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30 December 2016

America Needs the Christmas Season


By Sam Frescoe
samfrescoe@gmail.com
http://samfrescoeproject.blogspot.com/
The Sam Frescoe Project
#SamFrescoe

#SamFrescoe #Christmas #exceptional #self-governance #season
#heritage #tradition #faith #secular #non-secular #santa
There are those that will say this post is several days too late. However, there are those that may say this post is still a bit early. Still, there may be others that say this post is “in the season.” In any case, when the Christmas season comes around, there is something for everyone.

I want to dig into the breadth and depth of the Christmas season, that time leading up to December 25th and concluding after the New Year. My desire is to show you that a greater understanding of this period of celebration can assist us to better understand why the USA is exceptional. To this end, I am going to change my voice away from disagreement and towards discovery. While this article is brief, and in no way capable of discussing every aspect, I hope you will enjoy the read.

“So What?”

The United States of America is an exceptional nation. Why? Because the United States was deliberately founded on an idea that was good: self-governance.

“Happily for America, happily we trust for the whole human race, they pursued a new and more noble course. They accomplished a revolution which has no parallel in the annals of human society.” – James Madison, Federalist #14

A Unique Nation

The United States was founded on a belief in self-governance, personal freedom. Personal freedom, the power and natural right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. – To that end, the United States provides a republic-based way of life. A state in which supreme power is held by the people through their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch. – By design, the United States of America is a constitutional republic. An arrangement of government, where the head of state and other officials are representatives of the people and which governs in accordance with existing constitutional law. It is a government of laws not of men.

Like no other nation, the United States is a place of self-determination. It is here where an individual, regardless of their station or condition, can more fully embrace their meaning as a human being: to exist, to earn, to nourish, to rest, and make-merry.

“In America, you are the author of your own life,” Dinesh D’Souza.

Mother Liberty

Mother Liberty is not Lady Liberty. She stands resolute, but does not judge. She shows the way, but does not prescribe. She embodies hope above order. Mother Liberty is a representation of the United States itself; a symbol standing for an idea, a basic human need: freedom.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" – Statue of Liberty, September 1875

The United States is a place for all of humanity. The weary and shattered; the deprived and unfortunate; the crowds of common people (not ruling elites). Those declared to be less, but desire and long to take in personal freedom. The United States is a spotlight upon an excellent entrance: hope.

The United States, while unique in the world, shares an important similarity with all other nations: it needs a means of unification. It needs something comprehensive; something human; something timeless; something that crosses divisions (real, imagined, or imposed); something that raises up what is true, good and beautiful; something that raises the human spirit for its own sake. The United States needs something that collects The People to a purpose without stamping out the individual.

The United States needs the Christmas Season.

Getting Started

The Christmas Season, or holiday season, is an amazing time of the American calendar. It is during this time that all manner of traditions and celebrations (secular, non-secular, and all manner between) align themselves with nature’s calendar at/near the winter solstice. Generally, this a time when The People purposefully recognize the closing of one year, the opening of a new year, and to embrace the value of family and friends. In the sections to follow, and to keep the discussion brief, I summarize the lineage of the Christmas Season, to touch on secular and non-secular heritage, recap several traditions that are common in America, a Christmas critique, and provide a description of historic figures.

 
Is the Christmas Season special to you? Why? – Please leave a comment or send an e-mail to samfrescoe@gmail.com.

A Long Lineage

Celebrating winter holidays in America is a custom that traces its roots back to the first century, England and across Europe. Over the centuries, these celebrations took on many forms across various cultures and were adapted to meet the needs of peoples along the way.  In my view, it seems clear that human beings have a common need (something in our nature) to gather together at this time of the year for prolonged merrymaking. Today, Americans continue to celebrate the season; however, it was not always this way.

1900’s – Today
Christmas came into the popular discourse near 1931 when construction workers built the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. [1] In 1939, the imagination of Robert L. May gave us Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” as an attempt to lure shoppers into Montgomery Ward department stores.[2] During the 1950’s, carol singing was revived by ministers, particularly in America. [3]
1931
On Christmas Eve, 1931, during the height of the Clutch Plague, workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site decided to pool their money together to buy a Christmas tree, a 20-foot balsam fir that they decorated with handmade garland from their families. The men lined up at the tree to receive their paychecks. Two years later in 1933, Rockefeller Center decided to make the tree an annual tradition and held the first official lighting ceremony.[4]
1800’s
During the early 1800’s, America was struggling with class conflicts and turmoil.[5] In 1819, Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house in which Christmas was a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday.[6]  Then, in 1822, Irving penned “Night Before Christmas”.[7]  In 1828, poinsettias were introduced from Mexico by Joel R. Poinsett.[8]During the Victorian Era (1837-1901), especially in England, Christmas was widely celebrated [9] with gift-giving on Christmas Day.[10] Charles Dickens inspired the British (and American) middle class with “A Christmas Carol” in 1843. [11] – In America, on 26 June 1870, Christmas was made a federal holiday. [12] [13] The Salvation Army has been sending Santa Claus-clad donation collectors into the streets since the 1890s. [14]
1700’s
After the Revolutionary War (1765-1783) most English customs fell out of favor in America, including Christmas.[15]
1600’s
In England, the Puritan movement began near 1603 with the reign of Queen Elizabeth. With the rise of Puritan thought, Christmas and other saints' days were banned under pain of a fine.[16] In 1644, all Christmas activities were banned in England.[17] In 1658, Christmas was reinstated in England by Charles II. [18] – In 1607, the first eggnog was consumed in the Jamestown settlement.[19] After the pilgrims arrived in America (1620)[20] Puritan ideas began to take hold. During the 1659-1681 period, Christmas was not a holiday in early America,[21] and was outlawed altogether in Boston; however, Christmas was fully embraced in Jamestown.

