The Christmas history in America really lacks a clear pathway and seems to hodge podge many different cultural narratives and traditions all together. Since the American people are really a diaspora of different nationalities, it's not surprising then that our holiday season is packed with so many rich traditions. From the German Christmas trees and English pudding, to Scandinavian yule logs and New England turkeys, Christmas Day rituals have become a larger celebration of Christmases past.
Some religious scholars point out that the Christmas celebration is oddly placed, speculating that a more accurate birth might have been in September or sometime in the fall, when it was easier to travel from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. In fact, December 25th, Christmas Day, had been celebrated as "Winter Solstice" for three centuries before Christ's birth. This time marked a day where the worst of winter was behind them and they could look forward to more sunlight and better days.
In Scandinavia, fathers and sons would bring home large logs that they would burn for 24 hours to bring good luck for the coming year. In Germany, people stayed inside to avoid the pagan god Oden's nocturnal flights across the sky, where he would look down and judge those who would perish and who would survive.
In Rome, the licentious feast of Saturnalia would boast plentiful food and drink, honor children and allow slaves or peasants to become masters for a month. It's commonly believed that the church chose this date purposely to replace the pagan celebrations of the season and encourage people to embrace Christianity instead.
Even though Christmas got off to a rocky start, the Christmas spirit had become so strong that it brought one of the world's mightiest wars to a screeching halt for just one day. On Christmas Day in 1914, an eerie calm spread over the battle field as the sounds of rifles firing quieted and shells ceased exploding. Across the Western Front, a sound rose up out of the trenches as both German and British troops began singing a Christmas carol across enemy lines.
At daybreak, a few German soldiers crept out of hiding, unarmed, calling out a tentative "Merry Xmas" in their enemy's native language. When the Allies saw this was no trick, they barreled out of the trenches to shake hands, exchange cigarettes and plum pudding. A few of the soldiers played a game of soccer, while others sadly removed some of the bodies during this brief ceasefire. Just five months into this brutal war, this rare anomaly revealed how basic decent humanity shines through, even during the most disheartening times.
In many ways, Americans have become alienated from the Christmas customs we celebrate today. For instance, Christmas trees are a German tradition that has been practiced since the 17th Century; yet the Puritans were hesitant to celebrate in such pagan ways, so stately pines didn't gain widespread popularity in America until a sketch of Queen Victoria, her children and a tree filled with Christmas ornaments circulated in 1846.
Christmas cards had been prevalent in Britain, but America didn't catch on fully until 1850, when German card-maker Louis Prang immigrated and set up shop. Mistletoe, which dates back to the Victorian era, is a Celtic and Teutonic tradition that was believed to heal wounds, increase fertility and ward off evil spirits. Plum pudding harkens all the way back to Middle Ages England. Caroling is another English practice, where roving minstrels would come through town and play for the rich in exchange for a warm meal, a warm bed and a pittance. The tradition of hanging stockings is said to stem from the legends of St. Nicholas, as well as the Scandinavian tradition of leaving shoes on the hearth in anticipation of gold coins and candies.
