A Time of Peace and Goodwill

The ruler of Palestine, King August, wanted a census of the people living in his kingdom. He requested the names of all the people and required that everyone return to the birthplace of their ancestors. Mary and Joseph were of the family of David; therefore, they journeyed to Bethlehem, the birthplace of David. Arriving in Bethlehem at night, exhausted from their long journey, they sought shelter. They found no available place to sleep at the inns nor at any of the homes due to the influx of people by order of the King. Having no place to sleep, Mary and Joseph made their way to the outskirts of Bethlehem. It was there that they found a stable where the shepherds kept their cattle during stormy weather, and so they settled there for the long night to rest.

Around midnight, the stars in the heavens lit up the stable as Mary gave birth to a male child. Filling the manger with straw, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in his make-shift bed. The little town of Bethlehem slept peacefully, unaware of the blessed event that had taken place.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was born, there appeared in the east an unusually bright star. Seeing this star were three wise men, who knew that the promised child of God had been born, the Messiah. Anxious to see the Messiah, they set out to find him, as the brilliant star shining from the heavens above guided their way. When they reached Bethlehem, they came to the stable where Jesus lay in the manger. When the wise men entered, and saw the child with his mother, they fell on their knees. Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were laid at the feet of the Christ-child. And the angels sang.

The first to hear of the birth of Christ were the shepherds of Bethlehem who were watching their sheep. An angel from heaven brought them the joyous tidings and told them to go to the town of Bethlehem where they would find the babe in a straw-filled manger. The heavens shone with a heavenly light and angles began to sing: "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth , Peace and Good will toward Men." The shepherds hastened to the stable where they truly found Lord Jesus Christ as a babe in swaddling clothes laying in a manger of straw. They spoke to Joseph and Mary of what they had seen and heard from the angels of heaven, and worshiped the new-born child as the Savior. The shepherds left, overjoyed, glorifying and praising God.

A beautifully decorated evergreen tree, with colored lights ablaze inspires in many warm memories of Christmasses long past. The Christmas tree has become one of the most beloved and well know holiday symbols.

Thousands of years ago, some people believed that evergreen trees were magical, for even during the harsh winter months when all other trees were brown and bare, the evergreen remained strong and green. The evergreen was seen as a symbol of life, a sure sign that sunshine and spring would return soon.

The tradition of a holiday tree has been around since ancient times and has played an important part in winter celebrations for many centuries. The evergreen was often decorated during the winter months. Many pagan festivals used trees when honoring their gods and spirits. The Druids of ancient England and France decorated oak trees with fruit and candles to honor their gods of harvests. Candles were often used, an ancient symbol of the Vikings representing the light of spring triumphing over the darkness of winter. The electric lights we use today are symbolic of that ancient practice.

In ancient Rome, at the festival Saturnalia held in December; people decorated trees with trinkets and candles, and decorated their homes and their temples with greenery at this time. It was a happy time, a time of peace. No battles could be fought and people everywhere joined in the carnival-like atmosphere and gave each other presents.

There have also been many legends surrounding the lore of the Christmas tree. One legend has it that on the night of the Saviour's birth, all the living creatures, both flora and fauna, came to Bethlehem with gifts. The olive tree brought its fruit and the palm its dates. But the little fir tree had no gift and was so tired it couldn't resist when the big trees pushed it into the background and hid it from view. But then a nearby angel took pity and commanded a cluster of stars to come and rest on its delicate boughs. When the Baby Jesus beheld this lovely lighted tree, He smiled and blessed it, declaring henceforth that fir trees should always be filled with lights at Christmastime to please little children.

Another legend has it that the tradition of having indoor trees was begun in Germany by Martin Luther; a monk and church reformer (1483 to 1546). According to the legend, Luther was returning home one winter's night when he saw the stars twinkling in the sky through the branches of the trees. So amazed by the sight, he was eager to tell his family about it. Luther was so inspired by the beauty of the sight that he cut down a small evergreen and brought it home. He recreated the stars by putting candles on the tree's branches.

In the earliest legend, Saint Boniface, an English monk and missionary, came upon a group of Germanic Druids outside the town of Geismar, who had gathered around an oak tree and were preparing to sacrifice a child. To convince the idolaters that the oak tree was not sacred and inviolable, so as to stop the sacrifice and save the child, the "Apostle of Germany" flattened the oak tree with one blow of his fist. Toppling, it crushed every shrub in its path except for a small fir sapling, which appeared to spring up in its place. Boniface, attempting to win converts, interpreted the fir's survival as a miracle, concluding, "Let this be called the tree of the Christ Child." Subsequent Christmasses in Germany were celebrated by planting fir saplings.

