Cardinal Birds and the Christmas Connection

Of all the Christmas symbols, one that has long puzzled yet charmed me is a pretty little bird we call the Cardinal. Originally, I believed that the association between Cardinals and Christmas was the way their scarlet feathers add a beautiful burst of color against a mostly gray or white winter landscape. However, upon further research, (I am pretty nerdy, you know) I discovered that while these are both true, there are other, albeit mostly…