Wow! In chapter 1 "Christmas Never Was Christmas," Bill McKibben gives a very thorough history of events leading up to the development of Christmas. He cites Stephen Nissenbaum ("the preeminent Christmas historian" and author of The Battle for Christmas) and Penne Restad (author of Christmas in America) frequently throughout. These are books that I would love to read too--if only I had more time!!!
I think that most of us have heard that December 25th was eventually chosen as Christmas Day when it was originally the longest day of the year. Pagan rites became combined with Christianity, and there was much merry-making going on! Later, the Puritans tried to ban such "festive" celebrations. Soon the tradition of wassailing began--"bands of boys and young men would walk into the halls of the rich to receive gifts of food, drink, even of money." But eventually the men and boys would drink to the health and wealth of their master, knowing full well the interdependence of serfs and their masters.
As life in the cities grew less personal, however, the gangs became tougher and meaner, and New Yorkers in the 1800s set out to change the holiday. Enter Clement Clark Moore, "an extremely rich professor of Hebrew," (does anyone else find this fascinating???) who wanted to change the feel of the urban holiday and penned "The Night Before Christmas," reintroducing St. Nick, and therefore, Santa Claus. Christmas was being moved into the home, no longer the streets. Entrepreneurs saw dollar signs as the new Christmas was being invented. Christmas ornaments, Christmas cards, presents and eventually the Christmas tree all came into being.
In 1837, Louisiana was the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Fourteen more states (including Maine and California) had done the same by the time 1860 rolled around. The first Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1920 by Ellis Gimbel to promote his department store, and the Macy's parade began four years later. Let the shopping begin!
The first paragraph of this chapter . . . This book, and the church-based campaign it grows out of, is not an exercise in nostalgia, a search for some perfect and uncorrupted Christmas in the past to which we can return. Christmas has been, and always will be, a product of its time, shaped to fit the particular needs of people, society, and faith in particular moments of history."
The final paragraph of this chapter . . . But as we consider new forms of celebrations, it's important to repeat one strand from this brief history: there's no uncorrupted celebration from some distant and pure time in the past that we can simply return to. Christmas has always been a concoction. So if we want to remake it in our image, we must first figure out what problems in our individual lives and in our society we might address by changing the ways we celebrate. We need to search ourselves for clues as to how we might remake this holiday."
One final note: I thought this post was over, but then I flipped the book over on my desk. Here's what the back jacket has to say: Christmas should be something to enjoy rather than endure. Instead of an island of bustle, it should be an island of peace amid a busy life. We want so much more out of Christmas: more music, more companionship, more contemplation, more time outdoors, more love. (Bold letters mine.)
This statement, more than anything I have read so far in this book, seems like the gem to be found. I am going to make a sign that has the five "mores" on it and put it right in the middle of my refrigerator door. If I can only do these things this season, I will feel like I have taken some my own personal steps towards a Hundred Dollar Holiday!
...an island of peace amid a busy life. Oh my, that will be my holiday mantra. Great post, and it attracted some great feedback!
Posted by: bronwyn | November 30, 2009 at 02:22 PM
"Entrepreneurs saw dollar signs as the new Christmas was being invented" is correct, but I would add a caveat. Technically, John Pintard, who was a merchant himself and a civic leader in New York City (founded the New York Historical Society) was the first promoter of a new sort of Christmas. Prior to the invention (or re-invention) of the American Christmas in the early 19th century, the favorite winter holiday of New York City's propertied class was New Year's Day. Families commonly exchanged gifts on New Year's Day (reminiscent of the Roman Saturnalia (our modern Christmas Season's immediate predecessor)) and gentlemen called on family and friends. Pintard was the first person to reach back into St. Nicholas's past to pull out the part that showed the saint bringing Christmas gifts to good little boys and girls (displayed in Pintard's 1810 pamphlet). Being a merchant, I'm sure that one of Pintard's motivations was making some moola. Once well-bred New Yorkers of the early 19th century substituted Christmas for New Year's Day, they brought into their homes the ancient Yule log tradition -- newly renamed "Christmas logs," which is so ancient we can trace its practice all the way back to Babylon (i.e., the Tower of Babel).
Posted by: Robin Main | November 25, 2009 at 01:57 PM
Correct. Christmas has always been a concoction of pagan winter revels mixed with Christian subject matter. The stuff we love: the lights, the evergreen decorations, the music, the food, the chance to get together with family and friends, and the special feeling of warmth that the season brings... all existed before the first Christmas took place in 336 AD (during the time of Constantine). When Christians complain about the secularization of Christmas, we should understand that Christmas didn't exist for the first 300 years of the Church as well as the first "War on Christmas" was waged in 1583 in Scotland at the height of The Reformation. If you are interested in understanding more, my book SANTA-TIZING: WHAT'S WRONG WITH CHRISTMAS AND HOW TO CLEAN IT UP (www.santa-tizing.com) is available on Amazon. Having researched everything Christmas for over 10 years, I can tell you that the history of Christmas actually goes all the way back to Babylon.
Posted by: Robin Main | November 25, 2009 at 06:09 AM