Christmas Day-December 25- which celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ, the founder of the Christian religion, is the biggest
and the best-loved holiday in the United States. It is a time
of warmth the gaiety, love and laughter, hospitality and
goodwill.
Each year as the Christmas story is re-told and re-lived through
music and lights, through poems and pageant, through giving and
getting, the Christ spirit is renewed in human hearts.
Everyone-the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the city dweller and the country dweller, the Christian and the non-Christian-becomes a part of the spectacular Christmas celebration. With roots in the Christian tradition it has become a festival of kindness, of thoughtfulness for others, and for jubilation.
Cities and towns deck their streets with bells, garlands of evergreens, and glittering decorations. On the front lawns of homes trees and shrubs are strung with twinkling electric lights, and on almost every front door hangs some red and green symbol of the Christmas season-a wreath of shiny green holly with its bright red berries, a fragrant evergreen bough tied with a red bow, or just the letters MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Store windows replace their usual displays of goods with a nativity scene or one of Santa Claus and his elves busily building Christmas toys. Inside the stores toy departments become veritable play-lands for animated dolls and mechanized animals, and little trains chug endlessly around their circular tracks, whistling at the crossings.
Whether one lives in a bustling metropolis or in a tiny village, the celebration of Christmas is much the same. The ceremony of putting up the towering Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City is repeated in the town square of every community in the country. And each family selects its own small fir tree with as much care as that used in choosing the one that will be the nation's Christmas tree in Washington, D.C. About two weeks before Christmas a giant spruce, balsam or pine tree, selected for its perfect conical shape and thick leafy boughs, is set up on the parade ground between the White House and the Washington Monument and decorated with thousand of colored lights. Then at dusk a few days before Christmas, as a red-coated Marine band plays and a children's choir sings carols, the president of the Untied States presses a button which lights the tree. This is the signal for lighting trees across the land.
The birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Judaea, nearly 2000 years ago, marked the beginning of a new age- the era of Christianity. The exact year of Jesus' birth is not recorded, but the calendar begun on the supposed date divides time into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (anno domini- in the year of our Lord). Now was the exact day of his birth known. For the first 300 years his birthday was celebrated on different dates. Finally, in the year 354, December 25, the last day of the Roman Saturnalia, was chosen by churchmen who saw this as a chance to give new meaning to the pagan holiday. consequently, some of the customs of Christmas pre-date Christianity. The use of evergreen as holiday decorations, for instance. As symbols of enduring life the Romans used evergreen boughs at the Saturnalia, and the Druids brought mistletoe from the forests for decorations at their festivals.
But many of the symbols of the great festival stem directly from the Christmas story. The star in the east directed the Wise Men to the manger where Christ was born, and his teachings became "the Light of the World" for countless millions. The radiance of candles in the churches, the glitter of red, green and gold lights sparkling above the streets, lights aglow in windows, fires flickering in the hearth, the star atop the Christmas tree, all proclaim the message.
The nativity scene, with its wooden or plaster figures of the Holy Family, the shepherds and Wise Men, camels and sheep, grouped around the little manger containing the Holy Infant, is portrayed in homes, shops, on lawns of churches and campuses, and in public gardens. Whether the figures are miniature or life size, and whether they are exquisitely carved or formed of crude ceramic materials, they become realistic reminders of the first Christmas. The custom of displaying the creche at Christmastime, followed in most Christian countries, is said to have been introduced by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century as a way of illustrating the story of the nativity to his parishioners. The custom came to the United States with the early settlers and regional interpretations of the creche still reflect the ethnic origins of the people of the area.
Music literally fills the air at Christmas. Carols sung by church choirs, by school children, in the family circle, and by merry carolers passing from house to house on Christmas Eve express the joyous story with spontaneous vigor. From early December recorded strains of "Silent Night," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," and other well-known Christmas songs are heard in the streets, the department stores; banks, and office buildings, and everyone hums the familiar tunes as he goes about his duties. "Jingle bells," "White Christmas," and new seasonal ballads share honors on the radio and television programs while uniformly expressing the happy spirit of Christmas.
