Did you know National Mitten Tree Day is celebrated on December 6?
It is said to be a fun holiday that encourages using and giving mittens. Mittens are the perfect solution to keep our hands warm when playing in the snow and building snowmen.
Since I have never lived in a place that had more than the occasional snow, I was totally unaware of this activity.
Story Time
The details of the history of Mitten Tree Day are not clear, but there is a belief that school teachers formed it during Christmas time.
The idea of Mitten Tree Day is said to have emerged as a fun class activity, which they named after a book called “The Mitten Tree.” The book’s author, Candace Christiansen, focused the storyline on a woman who missed her grown-up children.
In the book, the lady walks through the cold winter weather and spots a few children waiting at the school bus stop. The lady notices that the children want to play in the snow but can’t because they don’t have any mittens to protect their hands. Feeling sorry for the kids, she knits a basket full of mittens and hangs them on a tree near the bus stop. The woman continues to knit mittens for the kids of her town and no longer drowns in the memories of her children.
History
According to sources, the name ‘mittens’ comes from the Old French word ‘mitaine’ – an old pet name for a cat. At that time, mittens were made of animal fur.
The earliest mittens found are said to date back to 1000 A.D. Mittens were also very common in medieval Europe. However, since they were hard to make, they were often worn as a fashion statement by the wealthy.
Today, we make mittens from different materials like wool, leather, fur, or polyester. They also tend to be warmer than gloves because our fingers generate more heat when they are together.
Mittens are the perfect solution to keep our hands warm when playing in the snow and building snowmen.