Some aspects of Christmas can be traced back to the first century.

400-1400
During the Medieval Period, Christmas was celebrated with feasting and merrymaking for 12 days from Christmas Eve on 24th December, until the Epiphany (Twelfth Night) on 6th January. [22]
End-700’s
Feast of the Nativity spread to Scandinavia. [23]
End-500’s
Feast of the Nativity spread to England. [24]
567
The 12 days from the 25th to the Epiphany were public holidays in England. The 25th became a holiday in 529. [25]
432
Feast of the Nativity (before being called Christmas) spread to Egypt. [26]
400
Pope Sixtus III had a nativity crib built in Rome. [27]  Crib building remained a vocation unto itself until the 1700’s. [28]
300-400
Pope Julius I set 25th December as the date for Christmas[29]/[30] in the hope of leveraging the Saturnalia festival already celebrated by the masses.[31]

Religion and Faith

Christmas is a Christian holy day reserved to mark the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. It’s common for Christians to celebrate on December 25th; whereas, Orthodox believers may prefer to celebrate on January 7th.[32]/[33] Interestingly, the Christmas celebration has ancestries in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the festivals of the ancient Greeks, the beliefs of the Druids, and folk customs of Europe. [34]

Does faith have a role in your celebration of Christmas? Tell me about it. – Please leave a comment or send an e-mail to samfrescoe@gmail.com.

Hanukkah

Judaism was the main religion of Israel at the time of Jesus' birth. The Jewish midwinter festival of Hanukkah marks an important part of Jewish history. It is eight days long and on each day a candle is lit. It is a time of remembrance, celebration of light, a time to give gifts and have fun. [35]

Christianity

As Christianity spread into Europe, leaders began to introduce Christian beliefs into local and regional religious creeds (such as Saturnalia).[36]

Winter Festivals

The Christmas Season falls near/after the winter solstice when the days are beginning to grow longer. It was common for people throughout history to feast and celebrate to lift their spirits. Norsemen of Northern Europe and Scandinavia lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale. The Romans also held a festival called Saturnalia for seven days. [37] Additionally, at the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. [38]

Do you attend a Christmas celebration or festival? Tell me about it. – Please leave a comment or send an e-mail to samfrescoe@gmail.com.

Saturnalia

It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants. The festival also involved processions, decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles and giving presents. [39]  During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration.[40] Celebrations were commonly described as a "raucous, rowdy and sometimes bawdy fashion." [41]  Some celebration would go for a month.

Practical Matters

During the early centuries, at this time of year, cattle and livestock were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter; thus, there was a ready supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.[42]

Middle Ages

On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today’s Mardi Gras. [43]

Christmas in America

In the early-1800’s, Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early-1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention and gifts on their children without appearing to “spoil” them.[44]

Trees, Holly and Mistletoe

Bringing trees into homes and decorated them was a pagan practice.[45] Christmas trees became a German tradition and were popularized in the 1600’s by Victorians. [46] In 1834, Prince Albert received a Christmas tree from the Queen of Norway.[47]

The significance of holly predates Christianity. It was important in Pagan customs for protection. Holly was used to decorate doors and windows in the belief it would ward off evil spirits.

The Druids (Celtic priests) would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. [48]  Norse mythology recounts how the god Balder was killed using a mistletoe arrow by his rival god Hoder while fighting for the female Nanna. [49]

Caroling and Cards

Victorians revived carol singing before being embraced by American pastors and clergymen in the 1950’s. [50]

Victorians borrowed the practice of card giving from St. Valentine's Day. However, Americans embraced the practice as a good way of keeping in contact with people at home by leveraging the inexpensive postal service. [51]

Gift Giving

Today, Christmas is the biggest holiday in the calendar with the main element the exchange of gifts on Christmas day. [52] While gift-giving seems tied to Christmas Day, it used to be reserved for New Year's Day. [53]

Santa – Santa Claus – Father Christmas – Old Saint Nick – Saint Nicholas

Santa’s origins are in Christian and European tradition; but, his visual image was popularized by American card-makers in the Victorian era. His reindeer sleigh is from Scandinavian mythology. The name, Saint Nicholas, has a Dutch origin. [54]

As a point of fact, Saint Nicholas was born in Parara, Turkey in 270 CE and later became Bishop of Myra.  He died in 345 CE on December 6th.  He was only named a saint in the 19th century. A famous story has him anonymously delivering bags of gold coins to a man who could not afford dowry for his daughters to get married. Nicholas was among the most senior bishops who convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE and created the New Testament. [55]

Thomas Nast, a Bavarian illustrator, completed the modern picture of Santa, gave him a home at the North Pole, filled his workshop with elves, and created the good/bad list. In 1931, the Coca Cola Corporation contracted the Swedish commercial artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke-drinking Santa.  Sundblom modeled his Santa on his friend Lou Prentice, chosen for his cheerful, chubby face.  The corporation insisted that Santa’s fur-trimmed suit be bright, Coca Cola red. [56]

What did I miss? What are your favorite traditions? Why are they important to you? – Please leave a comment or send an e-mail to samfrescoe@gmail.com.

