Mitten Tree Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on the 6th of December. This is a day during which people collect mittens to hang on Christmas trees and hand out to people in need. During the winter months, mittens are extremely important and can prevent a person from developing frostbite.

In extreme cold, exposed skin can be frostbitten in under 10-minutes, so it’s clear why it’s important for people to have the proper winter gear — particularly mittens. Unfortunately, a lot of underprivileged people don’t have mittens, and that’s why observing this day is so important for so many people.

The History Of Mitten Tree Day

According to cave paintings, humans have worn mittens for a long time. It’s believed that simple mittens go back to the Ice Age. Unfortunately, no mittens from that era have been found.

The oldest pair of gloves that have survived the ravages of time were linen gloves created sometime around 1343 B.C and found in King Tutankhamun’s Tomb in 1922. It’s believed that he wore these gloves while he held the reins to his chariot, so in effect, these are the first riding gloves.

People continued to wear gloves over the centuries, but they really became popular during the Middle Ages in Europe. Chain-mail gloves were created for warfare and heavy leather gloves were crafted for blacksmithing. Nobility, merchants, and clergy also wore gloves as a status symbol or for ceremonial purposes.

The history behind Mitten Tree Day isn’t as well known as the history of mittens and gloves. It’s believed that this holiday was created by school teachers who created this holiday as a classroom activity that was both fun and could be used to give poor students the mittens they needed.

It was named after a book by Candace Christiansen called “The Mitten Tree.” A children’s book about a woman named Sara who noticed a boy at a bus stop didn’t have mittens, so she left them at the bus stop the following day. This book is a great winter read and a reminder to everyone that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.

Observing Mitten Tree Day

This is a day to give people mittens. Classrooms can create their own mitten tree, or people can simply buy pairs of mittens and distribute them to people that need them. Or they can be given to organizations that will pass the mittens out to schoolchildren, the homeless, or other people who may need them. A word about this holiday can be spread around the Internet using the hashtag #MittenTreeDay online.