I belong to a group that helps international college students attending local universities understand American culture. One topic we discuss is the holidays Americans observe. The thought of explaining Christmas to this group led me to do some research. (You shouldn’t be surprised since I write historical fiction!)
Americans observe an amazing variety of Christmas traditions. We decorate our homes with lights, hang ornaments on evergreen trees, as well as wrap and exchange gifts. Movies, concerts, and parades draw our attention. We talk about Santa Claus and a red-nosed reindeer, bake Christmas cookies, and give money or food to families in need. With so many possible traditions and activities determining how the average American observes Christmas is difficult.
Think about Christmas like a stream of water. A stream has a source. Pure, clear water flows from a spring in the hills to start the stream. It flows downhill and a pine needle drops in, then a twig, next a leaf. They float along on the surface. Somebody makes a paper boat, launches it, and it floats away. Further along, someone drops a fancy plastic gadget in the water. Another adds bobbles to the paper boat. One more casts bits of glitter into the stream. All these bits and bobs float along on the surface, catching the light.
People gather on the banks of the stream and say, “Oh, look! The stream is so beautiful with the glitter, boat and all floating things.” They look at the surface and forget that the stream is the pure water that flows from the spring.
Christmas is like the stream–traditions are being added all the time. What I want to do is trace the celebration of Christmas to the source and show when a few of the American traditions began.
One of the newest is watching a Christmas TV program, cartoon, or movie. One of the most beloved shows is A Charlie Brown Christmas. It first aired in 1965. One of my daughter-in-law’s favorite activities was to watch the cartoon during the Christmas season. Many Americans share this tradition.
Another tradition is Christmas songs. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer’s story began in 1939 when Robert L May of the Montgomery Ward Company wrote a poem to drive Christmas shoppers to his store. In 1934 the song Santa Claus Is Coming to Town arrived, informing us the jolly elf makes a list of the naughty and nice.
The tradition of decorating your home with Christmas lights is older than I expected. In 1880, Thomas Edison introduced the first outdoor electric Christmas light display. Ten years later, in 1890, strings of eighty small electric bulbs were sold for the first time and the craze of decorating homes began.
Celebrating Christmas was once outlawed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They even closed churches. In the 1820s Christmas began to gain popularity. Christmas trees were introduced by German immigrants in 1830 and popularized by a women’s magazine in 1850.
The tradition of Santa Claus, also known as St. Nick or St. Nicholas, didn’t come to America until 1773 or 74 when groups of Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of St. Nicholas’ death. They called him Sinter Klaas. The legend of St. Nicholas goes back centuries to the year A.D. 280. St. Nicholas was a Christian monk in what is today Turkey. He was known for his benevolence. The stories of St. Nick eventually combined with tales from northern Europe about elves and sky chariots to give us Santa Claus.
But none of these things are the source of Christmas. Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. For centuries, prophets foretold that God would send a savior to restore the relationship between him and people. In 4 B.C. in Bethlehem, Israel, a virgin miraculously gave birth to a son. Angels had told Mary this would occur. Angels also appeared to shepherds who came and celebrated the birth. A star guided wise men from the east who arrived bearing gifts. There is much more to the story, including a wicked king who tries to kill Jesus. God’s son came to provide the sacrifice that could restore sinful people to him.
The stream of traditions we call Christmas is sourced in the birth of a Savior. The name Jesus means “the Lord saves.” One of the traditions our family enjoyed was sitting in the living room of Elaine’s parents on Christmas Eve and passing around a bible to read the Christmas story. You can read it too in Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 1:18-2:18.
Merry Christmas! Peace on earth and goodwill to men!
Sources:
“A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Wikipedia.com, December 9, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas.
Chris Newton. “The History of Christmas Lights on Houses.” ehow.com, December 13, 2024. https://www.ehow.com/about_6500955_history-christmas-lights-houses.html.
Nate Barksdale. “Who Was St. Nicholas?” History.com, December 22, 2014. https://www.history.com/news/who-was-st-nicholas.
“Santa Claus.” History.com, December 9, 2024. https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus.
Tikkanen, A. “How Did the Tradition of Christmas Trees Start?” Encyclopedia Britannica, December 2, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-the-tradition-of-christmas-trees-start.
