Santa Claus is coming to town
Site design, for this page only, is intentionally dreadful
The
main problem with the Christmas season in the United States is that ...
there isn't any. In Christian terms, the Christmas season (which is preceded
by Advent) begins on Christmas Eve and ends (depending
on one's tradition) either on the Feast of the Epiphany twelve days later
or the Feast of the Purification on the 2nd of February.
In the States, there is this quasi-season called "the
holidays", which is considered to begin on Thanksgiving Day in late
November and end on Christmas Day. "The holidays" have
nothing to do with religious observance. They are entirely
an exercise in merchandising. (Until a few years back, Christians usually
extended a "Merry Christmas" to one other. Now, even they say
merely "Happy Holidays".)
Thanksgiving Day
commemorates a meal shared by the Pilgrim settlers and American Indians
at the time of the harvest. This observance, originally held in October,
certainly had no connection with Christmas, which the Pilgrims considered
to be a "papist" holiday with pagan overtones. (True, they sat
down with the pagan Indians, which seems surprising, because the Pilgrims
didn't get along with anyone very well. But at least the Indians weren't
"high church", which would have been a far greater crime.)There
were laws against observing Christmas in New England well into the 19th
century, and it is fair to state that the Pilgrims would have scorned association
with its celebration.
If my sources are correct, President Roosevelt changed the observance of Thanksgiving from October to November because the merchants believed that extending the "holiday" atmosphere would be profitable. (There is no truth to the rumour that the only thing that matters here is making money. Spending it is equally cherished.)
During the same era, films became very popular entertainment. If one factor damaged the image of Christmas more than did merchandising, it was Hollywood. The classic "It's a Wonderful Life" stood alone for featuring characters who were depending on our True God. (Who can forget George Bailey's poignant "Please, God, I want to live."?) Other films invariably depicted the "miracle" of Christmas as having special wishes come true - receiving a gift, meeting a spouse, etc - none of which involved God or Jesus Christ. Rarely, if ever, did any Christmas film mention the Child Jesus.
The classic film "Miracle on 34th Street", for all that it has its charm, typifies the shift in sentiments about "the holidays." The film concerns an old gentleman who believes that he is Santa Claus - and one is left wondering if he really is! However, the "spirit of Christmas" that is presented is based on dreams coming true - and the children being happy, mainly based on what is in their stockings, the adults based on finding a new beginning. There are no religious references whatever.
With post-War prosperity raising "consumerism" to the status of an art form,
and parents who'd struggled though the Depression eagre to share the new
wealth with their children, Santa Claus had new power. Macy's, then the
largest department store in New York City, even then presented an elaborate
parade on the morning of Thanksgiving Day, which concluded with Santa Claus's
arriving in his sleigh. He then was there, in person, until Christmas Eve.
"Going to see Santa Claus", which was not a new concept, had
new dimensions now that parents actually could afford Christmas treats.
The idea was that the children would tell Santa what they wanted, and the
weary parents would be sure to buy it before they left.
"He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake - he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake." It's no wonder that many kids burst into tears when they approached a mythic creature of this dimension! But, all in all, the balance sheet heavily weighed in favour of personal appearances by Santa.
For the record, I have no problem with children's believing in Santa Claus, and I love to give and receive presents as much as anyone. However, this trend set the stage for people's connecting Christmas and Thanksgiving Day. While the total loss of a sense of Christmas was in the future, it was well on its way.
Unwittingly, through the next few decades, people were adopting the schedules
and terminology of merchandising for personal, social contacts. Trees were
no longer decorated on Christmas Eve, but at the time the stores set up
their displays. (It was to be a while before stores had Christmas displays
in August, as they do now!) Cards began to read "Seasons Greetings".
The lone candle in the window, intended to light the way for the Christ
Child, gave way to elaborate home decorations that mirrored those of department
stores.
Children grew more clever through the years! The belief in Santa Claus used to last until around the age of six. Now, kids who are taller than I am are asking Santa for presents. Well, why not? Parents can't disappoint a kid who is depending on Santa Claus.
In my own lifetime (which isn't that long!), I have seen the religious emphasis of the holiday give way to a sort of misery. Bombarded with Christmas displays from the days when it was 90 degrees, the thrill of Christmas preparations are gone. By early December, many are moaning that they "can't wait for all these holidays to be over."
If there is one cliché that I like least, it is the dull "Christmas is for children." (This line is invariably delivered in a moan) Little children, much as they may delight in their gifts, certainly cannot grasp the full meaning of the Incarnation of Christ. But adults, missing the days when Santa Claus could bring magic, are tired of "the holidays" before they begin!
Pseudo-holidays (which meant no day off - in itself un-American, though we do, at this writing, still have off on Christmas Day... such a lack of productivity! - or celebration, but "obligations" to send cards or gifts) were manufactured only recently. Secretaries Day, Boss's Day, Mother-in-Laws' Day, etc, and so forth blossomed, and the true meaning of holidays was blurred. Gifts no longer were expressions of caring and love, but of false obligations, often towards people that were not at all special to the giver. The patterns of the business world became permanently linked to the social.
Giving is a blessed action, and I personally love selecting the presents
that are tokens of my affection for my friends. But this, too, holds little
joy for many. Burdened with the "duty" to provide presents for
those with whom one "networks" (but has no personal relationship),
and wondering how one will pay the credit card bills for everything, was
a far cry from happily preparing stockings filled with little treasures.
The day after Christmas, people are saying "Happy New Year" and tossing the ornaments that had been displayed since Thanksgiving Day. I miss the Christmas season!
Blessed, happy Christmas! Buon Natale! Feliz Navidad! Freuliche Weihnachten! Joyeux Noel! Venite adoremus! May the Lord give us His peace!
Main index
Christmas page
Advent - what is that?!
&, if you haven't had enough, you can make some New Year's resolutions
Back to the main index
E-mail:gloriana@oocities.com
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page