Every family has their go-to Christmas traditions, but have you ever noticed that some of your favorites are more fun thanks to cars? Here’s our top 3 picks.
Drive-through Christmas lights show
Christmas traditions like this are just more fun when there’s a heater involved. (If you’ve ever done a walk-through lights show, you know what we mean!) Thanks to cars, you don’t have to freeze to death in order to enjoy the magic of Christmas lights synced to Christmas music. You’ll still want the hot chocolate, though!
Hauling a Christmas tree
Another common Christmas tradition that cars make more convenient and enjoyable is picking out a live Christmas tree. Back in the day, Americans had to travel (and go Christmas tree shopping) via horse-drawn sleighs in the winter.
“Thick snow made traveling in a sleigh a smoother ride than traveling in a wagon. But most sleighs were not covered, so the ride could be very cold. People kept warm by covering themselves with fur blankets and with heavy coverlets called “lap robes.” Lap robes (which were designed to cover a rider’s legs, lap, and feet) came in many kinds of designs and could be surprisingly bright and colorful…. People also used foot warmers to keep warm in a sleigh or carriage. These were metal boxes that were filled with hot coals and placed on the floor inside the vehicle.”
Source: parkcityhistory.org
So this winter, when you go to pick out your Christmas tree, think of how grateful you are that you have a car to strap it to and a toasty warm ride home.
Traveling to see family
In the early 19th century, travel was much slower than it is now. According to teachushistory.org, “With a good horse, it took from four to six days, depending on the weather, to travel from Boston to New York.” Fortunately, it’s much easier nowadays to travel to see family for the holidays. Thanks to modern modes of transportation, you can now drive from Ohio to Alabama for your Christmas tradition in one day’s time!