Story of the Christmas Tree

Wishing You a Warm Holiday Season.

All Hail the Glory of The Christmas Tree…

Well, this is it - the final saga to my "Christmas Trilogy!"  From Santa Claus, to the story of the holidays, & finally a brief tale of the Christmas Tree  (this one's quick & easy!)…   ;-)

The Christmas Tree: 

Long ago the tradition of the Holiday Season centered around the Winter Solstice (on or around Dec. 22^nd). The shortest day of the year brought a period of great festival & lavish feasts, & to celebrate several cultures around this time would decorate their homes with evergreen boughs & various elements of agricultural life & color. Indeed, evergreens were seen as sacred because they were perennially alive. Such décor offered both a festive look & feel, but it was also deeply symbolic of life's conquest over the darkness & cold of the winter season.   The Romans, Egyptians, Celts, & Druids all held such traditions.

It was the Germanic People however that really started the tradition of the Festival Tree in particular. In addition to boughs & wreaths they would bring a fresh cut tree into their home as a kind of center-piece & decorate each with fruit & gold - all symbols of prosperity & the coming harvest. Because it was winter & the nights were long, it also carried symbolic attachments to fertility.   

Sometime later, legend has it that Protestant Martin Luther was preparing a sermon while walking home one winter evening. Pausing for a moment, he looked up through the woodlands & was left in awe by the glorious nature of the stars & moon glistening through the snow covered pine trees.  Reminiscent of the moment, he began the tradition of securing small candles in his home's Festival Tree.

In the Melting Pot of America: The tradition of the Christmas tree however was strictly a European tradition until sometime in the mid 1800's. German & Dutch immigrants in Pennsylvania brought the tradition over but it took quite sometime for the idea to catch on. The Puritan attitudes of America had 'no place for such Pagan symbols of superfluous pomp & desecration.' Massachusetts even went so far as to have such decorations outlawed!

 Sometime in the 1840's however the British Royals Queen Victoria & Prince Albert (who were held in very high esteem by the upper class of Eastern Society) were seen in publications celebrating Christmas around a royal tree of elegance & ornamentation.  Soon thereafter such traditions came into fashion & the Christmas Tree as we know it began to soon take hold. Shortly thereafter, immigrants began to import ornaments from Germany & families began adding more personal touches to make such a tradition their own.

In love & sincerity, I wish you nothing but the best for the holiday season, & I hope the New Year finds you happy, healthy, & prosperous in all that you strive to be.   - Rick D.

A Brief History of the Holidays

Wishing You a Warm Holiday Season.

            Yep, it’s that time again, so I thought I’d keep up a new tradition…

Last year it hit me. I was writing my holiday letter to get everyone caught up on how I was & what was going on, but then I realized just how boring all this stuff is to read. So instead I sent out ‘The True Story of Santa Claus’. I had a great response, so I thought I’d keep my new tradition alive & offer something of more interest again this year (besides, if you want to know how things are, I’d rather just get together for coffee). So here it is: ‘the holiday season’ - what it is, where it came from, & how it came to be what we now celebrate as a tradition. It’s not quite what you might think…

 A Brief History of the Holidays: 

Actually, the holiday season has been celebrated by various cultures for thousands of years. And its origin, in truth, has a bit less to do with theology & more to do with astrological winter…

The Winter Solstice (December 21st):  Long held as a time for feast & celebration, it is the shortest day of the year, & since the birth of civilization it has always been seen as a period to mark the beginning of the new solar calendar.   

Influenced by Babylonian timetables, ancient cultures generally saw the year as a cycle of 360 days (12 months of 30 days each). But what of those 5 extra days? Well, in most cultures the final five days of the year were held as a time for annual festival & great feasting.

This was a good time to party for most. There was a very genuine need to create a respite from the dark gloom & harsh bite of winter. In addition, so that the herds wouldn’t have to be fed in times of a scarce food supply this was when most cattle were slaughtered (not to mention that winter temperatures allowed for meats to be stored so fresh meat was readily available). And of course this was also when the year’s wine, beer, & mead were now fermented & finally available for consumption. All combined, this worked to create the perfect timing for annual celebration.

Hanukkah: In tune with the winter solstice, the Judaic ‘Festival of Lights’ celebrates actually two moments in the history of Jewish culture.

Occupied by Greece, the Jewish people were under extreme persecution & facing tremendous duress. Then in 167 BC the first revolt by the Macabees achieved independence for the Jewish state. Upon returning, they sought first to rededicate the temple. But the war had been hard on the lands & there was found only a small portion of oil to light the temple’s menorah - enough for only one day in what was to be an eight day celebration. Yet the small portion of oil lasted for the entire festival & was seen as a miracle.

