Christmas

Note: Underlined words have definitions at the end of this article provided by The Basic Newbury House Dictionary. Definitions with an asterisk (*) are supplied by the author, Bill Perry.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. His coming to earth is one of the most important events of history. Most calendars for the last 2,000 years have been based on his birth. Christmas became a national holiday in the US in 1890. Although it is a religious holiday, many modern Christmas customs and practices have come from other religious and nonreligious festivals. What follows is the history of the American Christmas celebration.

The birth and life of Jesus can be found in the Bible, in the New Testament books of Matthew (chapters 1-2) and Luke (chapter 2). These two books, along with Mark and John, are called gospels, meaning “stories of good news.” God promised hundreds of years before that Jesus would be born in the town of Bethlehem in Israel. He would be God’s unique, personal messenger. Jesus came to earth to bring peace with God. His birth, which was announced by angels who filled a night sky (see Luke 2:9-14), was good news. Shepherds were the first visitors to see the newborn Baby. Later wisemen, called Magi, traveled “from the east,” to worship the Child and give him gifts (see Matthew 2:1-12). Christians in the first two hundred years after Jesus’ birth did not celebrate his birth. They thought celebrating birthdays was a pagan (non-Christian) custom. However, the holiday developed slowly, beginning around 200 AD.

Date

The exact date of Christ’s birth is not known. The December 25^th date was a result of an attempt to Christianize a pagan festival known as Saturnalia, which began December 17^th. This holiday was known for its continual parties. In 274 AD Roman Emperor Aurelian said that December 25^th would be the holiday of the Syrian sun god for the whole empire. December 25^th is the time when the sun is farthest away from the northern part of the earth; it is also the time when longer daylight begins. But in 336 AD the Roman Emperor Constantine said that December 25^th would be the day to celebrate Christ’s birth, trying to include Christians in celebrations. When the empire divided into two parts, east and west, the church in the east (Eastern Orthodox) changed their Christmas date to January 6^th. Many countries still use January 6^th as the birth date of Christ. The time between December 25^th and January 6^th is called the “12 Days of Christmas.”

Names

The word Christmas comes from the early English phrase, Christes Masse, meaning “Christ’s mass.” Mass is the name of the Roman Catholic Church’s worship service. Another name for this season is Advent, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” This speaks of the coming of the Messiah, a Hebrew word meaning “chosen one.” The idea is that God chose a special person to send to earth to bring peace. The Greek word Christ means the same thing as Messiah. The name Yule comes from Scandinavia. The Yule was a large log that started the fire in the fireplace in honor of the god, Thor. When people in Scandinavia became Christians, “Yuletide” became Christmas time. Another word, noel, means “carol,” or song. The abbreviation “Xmas” comes from the Greek letter, chi (X), which begins Christ’s name in the Greek language.

Saint Nicholas / Santa Claus

Saint Nicholas was a real person who lived in the 4^th Century in ancient Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). He was a rich man and a Christian pastor. He used his money to help sailors, poor and homeless people, and children, especially orphans. He gave away so much money that he became famous all over the world. On Christmas he secretly delivered gifts to children in orphanages. Many Greek and Russian churches made him the saint of gifts, sailors, scholars, unmarried women and children. The modern American Santa Claus is not the same person as the older Saint Nicholas, but they both use the same name. Early Dutch settlers in New York called Saint Nicholas Sinterklaas, which became “Santa Claus.” Over the years the American Santa became similar to the British Santa, known as “Father Christmas.” Both would enter a house through the chimney and fill long socks, called “stockings,” hung near the chimney. This idea came from an old Scandinavian story.

The American Santa became better defined in the 1800’s. Clement Moore in 1822 first wrote that Santa wore a red suit with white fur and drove a sled pulled by reindeer in his poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Later cartoonist Thomas Nast drew several pictures that showed Santa as a fat, friendly, winter visitor dressed in red clothing. St. Nicholas in both England and America leaves toys and other gifts for children on Christmas Eve, the night of December 24th. The American Santa Claus is the center of the cultural, nonreligious part of Christmas. He had no part of the beginning of the holiday.