The history of the modern Christmas tree dates back to 16th century Germany. In Alsace (Elsass), dated 1561, states that "no burgher shall have for Christmas more than one bush of more than eight shoes' length." The decorations hung on a tree in that time, the earliest we have evidence of, were "roses cut of many-colored paper, apples, wafers, gilt, sugar." Around Strasbourg there was a widespread practice of bringing evergreen trees into houses for decoration during Christmastide. Also related to the modern Christmas tree, is that of the Paradise tree which was strung with apples, and found in the medieval religious plays. The decorations could symbolize the Christian Hosts. In some areas evergreen trees were scarce, and so various wooden pyramidal structures were also used which were then decorated with branches and candles.

In 17th century the Christmas tree spread through Germany and Scandinavia. Eventually the tree was extensively decorated, first with candles and candies, then with apples and confections, later with anything glittering mass-produced paraphernalia.

The tradition of the Christmas tree eventually spread through out Europe. In England, the Christmas tree first appeared when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, who was German. In 1841, Prince Albert, set up the first English Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle and decorated it with candles, candies, fruits, and gingerbread near London to remind him of his homeland.

In the diary of Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded on the date of December 20, 1821, it is noted that the Christmas tree and its myriad decorations received their first mention in the New World. The claim of the Pennsylvania Germans to have initiated the Christmas tree custom in America is undisputed to the present day. The custom of the Christmas tree was introduced to the United States by German immigrants who arrived in the 1800's. In the 1830's most Americans still considered the Christmas tree an oddity. One of the first public displays of a Christmas tree was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania. At the time many still considered the tree to be a symbol of pagans. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The Pilgrims' second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event."

It wasn't until the late 1800's that Americans began accepting the Christmas tree. Early Christmas trees were often decorated with apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and candles. Public outdoors Christmas trees with electric candles were introduced in Finland in 1906, and in New York City in 1912. In the present day, it is very common throughout the United States to feature public displays of Christmas trees. Each year, the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington, and in New York City, ice skaters spin merrily beneath the lighted tree at Rockefeller Center.

Children in the United States today would not recognize the St. Nick who brought gifts to European children hundreds of years ago, except for perhaps his long white beard. He made his rounds in full red-and-white bishop's robes, complete with twin-peaked miter and crooked crozier. His sled was pulled by no fleet-footed reindeer, but instead rode and coaxed an indolent donkey. St. Nick arrived not late on Christmas Eve, but on his Christian feast day, December 6. The gifts he left beside the hearth were usually small, such as fruit, nuts, hard candies, wood and clay figurines.

During the Protestant of the sixteenth century, St. Nicholas was banished from most European countries. Replacing him were more secular figures, who in general were not at center stage at that point in history. The Dutch, however, kept the St. Nicholas tradition alive. In sixteenth-century Holland, children placed wooden shoes by the hearth the night of St. Nicholas's arrival. The shoes were filled with straw, a meal for the saint's gift-laden donkey. In return, Nicholas would insert a small treat into each clog. In America, the shoe was replaced with the stocking, hung by the chimney.

And, as the "protector of sailors," St. Nicholas graced the prow of the first Dutch ship that arrived in America. And the first church built in New York City was named after him. The Dutch brought with them to the New World two Christmas items that eventually became an American tradition. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas "Sint Nikolass," which in the New World became "Sinterklass" and later changed to "Santa Claus."

Santa Claus is known throughout the world in many different names; Saint Nikolaas (Sinter Klaas), from the Dutch Father Christmas, from the English Kris Kringle, Christkind from the Germans, Befana from the Italians, Bobouschka, from the Russians (a grand motherly figure instead of a male).

Much of modern-day Santa Claus lore, including the reindeer-drawn sleigh, originated in America. It was in America that Santa put on weight. The rosy-cheeked, roly-poly Santa is credited to the influential nineteenth-century cartoonist Thomas Nast. From 1863 until 1886, Nast created a series of Christmas drawings for Harper's Weekly. These drawings, executed over twenty years, exhibit a gradual evolution in Santa from the pudgy, diminutive, elf-like creature of Dr. Moore's immortal poem to the bearded, potbellied, life-size bell ringer familiar on street corners across America today. Nast's cartoons also showed the world how Santa spent his entire year constructing toys, checking on children's behavior, reading their requests for special gifts. Dr. Clement Clarke Moore composed "The Night Before Christmas" in 1822, to read to his children on Christmas Eve. The poem might have remained privately in the Moore family had a friend had not mailed a copy of it to a newspaper.

Santa delivers presents to all good children and in accordance to tradition. The legend of the traditional hanging of the Christmas stocking began when Saint Nicholas dropped gold coins down a poor family's chimney and the coins landed in stockings hung by the fire to dry.

Each year, letters come to from all around the world, delivered to his home at the North Pole, where he lives with Mrs. Claus, as well as all of his helper elves and reindeer. Santa's helpers gather the mail to make sure everyone's letter gets to him.

