December 25th, Christmas, has seen many celebrants over the centuries; pagans – winter solstice party time, Christians – the birth of Jesus, non-believers/Christians – family and family tradition and greedy people – commercialism. Christmas is magical – it’s for everybody.
by Bill Bollom
Christmas is the one day of the year when I want to be near family and family tradition, but my family is spread over the world. We e-mail one another often and, again this year, our e mails revealed that, except for my oldest son, we all thought Christmas is the high point of the year; parties with family/friends, decorations, movies, etc. He hated the commercialization. “Gift giving has overtaken the holiday like a cancer – Americans have lost the ‘Spirit of Christmas.'”
My sister joined in the e-mail conversation on Christmas. She thought Christmas was primarily about celebrating the birth of Jesus, ‘the reason for the season’. But is the birth of Jesus ‘the reason for the season’, is it about family and tradition or is Christmas just a celebration of commercialism? I did a nickels worth of research on the questions.
Way back in the 4th Century, the Church decided to observe Christmas, the birth of Jesus, on December 25. The calendar at that time had the winter solstice arriving on that date – the return of Sun and light. Sun worshipers celebrated the Birth of the Invincible Sun on that date. Early Christian leaders used the date to promote their religion over sun worshipers. The ‘reason for the season’ was not the birth of Jesus.
December, back in northern European Societies was the time when there was a minimum of work to be done. The harvest had been gathered, animals slaughtered and there was plenty of newly fermented beer and wine – it was a time of celebration — to gorge on food and drink; it was a time of carnival – drunkenness and loose sexual activity. It was a December Mardi Gras, and a time of charity to the poor from the rich.
By the late 1700’s, Benjamin Franklin called for a Christmas that combined mirth and moderation, but, up until the 19th Century, an American Christmas was not a family event, no giving presents to kids, no Christmas trees, no Santa Claus and not generally religious.
Then, in 1822, Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” established Santa Claus in America, bringing gifts on Christmas Eve. It was Moore’s poem that introduced America to the joys of a domestic Christmas; the central focus being young children in the family.
Christmas was gradually becoming a religious holiday. But, by the 1820’s, aggressive advertising for presents to kids was common. The jaded consumerism of Christmas was being debated publicly, and lamented way back in the 1830’s.
Charles Dickens, published ‘A Christmas Carol’ in 1843 in England. It, too, had almost no reference to religion. But it re-emphasized the old pagan tradition of charity to the poor from the rich.
Have we lost the ‘Spirit of Christmas’ – is it too commercial, with buying, buying, buying? Even in pagan times, gift giving from the rich to the poor was a part of December 25th, and this has continued over the many centuries to this day with the Salvation Army ringing bells, but now we also bestow joy and make dreams come true for the kids. Doesn’t the joy of kids enable us to recall the same joy we had as kids, an inner transformation?
December 25th, Christmas, has seen many celebrants over the centuries; pagans – winter solstice party time, Christians – the birth of Jesus, non-believers/Christians – family and family tradition and greedy people – commercialism. Christmas is magical – it’s for everybody.
For me, Christmas is the whole month of December; the first snowfall’s siren call for rejoicing, being with family, the decorations, music and movies, going to church to sing a few carols and gifts for the kids (some from Santa). It could be even better if gifts were only for kids, those less fortunate and, maybe, something hot for my bride.
Northwestern Community Columnist Bill Bollom is a retired professor from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In 1989 he received the UWO Distinguished Teaching award.