Christmas Tree / House Decorations

The Christmas tree came from the “miracle plays” held in Germany from 900-1400 AD. Actors performed on flat wagons pulled by horses that moved from town to town. These wagons looked like a stage on wheels. The plays were about the miracles of Jesus and early Christians. One play was about the creation of the world. The only thing on the stage was the “Paradise Tree” – a fir tree with apples on it. Since this play ended with the promise of Christ’s coming, dramas were performed during the Advent (Christmas) season. By the 1500’s people began using fir trees for their personal Christmas celebrations. Tradition says that Martin Luther, the priest who began the Reformation [see Halloween], was the first to put candles on a Christmas tree. German immigrants brought the tree custom to America in 1710. Electric lights were first put on a Christmas tree in 1895 by Ralph Morris who worked for the telephone company. Ornaments on today’s trees are different from country to country.

Many people enjoy putting plants in and around their homes. Scandinavians think mistletoe brings peace and good will. Others like to hang up fir tree branches, wreaths and holly. Since Christmas colors are red and green, people use poinsettias, a green plant with red flowers from Mexico. Today most American poinsettias come from California, and most of the world’s mistletoe is grown in Central Texas.

Christmas Cards / Gift Giving

The custom of sending Christmas cards began about 150 years ago. People first sent holiday notes written by hand. Then artist John Calcott Horsley made the first Christmas card in 1843. By the late 1860’s, Christmas cards were as common as handwritten notes. Around 1875 the first colored cards appeared. Today about three billion Christmas cards are sent each year.

The giving of gifts has two possible beginnings. First, Christians point to the wisemen who gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Baby Jesus. Second, the custom could have come from Saint Nicholas’s tradition of giving gifts. Both are pictures of the kindness and love that God showed when he gave his Son to the world. Christians and non-Christians enjoy the custom of showing love for others by giving gifts.

Christmas Carols

The first Christmas songs were written in the 400’s AD and were similar to other church songs, called hymns. They were written in Latin, the common language of the church at that time. Most of them are about religious themes. Carols (noels) were first written around 1000 AD. They are simple songs about the Gospel (the story of Jesus) with more human and personal interests. Their music style sounds happier than hymns.

As people in Europe added dramas and plays to Christmas celebrations, carols became an important part. When the plays were done, singers, called carolers, walked home singing in the streets. This is how street caroling began. Many of the traditional favorite Christmas carols, such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Silent Night,” were written in the 1800’s. Christmas songs such as “Jingle Bells” and “White Christmas” came later and show the cultural part of the holiday. Handel’s famous Messiah is an oratorio – a musical drama with no stage background. It was first performed in 1742 and quickly became a Christmas favorite. Music experts agree that Christmas music is part of the best music ever written.

Star / Lights

People use lights and stars as ornaments in Christmas decorations. Some believe this idea came from Saturnalia, the holiday celebrating longer daylight. Others think this custom began with the Star of Bethlehem when Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1-2). Thus, people put stars on the top of Christmas trees or roofs. Christians point to the Bible and say that Christmas lights around their homes represent Jesus who said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Nativity Scenes

Many Americans set up a small nativity scene in their homes, often under their Christmas trees. Some families set up larger ones outside in their yard. These contain an image of Baby Jesus in his first bed, which is called a manger. A manger is a feeding box for animals. In the scene with Jesus are his mother, Mary, and her husband Joseph. With them are shepherds, wisemen, a few angels and some farm animals. This custom began on Christmas Eve, 1223 by Saint Francis of Assisi in a cave near the town of Greccio, Italy. Saint Francis was a famous Christian and wanted to re-create the scene of Jesus’ birth.

Foods

Like Christmas ornaments, foods served for Christmas dinner are different from family to family and from country to country. A Christmas dinner in an American family’s home includes turkey (or sometimes chicken, duck, goose or ham) and dressing, potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green vegetables, cranberry sauce, nuts, fruits, fruitcake, pumpkin and other pies, and sweets. Eggnog is usually the favorite drink for the whole family.

