A Christmas to Remember

I don't know if you and your family are as guilty as mine have been about losing the real meaning of Christmas, but we have allowed the world to suck us right smack dab into the middle of all the commercialism and hype. This year, however, I am determined to do things differently. My path is leading me to discover new joys.

How blessed we are that Jesus came to this earth and chose to live among us. What a wonderful thing to celebrate. I have been doing some research on how different religious groups and different cultures celebrate this event and have been fascinated by my findings. I'm going to try and take a little from several of those, tweek it to fit our family, and begin with fresh ideas. I plan to make this a Christmas we will never forget!

My research (see source below) has led me to discover that the middle of winter has been celebrated since before the birth of Jesus. Early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. There were also many celebrations to various pagan gods during this time of the year.

St. Francis of Assisi created the first living nativity in 1224 to help explain the birth of Jesus. Historians agree that Jesus was most likely born sometime between March and May because in that part of the country it would have been much too cold for shepherds to be out in the field during the night. Since 354 A.D. people have been celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th. This was put into practice partly to replace the pagan worship that was common during that time period. The Bible tells us that not only did the shepherds come to worship him but also wise men came bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Americans did not begin celebrating Christmas until the 19th century. The English Puritans wanted to rid England of decadence and as a result, cancelled Christmas. When Charles II reclaimed the throne, the holiday was reinstated; however, the Puritans who came to America were even more strict than those in England. So when they landed on America's soil, they put an end to the celebrations. From 1659-1681 Christmas was outlawed in Boston. Anyone caught celebrating the holiday was fined. Other settlements, like Jamestown, still celebrated though.

After the American Revolution ended, people didn't want to follow any English customs, including Christmas. So, it wasn't until 1870 that Christmas was declared a federal holiday.

The Dutch immigrants brought many of the customs we practice today including Santa Claus (Sinter Klaas) and the exchange of gifts. Washington Irving is responsible for beginning the evolution of Santa to a sleigh with flying reindeer. While Irving's Santa rode over trees in a wagon, William Gilley's poem has Santa's sleigh being drawn by a single reindeer. A year later, 1822, dentist Clement Clarke's poem, "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" introduces us to the rest of the reindeer complete with names; however, it wasn't until 1939 when Robert L. May wrote a poem about the 9th reindeer, that Rudolph makes his appearance. Around 1841 a Philadelphia merchant, by the name of J.W. Parkinson, hired a man to dress up in a Criscringle outfit and climb the chimney of his store. By the 1920s, the image of Santa, as we picture him today, was sealed.

As the melting pot of the world, it's interesting how our current traditions have taken pieces from other cultures and evolved into what we celebrate today. It's unfortunate, though, that we have gradually moved away from the true spirit of the season.

In 1997, artist Robert Cenedella drew a painting of a crucified Santa. He was attempting to show how Santa has replaced the true meaning of Christmas. Ironically, Cenedella received extreme criticism for his painting from religious groups.

This year I hope to make it about celebrating our family, creating life-long memories, and remembering the sacrifice that Jesus made to come and live among us, and then, after seeing first hand how pitiful we really are, choosing to die for us. What an incredible thing to celebrate! Before my children panic, there will still be some gifts under the tree, but it is my prayer that our focus will be different. The focus, instead, will be how blessed we are to have each other and a savior, and the incredible opportunity that grace has given to us to share that with others.

Blessings,
Penny

Resource:
"Christmas History." The History of Christmas: Christ, Claus and the Evolution of
Our Most Popular Holiday. 10 Holidays, 2004. Web. 3 Dec 2011.
.