Saturnalia:  In ancient Rome the citizens celebrated a week long festival to honor the God Saturn (the keeper of the harvest). Running from the 17^th to the 23^rd, the atmosphere for the festival was riotous & more attuned to Marti-Gras. The government, schools, & businesses were all closed; courts & punishments were suspended; & all wartime activity was ceased so that the army could rest.

Romans would decorate their homes with holly & wreaths of evergreen to symbolize everlasting life over death as well as the hope that soon with the return of spring a bountiful harvest would mean prosperity for all. Celtic Druids & Scandinavians practiced a similar tradition. Egyptians filled their homes with palm leaves.

This was also a time for the upper class to ‘repay’ their debt to those less fortunate. Masters invited slaves into their home & all were treated as equals while sharing in a lavish 7-day feast. 

The festival then met with a grand climax on December 25^th - The Sol Invicta (the feast of the Unconquered Sun). One of the most popular means for worship in Rome was that of Mithra (the God of Light & Sun). It was believed that Mithra was born on December 25^th, & for many this was seen as the most sacred day of the year.

The Birth of Christmas:  Ironically, in the early days of the Christian movement Christmas was not a day that was at all celebrated. In fact, no one really knew when the birth actually took place. Even Biblical scholars tend to place it in spring, for as the argument goes, no mention is made as to the actual date & shepards would not be tending their herds in the winter. As a result, for early Christians it was actually Easter that was seen as the main holiday.

All that changed when Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. He wanted to find a way for the people to embrace the new religion. The only problem was that Mithra was supported by both the influential upper class & the power-base of his Army, & the local people of each region followed their own gods in what we now see as a constellation of ancient mythology. So rather than to decree oppressive laws that could end in conflict & uprising, he looked for ways to meld the beliefs of the Christian faith into the lifestyles of the masses. And since the solstice brought a time of great cheer & merry tidings, he made the decree that the Birth of Christ would henceforth be celebrated on December 25^th. A bit later as the church actually grew in power, Pope Julius I in 336 AD made formal declarations to secure this date as the recognized birth of Christ.

Change & Evolution: The tradition of a carnival-like atmosphere was actually carried forward for quite some time. But by 1645 the Puritan movement led by Oliver Cromwell had gained tremendous ground & began to enunciate powerful influence. As a result, in 1647 English parliament actually passed laws to abolish Christmas altogether! Bummer. Even in early America, such influence caused all forms of celebration to be outlawed in Boston & New England (though elsewhere & in Jamestown such restrictions were deemed as ridiculous). 

Apparently, things started to suck so bad that popular demand finally placed Charles II back on the throne & Christmas as a holiday was restored. In America however, the Revolutionary War caused a great many of English customs to fall out of favor. Tea was replaced with coffee, & the celebration of Christmas was actually seen as un-patriotic! The first Congress under the ratified Constitution was even in session on Dec. 25^th 1789.

But then cool things started to happen, & I might add that it took a writer to do it…

In the 1800’s, classes were harshly divided & tensions were running high through-out the U.S. & Europe. It was a time of constant unrest & such events were a prelude to what would later become the American Civil War & French Revolution. But in 1819, Washington Irving published a sketch-book that presented a series of stories about Christmas at an old English Manor. Acting as the Norman Rockwell of his day, his stories sought to revitalize a romantic era long since past. His stories focused on a squire who invited all those who touched him into his home for the holidays. Groups of various class & wealth engaged without effort or disdain. His work quickly grew in popularity & began to have a profound influence, thus helping to restore the holiday season to one of warmth & kindness. Gruber, being so inspired by the peace & calm of Christmas Eve, composed ‘Silent Night.’ Then in 1843 Charles Dickens published ‘The Christmas Carol.’ The message was clear - true prosperity is found in the wealth of loved ones & goodwill to all. Over time the holiday was soon restored as a family centered event in which all could share a moment of mutual love, warmth, & a giving nature. And it is here that we have now come to find the season, melded in the many traditions of the American culture from various ethnic backgrounds throughout the world.

Boxing Day:  What to do with all those boxes? Celebrated by many countries with a commonwealth influence, it is a holiday tradition that dates back to the middle ages when wealthy land owners & affluent merchants would take the boxes left over from gift-giving & fill them with food, fresh fruits, & clothing. These were then given to servants, tradesmen & assistants who helped in the shop or business (as well as to those less fortunate).  It was a way to thank those who had helped them get there, & for those of achieved wealth to ‘give back.’