A Time of Excess

Christmas has always been celebrated with a measure of carelessness. [57]  "There's always been a push and pull, and it's taken different forms. It might have been alcohol then, and now it's these glittering toys." [58]

It is the opinion of some that the consumerism of Christmas shopping takes away from the spirit of the season. In the opinion of others this degree of consumerism contradicts the religious goal of celebrating Jesus Christ's birth outright (excessive spending is the modern equivalent of the revelry and drunkenness that made the Puritans frown).[59] Recently, protests against consumerism have been made by Christians and non-Christians, encouraging people to spend time with their families instead of spending money on them.[60]

What are your thoughts? Is the concern of excess important to you? – Please leave a comment or send an e-mail to samfrescoe@gmail.com.

Going Forward

Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For centuries, the peoples of the world have observed its traditions and practices that are both secular and non-secular in nature. Americans are no different. Over time, Americans have re-invented the holiday to fill the cultural needs of the nation.[61]  With carol concerts, trees, parties, religious services, and television programs, modern celebrations embrace elements of the Pagan, Christian and folk traditions that have withstood the test of time.

The Bottom Line

Christmas in America is a powerful phenomenon. Like no other holiday, Christmas crosses all divisions at a human level. Christmas serves as a timeless and unifying mechanism that recognizes humanity (its existence, its essences, its accountability, its charity) for its own sake. There is no secular/non-secular qualification inherent in Christmas, just the ones we individually apply.

Christmas was handed down, gifted, to The People by those that came before in order to provide those yet to come a way to recognize, embrace, and protect that which is true, good, and beautiful. Today, we are responsible to steward this amazing and precious gift. Tomorrow, we will be responsible to re-gift it…again.


Thank you. – Sam Frescoe


Your View

Your thoughts and perspectives are important. I invite you to tell me what you believe with the comment section below or at samfrescoe@gmail.com.


© 2016 – SamFrescoeProject.Blogspot.com – All Rights Reserved

 


Tell me about the Names – Who were those folks?

Pope Julius I
Born 337, Died 352 – Ruled Roman Church from 18 Jan 336 through 7 Oct 336. He was elected Pope on 6 Feb 337. [62]
St Gregory Nazianzen
Born 325, Died 389 [63]
Pope Sixtus III
Consecrated 31 July 432, Died 440. He was prominent among the Roman clergy and in correspondence with St. Augustine.[64]
Queen Elizabeth I
Born 7 Sep 1533 – Died 24 Mar 1603. Crowned 1558. Never openly passionate about religion, recognizing its divisive role in English politics. [65]
Captain John Smith
Born Jan 1580 – Died 21 Jun 1631
Oliver Cromwell
Born 25 Apr 1599 – Died 3 Sep 1658 – It is a myth that he personally ‘banned’ Christmas. He served as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death in September 1658, and likely supported the enforcement of existing measures. [66]
Charles II
Born 29 May 1630 – Died 6 Feb 1685
Cromwell was Lord Protector until his death in 1658, whereby Charles II was enthusiastically welcomed back to England to take the throne as the country's rightful heir. Once Charles II was restored to the throne, all legislation banning Christmas – enforced from 1642 to 1660 – was dropped and the common people were once again allowed to mark the Twelve Days of Christmas. Old traditions were revived with renewed enthusiasm and Christmas was celebrated throughout the country as both a religious and secular festival. [67]
Washington Irving
3 Apr 1783 – 28 Nov 1859; He is best known for the short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.”[68]
Joel R. Poinsett
2 Mar 1779 – 12 Dec 1851; American physician and diplomat; He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the first United States Minister to Mexico, a Unionist leader in South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis, Secretary of War under Martin Van Buren, and a co-founder of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful Arts (a predecessor of the Smithsonian Institution).
Prince Albert
26 Aug 1819 – 14 Dec 1861; Married to Queen Victoria
Queen of Norway
Desiree Clary was born 8 Nov 1777, married 17 Aug 1798 to Charles III, ascended 5 Feb 181, ceased 8 Mar 1844, and died 17 Dec 1860. [69]
Charles Dickens
7 Feb 1812 – 9 Jun 1870; English writer and social critic
Queen Victoria
24 May 1819 – 22 Jan 1901; Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India.
Robert L. May
27 Jul 1905 – 10 Aug 1976; The creator of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Sir James Frazer
1 Jan 1854 – 7 May 1941; a Scottish social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion. He is often considered one of the founding fathers of modern anthropology.

 



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