The custom of singing carols during the Christmas season goes back to the time when they were sung in the churches as part of the nativity plays. Between then and the 13th century when St. Francis of Assisi is said to have put the songs into the language of the people and promoted their use at popular festivals, traveling minstrels (later known as "waits") provided Yuletide music. The waits eventually became rowdy and boisterous and with the rise of Puritanism in England the custom fell out of favor. Influenced by the Puritan beliefs, the Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas during their first years at Plymouth, and carol singing was forbidden in Massachusetts until fairly recently.
But in the colonies settled by the French, Italians, Germans and Dutch, Christmas carols were always part of the Christmas celebration. Many of their carols were translated into English and have become part of the American tradition. One of them is the much-loved "Silent Night, Holy Night," brought to the Untied States by German settlers.
The Christmas tree, now the center of interest at most Christmas celebrations, also had its origin in Germany, and was introduced in the United States by Hessian soldiers during the American Revolutionary War. According to legend, one Christmas Eve as Martin Luther was returning home through a forest he felt that the stars twinkling above him were almost a part of the trees themselves. "It must have been a night like this," he thought, "when the angels of the Lord appeared to the shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside." Wanting to share the beauty of the scene with his family he cut down a small fir tree, set it up in his home and fastened candles to its branches. The lighted tree, it seemed to him, had recaptured some of the beauty he beheld in the forest. Another legend says that on the night when Christ was born all the trees in the forests bloomed and bore fruit, and it is often said that our Christmas tree is an incarnation of that lovely and long-held belief. The decoration of outdoor trees comes even closer to that idea.
Occasionally one sees an old-fashioned Christmas tree decorated with homemade ornaments-strings of popcorn, brightly painted walnuts, paper chains made in bright colors, yards of silver tinsel, and a gauze-winged angel on the topmost branch-but it is more usual for the modern tree to be hung with iridescent glass baubles and strings of colored lights.
Gift-giving, for some the essence of Christmas, was doubtless inspired by the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the Holy Child. When they heard Jesus was born, Melchior, ruler of Nubia and Arabia; Gaspar, king of Tarsus; and Balthasar, king of Ethiopia, journeyed to Jerusalem, "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:11)
Early in the development of Christianity a figure appeared who was to become associated with holiday giving as no other. He was St. Nicholas, known throughout Europe as the patron of children and young people and from whom has evolved the mythical figure of Santa Claus. Nicholas was born at the end of the third century, A.D., in the city of Lycia on the coast of Asia Minor, and soon became known for the three daughters of an impoverished nobleman by throwing bags of gold through their windows, and then begging secrecy when the father discovered the identity of the giver. The custom of the secret giving of gifts may be traceable to this incident.
St. Nicholas was first adopted as their patron saint by the children of Holland. On December 6, his saint day, children were told that St. Nicholas had come to their homes the preceding evening, riding a white horse and dressed in his red bishop's robe, to inquire about their behavior during the past year. If the report was satisfactory he returned the next day in full regalia (donned for the occasion by father, uncle or other suitable substitute) to distribute presents to the delighted children. In that mysterious way in which truth becomes legend and legend becomes custom the festivities surrounding the little man with the long beard was born.
St. Nicholas crossed the ocean with the Dutch who settled New Amsterdam (now New York), where he was first called Sinter Class. When the colony came under English rule his name was anglicized to Santa Claus, and the two holidays, December 6 and December 25, gradually merged.
It was the poem,
"A Visit from St. Nicholas" (now known as "'Twas
the Night Before Christmas") written by Dr. Clement Clark
Moore
in 1822, that launched Santa Claus in his present form and
hitched
his sleigh to the now famous reindeers Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen. To fully capture
Santa's lovable personality and the delightful scene of his
Christmas Eve call one must read the poem. Ever since that
introduction, Santa Clause has been a very real personage to most
American children. They greet him in department stores, at the
shopping center and at community parties, sit on his lap and
after
telling him how good they have been all year they list what they
hope to find in their stockings on Christmas morning. Then, just
in case he should forget, they write him a letter and put it in
the mailbox. Each year the Post Office Department distributes
thousands of these letters to charitable organizations who try
to see that the little correspondents are not disappointed. A
typical one
TO MR. SANTA CLAUS
NORTH POLE
DEAR SANTA:
I WOULD LIKE A LARGE
DOLLY AND FOR TIMMY A SANDBOX.
