Christmas Cookie Santa Trivia

Food Tip of the Day

The first Christmas cookie was the gingerbread cookie. Queen Elizabeth I started the trend by making cookies of her favored courtiers. Thus, the gingerbread man was born. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert instilled the gingerbread cookie into their Christmas celebrations, and so it is to this day.

The tradition of putting out a plate of cookies for Santa is credited to the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Parents wanted to teach children to have appreciation for what they had during economic hard times. To share cookies with Santa, who brought them gifts, was a way to thank him and his reindeer.

An older tale is reported to credit St. Nicholas, a third-century bishop. The bishop was very kind to children. The children would leave food out for him on St. Nicholas Day eve, December 6.

Santa’s favorite cookies are chocolate chip and Oreo’s. But, of course, a glass of milk is always appreciated as well.

It is estimated that Santa eats 336,150,386 cookies during his worldwide trip on Christmas Eve.

For more information on cookie making read:

Tips on Making Good Cookies
How to Make Your Cookies Soft
Christmas Cookie Tradition