Candy Canes

The red and white striped candy cane is a favorite candy of Christmas time. Tradition says a candy maker in Indiana created it. He used many of the ideas of Christmas in his plan for the candy cane. The pure white represents the innocence of Jesus’ life on earth. Most candy canes have red stripes on them. These stripes are like the ones made on Jesus’ body when soldiers beat him with a whip before he died. The candy maker made the cane from hard candy. The hardness represents Jesus as “the Rock,” another way to describe him. He made the top of the cane curved to look like a shepherd’s staff because Jesus called himself “the Good Shepherd.” If the cane is held upside down, it makes the letter ‘J,’ the first letter of the name Jesus.

Celebrations

Family Christmas customs are very different. Most families normally open gifts either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Members may open them all at once, one at a time, or have some other type of family tradition. Some families will have a birthday cake for Jesus, and sing “Happy Birthday” to him. Other families sing Christmas carols together, share special Christmas stories, or do a family project that helps poor people.

Some people find this time of year depressing. It is caused by a number of reasons – from having no family around to celebrate with, to feeling poor or left out, etc. More people kill themselves during the Christmas season than at any other time of the year.

Christmas is about giving. Americans usually think of buying new gifts when they give to others. Thus they spend a lot of money during the Christmas season. That is why more money is spent at Christmas than at any other time of the year. Stores have special sales and are very crowded. Parking lots are full of cars. Christmas has become too materialistic for many people.

The idea of giving acts of service has become popular. Many churches help their city celebrate with special events such as Christmas pageants or concerts. They may help feed poor and homeless people, send gifts to prisoners and their families, or write letters to soldiers in the military. Most churches have special meetings (such as Christmas Eve services) or regular services with Christmas themes. All these activities are done at this time because God gave his son Jesus to the world. For Christians the Christmas spirit is giving to others and saying “Thank you” to God for sending Jesus.

Vocabulary

cartoonist (noun) – a person who draws a picture or pictures to make people laugh. chimney (noun) – a large pipe or hollow brick structure that allows smoke from a fire or furnace to pass into the open air.

*Christianize (verb) – to make something more Christian in its nature or purpose.

continual (adjective) – happening without stopping.

curved (adjective) – something that is bent without angles.

drama (noun) — a play, especially a serious one, for acting on a stage.

dressing (noun) – stuffing cooked with chicken, fish, etc.

*eggnog (noun) – a thick drink made of milk, eggs and spices usually drunk at Christmas time.

expert (noun) – a master at something.

fir tree (noun) – a type of tall pine tree with pointed leaves found in cool climates. *frankincense (noun) – a thick fluid from East African and Arabic trees that is used for perfume.

*holly (noun) – green plant or tree that has thick shiny leaves and red berries.

innocence (noun) – a lack of guilt.

*materialistic (adjective) – making material or physical things more important. *mistletoe (noun) – green plant that has thick leaves, small yellow flowers and white berries.

*myrrh (noun) – a thick fluid from East African or Arabian trees used as a spice, perfume or healing cream.

*nativity scene (noun) – a set of objects or figures that show the birth of Jesus in natural setting.

ornaments (noun) – a beautiful decoration; beautiful objects put on a Christmas tree. orphan (noun) – a child whose parents have died.

*orphanage (noun) – an institution or place where orphans live.

pageant (noun) – a colorful public entertainment, usually showing a famous historical event.

sailor (noun) – a person who works on a ship.

saint (noun) – a person chosen by God.

*Scandinavia (noun) – the northern part of Europe.

*shepherd (noun) – a person who takes care of sheep.

*similar (adjective) – almost alike.

sled (noun) – a vehicle that slides down on runners over the snow.

unique (adjective) – singular, one of a kind.

wreaths (noun) – round or circular arrangements of flowers or leaves used for decoration.

©Bill Perry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.