Before Santa begins his long journey each Christmas, he checks his list to make sure that all the children's names are on it and that all the presents are packed, as well as ensuring the reindeer are well-fed before the long trip, and the sleigh in good condition. When Santa arrives on your roof top, everyone asleep and are dreaming of all the presents and candy that they will get when they wake up in the morning, he makes sure that his list is correct and that all the presents are in his bag. As he starts down the chimney with his bag of presents on his shoulder, he slips down the chimney and makes sure that he fire is not burning as to not hurt him. As he reaches the bottom and climbs out of the fireplace, Santa makes sure that everyone is asleep and he is quite as a mouse as he put the present under the tree and fills the stacks. If your house does not have a fireplace don't worry Santa is pretty slick, he finds a way in.

The Origin of the Reindeer Legend

Ordinary reindeer, as well as their flying counterparts play an important role in the Santa Claus legend. The story of the eight flying reindeer is believed to have originated by Clement Clarke Moore in his early 19th century poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas."

For many centuries, reindeer have been domesticated in their original habitat, which ranges from Norway and into northern Asia. Because of their strength, speed, and endurance, hey have been trained to wear harnesses for pulling sleds over snow. The reindeer are sturdy, short-legged animals, with a brownish coat that is dark in the summer and light in winter; the long hairs under the neck, the fur just above the hoofs and the region about the tail are almost white. The male (or stag) measures about six feet (6') in length and is about thirty-six inches (36") tall, measured at the shoulder; the doe is somewhat smaller. The animals have large, spreading hoofs that enable them to travel on snow-covered areas. They feed on vegetation such as grasses, leaves, mosses, and lichens, obtained by scraping away the snow cover with their antlers and hoofs.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true long sent to me …"

I'm sure that you are all familiar with this song heard each year at Christmas. To many, I'm sure, it's simply a wonderful bit of musical whimsy. Let's have a look at a popular story that has been posted on the internet for several years, a story which is, of course, not even remotely accurate.

What are they that are but one?
We have one God alone
In heaven above sits on His throne.

What are they which are by two?
Two testaments, the old and new,
We do acknowledge to be true.

What are they which are but three?
Three persons in the Trinity
Which make one God in unity.

What are they which are but four
Four sweet Evangelists there are,
Christ's birth, life, death which do declare.

What are they which are but five?
Five senses, like five kings, maintain
In every man a several reign.

What are they which are but six?
Six days to labor is not wrong,
For God himself did work so long.

What are they which are but seven?
Seven liberal arts hath God sent down
With divine skill man's soul to crown.

What are they which are but eight?
Eight Beatitudes are there given
Use them right and go to heaven.

What are they which are but nine?
Nine Muses, like the heaven's nine spheres,
With sacred tunes entice our ears.

What are they which are but ten?
Ten statutes God to Moses gave
Which, kept or broke, do spill or save.

What are they which are but eleven?
Eleven thousand virgins did partake
And suffered death for Jesus' sake.

What are they which are but twelve?
Twelve are attending on God's son;
Twelve make our creed. The Dial's done.

Perhaps most significantly, reports by sociologists report that "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is the only new addition to the folklore of Santa Claus in the twentieth century. In 1939, Robert May, an advertising copywriter for the Montgomery Ward department store in Chicago, needed and searched for something novel for its in-store Santa Claus to distribute to parents and children. May conceived the idea of a shiny-nosed reindeer, a Santa's helper. An artist friend of May's, Denver Gillen, spent hours at a local zoo creating whimsical sketches of reindeer at rest and at play. May considered many names and finally settled on Rudolph, based on the preference of his four-year-old daughter. That Christmas of 1939, 2.4 million copies of the "Rudolph" booklet were handed out in Montgomery Ward stores across the country.

As with many stories of Christmas, there are stories passed around based on truths, but many on suppositions and very creative minds. One such story is that of the origins of the candy cane. It has become fashionable of late to claim that the candy cane was not only designed to be filled with Christian religious symbolism, but that it was created as a means by which persecuted Christians could secretly identify each other. Like the apocryphal tale of the "true" meaning of the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," these claims are fiction — latter day attempts by those with extraordinarily creative minds to perhaps infuse simply and ordinary holiday traditions with specifically religious origins and meanings. Let's explore the facts with a couple of stories I've seen posted.

Although there are only a few Americans who practice this tradition, the burning of the yule log was at one time one of the most firmly established and practiced customs of Christmas. There was a ritual to the burning of the yule log, and certain steps had to be followed very carefully, lest disaster befall the household in the upcoming year.

Firstly, it was unlucky to buy a yule log. Lucky ones were obtained from a person's own land or from a neighbor's wood. Often the "log" was simply a stump or a root and not necessarily a full log, which was brought home on Christmas Eve and laid in the hearth.