Particularly for the servants who traditionally worked on Christmas, they were given the day off so that they could celebrate with their own families. In fact, for many it is a legal holiday even today.

Kwanza: In response to the Watts riots, activist Maulana Karenga in 1966 founded Kwanza. Beginning on the 26^th & with a focus on African culture, each day of the celebration enunciates 1 of the 7 core principals to a full life:  Unity, Self-Determination, Personal & Collective Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, & Faith.

And of Course, Dec. 30^th: Not only is this most esteemed day the 5^th day of kwanza (& dedicated to purpose - I always found that interesting), but it’s also the  birthday of yours truly!   
Chow, Bella!

Wishing you nothing but the best for the holiday season, & hoping that the New Year finds you happy, healthy, & prosperous in all that you strive to be…         - Rick D.

The True Story of Santa Claus

A Holiday Wish:  I dream of a day when the meeting of a black man & a white man, or a Hispanic, Asian, or Indian holds no more regard than that of a blonde meeting someone who is brunette. I hope for a day when men & women across the globe can find a sense of true appreciation for one another & each other’s views, holding a regard of true equality, yet come to respect each other for their differences as well -  for ‘equality’ does not mean “The Same.” I dream of an age in which hard work & focused talent are aptly rewarded, but a time in which the self-created lines of class & position are somewhat blurred - where a sense of compassion, respect, & empathy reign supreme. I have a vision where distrust & fear are overridden by a depth of communication & mutual understanding; a time in which the powerful & strong do not prey on the weak & vulnerable - when anger is generally displaced by love, & frustration gives way to hope. And I actually pray for a time when all may practice their faith in a secure peace while giving at least acceptance to the rights of others to respectfully carry on their own beliefs & philosophies of life. It’s a silly dream I know, but it’s a good dream, & one that’s worthy of a life’s dedication. I can only hope that some will understand & maybe a few will find their way - for the world changes & movements are begun but one life at a time…      - From The Warrior Within (The TeaMaster Trilogy): Richard A.D.

Wishing You a Warm Holiday Season.

            And Yes Virginia, There Really is a Santa Claus. No really…

You know, I had actually written a full page letter updating everyone with how I’ve been. But then it hit me,  why bore you with a bunch of junk about me, I thought I’d send you something much more interesting. And whose more interesting than Santa Claus?

The Story of Santa:

Lets face it, the holidays really aren’t so much about who was born or how long the lamps lasted. It’s not about cultural heritage or when we should take a pilgrimage. Down deep it’s about the spirit of love, kindness, & generosity. And for me at least, that means Santa Claus!  Just a fairy tale you say? :-o  You couldn’t be further from the truth! Yep, that’s right, Santa’s real & man-oh-man what a story he has to tell…

St. Nicholas of Myra was born sometime around 280 A.D. in what is now modern day Turkey. He was an only child to a very wealthy family, but after losing both parents to the plague he was orphaned at a very young age & was subsequently raised in a local monastery. He became one of the youngest priests in the history of the church & eventually was raised to the position of Bishop. But it was his unrelenting virtue, benevolence, & profound compassion that made him a legend.

It is said that he gave away the whole of his inherited fortune to those less fortunate & became known throughout the lands as a devout champion for the needy, especially children & orphans. During long winter nights he would routinely travel the lands dropping bags of gold through the windows of those in need. One famous legend is of a father who had fallen on bad times. He had 3 beautiful daughters but couldn’t afford a dowry for them to marry (in those days, women weren’t allowed to work in profitable ventures & marriages were generally arranged. Since it was left for the husband to fully support the woman, a dowry was paid by the father to offer initial seed money that would be placed into some form of a profitable venture by the husband - the higher the dowry, the higher up one’s socio-economic scale for marriage. Those who were unable to marry were often left to beg in the streets or to be prostitutes). As a result of the plight the father was considering selling off 2 of his daughters to slavery so as to pay the dowry for at least one to marry. But this put the father in an impossible situation & he was tortured by it, almost to the point of suicide. Legend has it that St. Nicholas once hearing of the plight went to the daughters home & anonymously in the middle of the night tossed 3 large bags of gold down the chimney. Each bag fell into the stockings that the girls had hung out to dry. As a result, his benevolence & generosity allowed the girls to marry into well established families.

In fact, his compassionate nature was so profound that in time he became known throughout all of Europe, even rising to the point of mythic folklore. Upon his death on December 6^th he was elevated to Sainthood & was claimed as the Patron Saint of children, orphans, & sailors. His named day was December 6^th (the anniversary of his death & ascension to sainthood) & this was traditionally celebrated with an annual feast, which also marked the beginning of the festival season. Depending on local tradition, on the eve. of St. Nicholas Day, children would leave food for the Saint, schnapps for his attendant, & straw for his horse. The following morning, good children that honored him with such caring & love would find such gifts replaced with toys & sweets. To celebrate the virtuous spirit of his benevolence & charity, gifts were often exchanged as well. 