LOVE
DEBBY
P.S. WE LIVE AT THE END OF THE HALL.
Parents and the whole community cooperate in furthering this rich
bit of fantasy as a way of preserving for children the imagery
and fun that childhood deserves.
A few year later Charles Dickens' immortal "Christmas Carol" appeared in London, and within a short time it became synonymous with the spirit of Christmas. Just as the selfish, disagreeable Ebenezer Scrooge was transformed through his Christmas dream so does most everyone become generous, kind and thoughtful in the season of goodwill.
Christmas in the United States is, above all, a family festival. "Going home for Christmas" is a cherished custom and no distance seems too great if it enables one to join the family circle for the holiday. Schools and colleges close for two weeks, and business firms are lenient about giving leave to employees for the Christmas visit to their homes. Parents welcome home their children and grandchildren and often open their doors to friends and strangers.
Just as there is special Christmas music and distinctive decorations, so are there special Christmas foods: candy, with its unmistakably holiday look--peppermint-flavored red and white striped canes, bright colored hard candies, chocolate bonbons in little fluted cups elegantly packed in gold-colored boxes, creamy homemade fudge and clusters of chocolate-covered raisins, walnut or pecans--and cookies, rich in flavor and gay in design. Rare indeed is the housewife who does not fill her kitchen with Christmas cookies. She makes gingerbread Santa Clauses, honey-flavored Christmas trees, meringue wreaths, lacy wafers, spicy crescents, and by sprinkling red and green sugar crystals over bits of dough she transforms them into tempting Yuletide morsels.
Fruit cake is another holiday delicacy. Each cook has her favorite recipe, often handed down from mother to daughter. There are dark fruit cakes and light fruit cakes, but all must be rich in raisins, currants, chopped nuts and dates, small pieces of candied citron, orange, lemon and cherries, blended in a spicy batter. For added flavor the cake is wrapped in a brandy-saturated cheesecloth and allowed to ripen for a month or more.
An equally characteristic Christmas food is plum pudding. Its ingredients are similar to those of fruit cake, with the addition of suet and bread crumbs. The pudding is steamed rather than baked and it is usually served hot with a creamy hard sauce or with heated brandy set aflame as it is brought to the table. The beverage most commonly associated with Christmas is egg nog, a rich mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, spices and brandy. It is served in small mugs from a wassail bowl and generally inspires a "Merry Christmas" toast.
Each region of the country and each family, for that matter, has its favorite Christmas dinner menu. Some of the dishes, such as roast turkey, corn pudding, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, are typically American, but many others were brought to the United States by the early settlers. The Moravians in Pennsylvania, for example, make pfeffernusse, springerle and leckerli, just as their German ancestors made them. Those of Latin American origin eat Bunuelos, and the Ukranians begin their feast with kutia (a porridge made with wheat and honey).
The Christmas spirit, hard to define, but apparent everywhere during the holiday season, is expressed in many charitable ways. Religious, civic and social organizations, as well as philanthropic individuals, see to it that the poor, the unfortunate, the orphans, the sick, the lonely and the elderly are remembered with gifts and festive food. The Salvation Army, a religious philanthropic organization, is perhaps the best known for remembering the poor. The sight of the uniformed members standing patient vigil beside their kettles in the crowded city streets and the sound of their little bells that solicit donations to help the needy have become a part of the traditional Christmas scene.
The American poet Carl Sandburg, recalling a walk across the Chicago loop with a lawyer friend on Christmas Eve, describes the holiday mood:
"’ and he said to me as we moved among panels and circles of the shopping crowds, 'I always like this late afternoon walk just before Christmas Eve. The faces of people are more alive than at any other day of the year. The faces say to me that life is good, life was made for happiness. I never miss these Christmas Eve faces, so many of them saying, "Life is good. Merry Christmas is good. This is a time for everybody to love everybody else."' He had almost a touch of holiness in his face as he looked into hundreds of other faces saying, 'Life is good.'" (Excerpt from "The Moods of Christmas" by Carl Sandburg, "Good Housekeeping Magazine", December 1961, p.49)