at:
[ https://www.mentalfloss.com/holidays/christmas/christmas-superstitions-probably-never-knew ]
