‘Tis the Holiday Season in Ligonier Valley — Ligonier Valley Historical Society

Christmas has long been my favorite time of year, much like many other Ligonier Valley Historical Society patrons. The season of holiday cheer, Christmas movies, religion, and lavish feasts has evolved over the years into what we know today. To better understand how these practices came to be, we’re exploring some of the commonly shared stories and myths behind Christmas and Santa Claus.

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

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her’ kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,[1]

Pagan Christmas

The winter months have long been a time of celebration worldwide. Before Christianity and Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth during the darkest days of the year, winter. People often celebrated during the winter solstice because the worst of winter was behind them, and citizens could expect longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

The Norse celebrated Yule from December 21st, the winter solstice, through January in Scandinavia. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs that they would set on fire. Families would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf born during the coming year. [2]

The end of the year was often a perfect time to celebrate in most European areas. In December, farmers butchered their cattle, so they didn’t have to feed them during the winter. For this reason, it was the only time of the year when people had a surplus of fresh meat. Lastly, most beer and wine created during the year would finally be done fermenting and ready to consume.

Christian Holiday

As Christianity began to spread, Easter was the main holiday and the birth of Jesus was not a celebrated holiday. In the 4th century, the Christian church decided to institute the birth of Jesus as an official Christian holiday. The Bible does not state the date of Jesus’ birth. Pope Julius I chose December 25th to be the official holiday. Many believe that the church selected this date to absorb and adopt some traditions of the pagans who celebrated the Saturnalia festival. Christmas was first called the Feast of the Nativity and spread to Egypt by 432 and England by the 6th century.

Church leaders believed that by holding Christmas simultaneously with pagan winter solstice festivals, the chance that nonbelievers would embrace Christmas would significantly increase. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had replaced traditional pagan religion. On December 25th, believers attended church, then celebrated the holiday through a carnival-like atmosphere, including alcohol and feasts. This early celebration resembled modern-day Mardi Gras. The lower class would often go to the homes of the rich and demand food and drink. Affluent individuals who failed to host were often terrorized with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the rich would give back by entertaining the less fortunate citizens. [3]

Christmas Canceled?

England canceled Christmas in the early 17th century. Religious reform brought on by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645. Cromwell and his followers vowed to rid England of Decadence. As part of his reforms, Christmas celebrations were canceled to focus more on the spiritual side of Christmas. King Charles II was eventually restored to the throne by popular demand. With the return of the king, Christmas returned as well.

Many of the pilgrims and English separatists that came to America were even more conservative in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. Due to this fact, Christmas was not a celebrated holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, Christmas was outlawed in Boston. During this period, anyone accused of demonstrating holiday spirit would be fined five shillings. However, southern settlements such as Jamestown actively celebrated Christmas. Captain John Smith reported that all enjoyed Christmas and passed without incident.

Many traditional English customs fell out of favor following the American Revolution, including Christmas. Due to its association with the British, the beloved holiday didn’t officially become federal recognized until June 26, 1870.[4]

Saving Christmas

Americans did not begin to embrace Christmas until the 19th century, when they attempted to transform the holiday from a carnival-style celebration towards a more family-focused day of peace and nostalgia.

Americans wanted to shift away from traditional Christmas celebrations because of conflict and turmoil in the 19th century. Unemployment and gang riots from the lower classes often occurred during the Christmas season. A large Christmas riot in 1828 forced New York City’s council to institute the first police force in America. To help prevent violence, upper-class America began to change how Christmas was celebrated.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketch Book of Geoffrey, 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. Irving’s fictitious celebrants enjoyed “ancient customs,” including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. However, Irving’s book was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended. Many historians say that Irving’s account actually “invented” tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.[5]

Santa Claus

The origins of Santa Claus start with Saint Nicholas, a 4th century Greek Christian bishop in the Roman Empire, modern-day Turkey. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. Saint Nicholas is most well-known for the many miracles he completed and the stories around his generosity.

The story goes that a butcher killed three little children during a famine. The butcher intended to sell the meat to unsuspecting customers. Saint Nicolas, visiting the region, saw through the butcher’s lies and resurrected the children by making the sign of the cross. This incident is one of the many miracles attributed to Nicholas’s memory and legacy.

Nicholas became Father Christmas not because of his miracles but because of his generosity. For women to marry during this period, the bride’s family had to supply a dowry (a payment such as property or money to the groom’s family) to wed. These financial arrangements helped attract suiters and give the new couple financial stability. If you came from a poor family, women would not be able to wed and would have to be sold into slavery or prostitution.

Legend states that a poor man had three daughters. The oldest was beyond the age of marriage. The middle daughter was at the age of marriage, and the youngest daughter was still too young to marry. The eldest daughter told her father to sell her into slavery to prevent her younger sisters from a life of shame and misfortune. Nicolas heard of the situation and decided to help. Nicolas gathered enough money to supply three dowries, one for each daughter. The story goes that Nicolas threw the bags of coins down the home’s chimney, each bag apparently landing in the stockings of each woman while they dried on the mantel. Therefore, we continue to place stockings on the mantel during Christmas because of Saint Nicolas.[6] Saint Nicolas was the original giver of gifts. However, the image of Saint Nicolas has changed due to authors such as Washington Irvine and the commercialization of Christmas.

Christmas Fun Facts

Each year, 30-35 million live Christmas trees are sold in the United States alone. There are about 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the United States, and trees usually grow for roughly 15 years before they are sold.
Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870.
The first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in Captain John Smith’s 1607 Jamestown Settlement.
Poinsettia plants are named after Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who brought the red-and-green plant from Mexico to America in 1828.
The Salvation Army has been sending Santa Claus-clad donation collectors into the streets since the 1890s.
Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” was the product of Robert L. May’s imagination in 1939. The copywriter wrote a poem about the reindeer to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.
Construction workers started the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition in 1931.