Let's Open Up Some Common Christmas Myths, Part I
The jolly fat man in the red suit is coming (supposedly!), so we thought it was about time to put some popular Christmas myths to the test.
Christmas myths are legion. In fact, it's hard to imagine a holiday more bedecked with legend and ritual. But what's really hard is separating the newer, mercantile aspects of the season from the hard kernel of tradition that still remains, well hidden.
In this two-part article, that's exactly what we'll try to do. While we can't clear away all the cobwebs in one go, we'll at least try to set you straight on a few things everyone knows about Christmas that just ain't so.
Myth 1: Christmas has always been a popular holiday in America.
In the immortal words of Bart Simpson, "Au contraire, mon frère." Sure, it's easy to believe this Christmas myth if you're willing to overlook your country's history. Cast your gaze back to the days of the earliest American colonies, like Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth.
Oddly enough, the colonies barely celebrated Christmas at all. At best, it was considered just another feast day, like Michaelmas or St. Joseph's Day. At worst, it was viewed as vile popery. Remember, the Pilgrims and Puritans were Protestant, and disliked all things Roman Catholic.
Because of this (and the settlers' distaste for ostentatious displays), celebrating Christmas was actually against the law in Massachusetts for 25 years in the late 1600s. Celebrating openly could get you severely punished. Just goes to show you how completely turned around some Christmas myths can get, doesn't it?
Myth 2: Well...surely Christmas has always been the biggest Christian holiday.
Not exactly -- see above, for example. Easter was (and to some people remains) the holier holiday. This is especially the case in some parts of Europe. Christmas wasn't all that popular in the U.S. until after the Civil War -- and it really caught on once the commercial interests got ahold of it. After that it was Katie-bar-the-door.
Myth 3: Santa Claus has always been a jolly fat man, right?
No, actually. Santa Claus, Sinter Klaus, St. Nicholas (or whatever you prefer to call him) was originally a very thin Turkish bishop who delivered sacks of toys to kids. He grew fatter as time went by. The Christmas myths surrounding the bearded, red-suited fat man was created by Thomas Nast in 1863.
As for the smiling modern Santa, we can mostly thank Coca Cola for that; he's been a part of their Christmas advertising for over a century. As for Santa's reindeer? They didn't appear until the early 1820s, about the time Clement Moore published "A Visit from St. Nick." Chimneys? Around the same time.
Myth 4: Hmmph. At east Christmas trees are a classic American tradition.
Sorry to burst your bubble, pal, but Christmas trees rarely appeared in American homes before the 1860s. Even then, the tradition was criticized. Indeed, the New York Times editorialized against this Christmas myth as late as the 1880s -- and later on, Teddy Roosevelt denounced it as a waste of good timber.
Have we whetted your appetite for some more? Be sure to check out our next article debunking some more of the plethora of Christmas myths out there!
