It's nearly 'that time of year' again, and my gosh, hasn't it flown by as always! The festive season is upon us and I'm starting to think about when to do the Christmas shopping, which dodgy relatives not to invite round this year and sending out cards to friends and family (am I too early or too organised?).
Whilst thinking about all this seasonal madness, another burning thought crossed my mind: why are robins associated with Christmas even though they appear all year round?
I see robins in the spring and the summer when they hold their territories for breeding, I hear them singing in the autumn defending their territories so why does the winter get all the credit?
I did some research and found that it all comes down to...that's right...the postman! Apparently, in Victorian times, when sending Christmas cards was getting popular, postmen would wear bright red coats and were nick named 'robins' or 'redbreast'. People would draw pictures of robins with letters in their bills and even dressed up as postmen delivering the Christmas post!
The robin's song also starts to get very strong and passionate around Christmas time, maybe because Santa doesn't bring them enough presents but this might also be a reason why we see robins on the front of Christmas cards.
So the next time you pick up a Christmas card with a beautiful scene of children playing in the glistening snow, mistletoe blowing in the background and the sparkling Christmas tree with a cheeky robin in it's branches, remember, a robin is for life, not just for Christmas!
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