11 December 2022
Two-Minute Features | 18 December 2022 | 04 December 2022

The Role of Santa Claus in Christmas, Part 2 (TMF:SE25)

Friday, December 16, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Role of Santa Claus in Christmas, Part 2 (TMF:SE25) - Daniel Litton
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       It happens that soon thereafter the judgment idea was removed from Santa Claus, and he would in fact only bring a “happy Christmas to all.” ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ was written by Clement Moore which carries the famous phrase, “’Twas the night before Christmas…” So, Santa Claus becomes only a positive guy, so to speak, where he just brings presents and happiness to children. Moore really created the Santa Claus that most Americans know and love in our day and age. He is the bearer of gifts, brought by his sleigh pulled by his reindeer which landed on the roofs of people’s homes. But it’s in the latter half of the 1800s that we finally see Santa Claus taking shaping, literally so to speak, into how we see him today. It is during this time at we learn he goes down chimneys, and he seems to gain weight as the years pass by. The famous artist, Thomas Nast, does many drawings of Santa Claus, and these certainly contribute, and carried along, the way we see him today. And Claus’ home being in the North Pole also comes to us during this time in a poem written by author George P. Webster.

The Role of Santa Claus in Christmas, Part 1 (TMF:SE24)

Thursday, December 15, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Role of Santa Claus in Christmas, Part 1 (TMF:SE24) - Daniel Litton
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       Nonetheless, by 1821, we read of Christmas being celebrated on December 24th and 25th, but it was meant to be sort of a children’s version of an adults Judgement Day. The point was to emphasize to children the importance of doing right in this life. If a child did right throughout the year, he or she would be rewarded by St. Nicholas. However, if the child did wrong, he or she would find a rod, or coal as we have changed it to, in the morning. This practice among children was supposed to remind them of, or make them aware, that what we do in our lives matters. So, St. Nicholas’, or Santa’s, job is important. Children learned that what really matters is eternity, and one would not want to find him or herself spending an eternity in Hell because he or she was living in the wrong way—out of a proper relationship with Christ. It happens that soon thereafter the judgment idea was removed from Santa Claus, and he would in fact only bring a “happy Christmas to all.”

The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 3 (TMF:SE23)

Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 3 (TMF:SE23) - Daniel Litton
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       So, Christmas, still yet, wasn’t in full bloom even by the close of the 1700s. Christmas started to settle into the American culture in a more dominate fashion by the early 1800s. It’s here that we start to see the outcropping of church services on Christmas Day throughout America (Nissenbaum, pp. 45-47). The old Puritan way of ignoring or shunning Christmas was seeming to fall by the wayside. It is also during this time of the early 1800s that we see the beginnings of Santa Claus. Now, in fact, during this time some Christians celebrated St. Nicholas Day (as some even still celebrate it today), and this involved Santa, as we call him today, giving to children (Nissenbaum, pp. 73, 74, 78). This day took place on December 6, however. Nonetheless, by 1821, we read of Christmas being celebrated on December 24th and 25th, but it was meant to be sort of a children’s version of an adults Judgement Day. The point was to emphasize to children the importance of doing right in this life.

Reference
Nissenbaum, Stephen. (1996). The Battle for Christmas. New York: Vintage Books.

The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 2 (TMF:SE22)

Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 2 (TMF:SE22) - Daniel Litton
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       Present giving really wasn’t present during Washington’s time, nor was the celebration of Christmas in the form of any special meals or food, yet Christmas had made its way into church hymnals during his time (Nissenbaum, pp. 30, 31, 33). Of important note, though, is that late December during the time of the latter 1700s was one of rest and making special foods anyway, as many were resting from their harvest work that had just taken place a short period of time earlier. So, while some were if fact taking time off of work, it wasn’t for Christmas. And while some special foods were made in regard to the season, like mince pies, these foods would have been made anyway due to the fact of what time of year it was. But, we do, on the other hand, see that Christmas hymns had been added to church hymnals in the Colonies by the 1750s. So, it is clear that at least some churches celebrated Christmas by singing hymns to some extent. One minister, in his diary in 1749, actually expressed that he wished people took greater notice of Christmas—that people would care to celebrate it more (Nissenbaum, p. 37).

Reference
Nissenbaum, Stephen. (1996). The Battle for Christmas. New York: Vintage Books.

The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 1 (TMF:SE21)

Monday, December 12, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 1 (TMF:SE21) - Daniel Litton
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       During the time of the latter 1700s was when Christmas started to become popular in American society, which interestingly enough, is during the times of the American Revolution (Nissenbaum, p. 26). Even during this time, however, it is clear that Christmas was not so seriously celebrated as we as Americans celebrate it in this day and age. Most people still worked on Christmas back then, carrying out life as usual with no stopping for celebration. It was more like what we see as Independence Day, where, if it falls on a workday, many people will still work, though some take the day off. I know a lot of people enjoy having Christmas off, and most people do have it off, but even today there are still some of us who have to work, and we work Christmas Day as if it’s any other day. So, be grateful for what you have when you are off on Christmas, when you get to spend time with your family and exchange gifts. Don’t take that for granted but cherish every moment of it.

Reference
Nissenbaum, Stephen. (1996). The Battle for Christmas. New York: Vintage Books.