By the Renaissance St. Nicholas had become the most popular of the patron saints. But during the reformation, the Protestant movement banned the celebration of Catholic Saints. This was a problem because people had grown to love their benevolent St. Nick, & the tradition of exchanging gifts brought to life the sense of charity & love that the season was really all about. As a result, the festival of St. Nicholas was merged with Christmas & the two holidays were joined into one celebration of love & life (previously, no gifts were exchanged on Christmas. The day was celebrated by only a trip to church & a festival feast). 

As local folklore & tradition molded the Saint in various ways, different regions developed their own distinct version of St. Nick. Eventually, he was transformed into a purely mythical being, often seen as the bearer of gifts, but sometimes as a formidable agent to punish those who were bad. In Germany he was given a Nordic flair & referred to as Weihnachtsmann (Christmas Man). In England he was known as Father Christmas & wore a green coat with a wreath of holly, ivy, & mistletoe. In France, Pere Noel would leave presents for children in their shoes. The Swiss & Germans gave us Christkindl - translated to mean Christ Child; an angelic figure who was actually attended by St. Nicholas (this would later merge directly into the legends of St. Nicholas & bear him the name Chris Kringle). In dress he commonly wore blue, green, red, & sometimes black. In fact, the only tradition that remained a true constant was his long white beard. But the melting pot of a young America would bring such traditions together & would serve to mold a legend that would in time become a world-wide tradition.

In 1773, a widely distributed paper in New York chronicled the Christmas traditions of early Dutch settlers, & this offered popular appeal to their tradition of ‘SinterKlaas’ (meaning St. Nicholas). In English however, children usually mispronounced his name as Santa Claus. After so many years, the mispronunciation quite simply became an accepted norm.

Further building upon such traditional lore, it was in 1808 that best selling author Washington Irving published a work entitled The History of New York. Here he gave detailed information of the mythical saint as riding over treetops in a horse drawn wagon while dropping gifts down chimneys for good little girls & boys. Then in 1823, an Episcopal Minister named Clement Clark Moore wrote a poem as a bedtime story for his three daughters: A Visit From Saint Nicholas - more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas. Originally hesitant to publish, it was ultimately Moore who gave Santa his first likeness as “the jolly old elf, with a round little belly, that shook when laughed like a bowl full of jelly.” He was also the first to substitute his traditional horse drawn wagon for a sleigh of ‘eight tiny reindeer.’

Then from 1863 until the 1880’s, a German immigrant named Thomas Nast began to illustrate the annual Christmas edition of Harper’s Weekly. His images gave us for the first time a widely accepted version of St. Nick. He created a kinder, more gentle Santa who was more in line with his original lore & less stern than his mid-evil counterpart.

Actually, it was Nast who gave us many of Santa’s current traditions: placing him for the first time at the North Pole, giving him a work shop full of elves, & that list of who’s been naughty or nice. He also was the one to introduce Mrs. Claus.

In fact, his illustrations became so popular that Abraham Lincoln asked if he would do a cover of Santa with the Northern Troops. It is said that this was one of the most demoralizing moments in the Confederate army - Santa was clearly seen as siding with the North…

But in the end, it was an artist named Haddon Sunblom that put on the final touches. Sunblom had been commissioned by Coca Cola to create a version of Santa that would be carried on every means of print media imaginable. As red & white were the corporate colors of Coke, Santa was then dressed a red suite trimmed in white fur. It was also Sunblom that truly featured him as a distinctly human Santa with no elf-like qualities & offered him very grandfather-like characteristics.

From 1931-to-1964, Coca Cola under the artful hand of Sunbolm launched a massive ad campaign that over time evolved into a crusade of truly global proportion. As a result, it was Coca Cola that provided the official & final image of “Santa” that we recognize today. On a global scale, Santa Claus as we know him became permanently etched on the public’s mind. [By the way, Rudolf was created by Montgomery Ward’s for a similar campaign].

So it doesn’t matter what your persuasion is for the holidays. I celebrate Santa - he’s come a long way.  And if anyone asks, you can emphatically say, “Yes my dear, Santa is very real. Trust me, Rick says so…”

I wish you nothing but the best for the holiday season, & I hope the New Year finds you happy, healthy, & prosperous in all that you strive to be.   - Rick D.