The Everything Family Christmas Book (9 page)

Moore was not the first to assign a reindeer to St. Nicholas, but he was the first to set the total at eight, and the first to popularize the names now associated with the animals. (They are, for the record: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen.)

Santa Evolves

In 1842, a popular children’s book featured illustrations of a stout, bearded, gift-giving character it referred to as Kriss Kringle. Although uniform depictions of this figure would not surface for another twenty years, the book’s drawings were in fact the first modern representations of the St. Nicholas we think of today.

This concept of Santa flying in a sleigh pulled by a reindeer had long been popular in Russia, where Father Frost arrived in the villages in a reindeer-drawn sleigh. The Norse god, Wodin, was said to ride his horse, Sleipner, through the air to make sure people were behaving; in Holland, St. Nicholas still rides Sleipner.

The name by which we more commonly know him would not gain currency until the middle of the century, when the pronunciation of Sinter Klaas had either evolved or been corrupted, depending on your outlook, to Santa Claus.

Although it had far less influence on the vision of Santa than Moore’s poem, the
New York Sun’s
editorial response to young Virginia O’Hanlon’s query about his existence has probably had a greater effect on the way people think about him. The piece, which ran first in 1897 and has resurfaced seemingly every holiday season thereafter, captured for both adults and children the essential innocence and trust of the Santa Claus tradition.

The
Sun
piece also supplied the nation with a catchphrase that helped unify the previously disparate roles Santa had played in various ethnic traditions. It is probably no coincidence that the phrase “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” entered the national lexicon at about the same time the mass media in general—and advertisers in particular—began in earnest to capitalize on the bearded one’s popularity. The nation finally had a single perception of Santa to which publishers and marketers alike could appeal.

Although Thomas Nast’s drawings had the greatest impact as far as standardizing the various images of St. Nicholas into a single chubby, smiling figure, the final touches were added (or at least formalized) in the 1920s by artist Haddon Sundblom in a series of Coca-Cola ads. Sundblom’s Santa had red cheeks, wore a red gown with white-fur trim, and radiated a rotund good cheer. Not surprisingly, he also liked Coca-Cola. The ad campaign ran for thirty-five years, and was even revived in the 1990s.

Francis Church, the writer for the
New York Sun
who penned the famous response to Virginia O’Hanlon’s 1897 query about Santa Claus, never received credit for the work during his lifetime. That’s not unusual for newspaper editorial writers, however; staff on newspaper editorial pages often write as the voice of the paper as a whole rather than as individuals.

And so St. Nicholas has made his way from Asia Minor to American department stores, undergoing a few alterations on the way. Indeed, it’s doubtful whether St. Nicholas would recognize himself in the Santa Claus of today if the two were to come face to face. Still, perhaps somewhere, somehow, St. Nicholas is aware of the joy his existence has brought to children and the children at heart everywhere.

After all, if it were not for this quietly devout and generous man, there would be no Santa Claus. And who could imagine Christmas without Santa?

3
The Traditions of Christmas

M
any of the best-loved Christmas traditions come from the original stories of the Bible. In fact, the gospels of Luke and Matthew hold the keys to explaining the ways in which many people celebrate the holiday today—from the Christmas star that led the Wise Men to the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born to the Nativity displays that recreate the scene inside the stable. While customs have changed over the centuries, many traditions still provide a direct link to the time of Jesus’ birth.

Xmas

The
X
in
Xmas
stands for the Greek letter
Chi,
the first letter in the Greek word for Christ. Over time, the letter
X
came to stand for the name of Christ. The practice gained very wide usage in the mass media during the twentieth century—but not, as many believe, because of a reluctance to use the word
Christmas
or to make it easier to write. Often,
Xmas
simply fits better in a headline.

Christkind

Christkind,
the German name for the Christ Child, originally referred directly to the Holy Infant Jesus himself, who was said to bring gifts to children in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Pennsylvania Dutch region on Christmas Eve. (Other forms of the name are
Christkindl, Christkindli,
and
Chriskindlein
.)

Later, the name came to stand for the embodiment of the Child’s spirit, in angelic form, that brought the gifts in his place. Veiled in white, with gold wings upon his shoulders, he arrives secretly, often through an open window. When he is through with his work, he rings a bell to notify all that the presents have arrived. Over the years, the name has evolved to
Kris Kringle,
but contrary to popular belief, the Christkind is not another form of Santa Claus.

Special Days

For most of the churches that follow Christianity, Christmas is only one day—albeit a very important one—in an entire season that focuses on the birth of Jesus. The season begins approximately four weeks before Christmas Day, and carries on through January and even into February. Each of the special days within the season brings with it an opportunity to reflect on the message of peace, joy, and goodwill.

The Season of Advent

For most western Christian churches, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The word
advent
originates with the Latin word for “coming,” and indeed, this season of preparation is a solemn time to make ready for the coming of Christ and Christmas.

In Eastern Orthodox churches, Advent can last for forty days, and may be referred to as the Nativity Fast, Winter Lent, or Christmas Lent. This goes back to a time in the Greek churches when the weeks before Christmas were marked by fasting.

As a way to mark the passage of time, churches often use an Advent Wreath or candle arrangement that contains five candles. On the first Sunday of Advent, one candle is lit; on the second, two candles are lit; and so on. These candles, which can be various colors depending on the church, often represent such ideas as hope, peace, love, and joy. Finally, on Christmas Eve, the fifth candle is lit, representing Christ, the light of the world.

Christmas Eve

The day before Christmas Day is one of great anticipation, and is marked in many countries and cultures. The most popular Christmas Mass for Roman Catholics is the midnight Mass, a tradition that began in the early 400s. Midnight Mass is traditionally held at midnight, as Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day, because it’s believed that Jesus was born at midnight. In today’s churches, both Catholic and Protestant, services may be held at midnight or earlier, often incorporating carols and the Nativity.