Christmas Past, Present, and Future

Christmas is hard to write about. For some, it is a date on the calendar marking a time of year where commercialism, stress, and bad memories run high. For others, it is a feeling and value stemming from a belief in something more: Jesus Christ for many, and Santa Claus has become a figure representative of believing in something you can’t see, especially for children.

Ultimately, as we have grown we have begun to think about the history of Christmas, and with it, the complexity of Christmastime, because history is made up of complex stories. To start us off, I thought I would talk about the most commonly accepted origin and meaning of Christmas: Christmas being a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

Even before the birth of Jesus, early Europeans celebrated “the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.” This is when and where many pagan traditions were celebrated, such as Saturnalia in Rome.

Around the year 350 A.D., however, Pope Julius I declared December 25th the official celebration of Jesus’ birth. Although the Bible does not declare an official date for Jesus’ birth, Christians wanted a time to celebrate it, and a time when there were already winter celebrations occurring seemed appropriate.

By the Middle Ages, Christmas had become widely celebrated, and the Christian traditions overtook many of the old pagan winter solstice traditions.

As for Santa Claus, he’s believed to be “traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around 280 A.D.. St. Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors.”

America’s development of iconic, classic Christmas celebrations and traditions, however, did not become clearly defined until around the 1800s. Interestingly, this makes sense when thinking in a historical context. The 1800s was the time of the Industrial Revolution and much labor and class conflict. Christmas was largely kept for the wealthy to celebrate, until people began to speak up, such as author Washington Irving in his 1819 publication, The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent. This was a “series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving’s mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status.” Many say he truly invented the American ideals of Christmas, highlighting the true values behind the customs. Similar stories began to follow, such as English author Charles Dickens’ iconic story, A Christmas Carol.

So, it makes sense why Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States in 1870, and why the iconic depiction of Santa Claus “as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today.”

Christmas traditions continued to change, and a time period in American history that shows this is post World War II, when many of the modern customs we know such as toy giving and large, bountiful feasts became more accessible and popularized. -Nicole

After World War II, the American family lifestyle began to shift. With the American “nuclear family” becoming the norm and women joining the workforce, families began to move out of cities and into newly created suburbs, with cookie-cutter homes, neighborhoods, and manicured lawns. With these shifts, new Christmas traditions began to develop in American homes.

On the home front, new toys and games were being developed, with Hula Hoops, Frisbees (Pluto Platters), and matchbox cars enticing children all over the country. With multi-bedroom houses and larger kitchens, Americans were able to host Christmas dinners with their extended family, boasting roasted meats, casseroles, and fruitcakes.

Christmas decorations in the post-war era were also much different from what we see today. A trend in the 50s, aluminum Christmas trees were a festive way to light up your living room and bubble lights were inventive candle-shaped ornaments with colorful liquid inside. -Caroline

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

But in the D’Amico household there was always “a stirring.” The night before Christmas truly always meant chaos at my house, but in the best way. The night before Christmas usually began with making countless pounds of dough for ravioli, cavatelli, and the sauce, but most importantly: the Christmas cookies.

I've always been fond of baking. It is one of my love languages. So every year with much anticipation, I would be up baking dozens of cookies and truffles to share. Out of all of those batches, I picked the best cookie of each one and made a little spread on a special plate I had for Santa. I would then go into the fridge and get some milk and carrots for his reindeer. Once finished I wrote a list—far too long, with many meaningless questions.

Although now, I have grown out of the tradition of Santa Claus, reminiscing led me to wondering: where and how did this tradition begin?

After some research, I discovered that the origins are different to each and every family. With so many different religions it is hard to state point blank how Christmas started.

So instead of speaking of all of the different traditions; there are far too many with so many beautiful customs I couldn't possibly do it justice in this article; I will leave you instead with a message.

You may not decorate a Christmas tree or hang stockings, you may not listen to Christmas music or watch Christmas movies, but on December 25th we all gather with our loved ones and celebrate one another or a force which we believe to be greater than oneself. This makes me smile and ultimately brings me back to the beauty of humanity. So this year, on December 25th, celebrate life if nothing else. -Maggie

As we can see, the history of Christmas is quite complex. Although Christians in 350 A.D. simply wanted a chance to celebrate the birth of Jesus, since then, humanity has turned Christmas into many different things. Its celebration was once a symbol of wealth that excluded many, and even once the American people fought back against this notion and developed a new set of customs that intended to reflect giving back and helping thy neighbor, Christmas traditions remain difficult for everyone to celebrate.

This Christmas, we must not forget the stories behind the holiday, for those are what truly reveal its meaning. We must remember the store workers who give up time with their families in order to allow others to buy gifts to go under the tree and food to go atop the table. We must remember those who have lost family members, or whose families are currently afflicted by Covid-19, and recognize why Christmastime is hard for them.

It truly is a different Christmas. Local churches who usually hold big Christmas masses with doors open to everyone have adopted reservation only policies, saying there is “no room at the inn for walk-ins.” The Niantic Light Parade, a festivity that has occurred every year along our town’s Main Street, had to turn on its head and position its floats at McCooks Park while observers were the ones who drove by to watch. This year more so than ever, the complexity and difficulty of celebrating Christmas weighs on many.

Looking back on Christmas’ history, though, can serve as inspiration to us. When the true meaning was lost, people fought back to preserve it and make progress. Perhaps this year, we will do the same thing, and improve the future of Christmas. As more stores are closed or forced to limit their capacity, and the extravagant trips families make as part of their Christmas traditions must be canceled, maybe we will finally have the time to cherish the values of giving, family, life, and magic in whatever ways we can, even the seemingly small ones. Although much is different, these values are the traditions that can never be lost. This year, Care and Share of East Lyme continues to collect food donations for families in need at Christmastime, and we know many other local people in East Lyme and Salem are performing their own unseen acts of Christmas spirit.

As we’ve seen in American classics such as Charlie Brown, It’s a Wonderful Life, and more, Christmas is not about the size of your tree or the presents beneath it. We hope that this holiday season, you rediscover what Christmas is all about. -Nicole

Works Cited

Cover Art by Natalie Libby

History.com Editors. "History of Christmas." History, 22 Dec. 2020, www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas.

Murphy, Taylor. “60 Vintage Christmas Dishes Worth Trying Today.” Taste of Home, Taste of Home, 10 Oct. 2019, www.tasteofhome.com/collection/vintage-christmas-recipes/.

Vanover, Lori. “Here's What Christmas Looked Like in the 1950s.” Taste of Home, Taste of Home, 24 Jan. 2020, www.tasteofhome.com/collection/christmas-in-the-1950s/.