Christmas wasn’t always a holiday in America?
Chip Davis
For so many of us, something as simple as the mere mention of the word Christmas is so powerful that it immediately brings to mind warm, rich memories. Children, music, families, friends, gifts, and food.
For most of the world, Christmas is the highlight of the year. But what if I told you that this annual gigantic celebration called Christmas was almost excluded from an American holiday? It's a strange thought. America without Christmas? If the earliest American settlers had their way, there would be no Christmas celebration at all.
At least nothing like today. There would have been no Santa, no gifts, no Christmas trees, and absolutely no chestnuts roasting by an open fire. Blame it on the pilgrims.
The pilgrims were part of a somber religious movement that began in Europe. In fact, their serious dislike of Christmas and their very strict interpretation of their religious scriptures were the main reasons why the British and most of Europe didn't like them at all. The pilgrims frowned on almost every kind of celebration, and that was the beginning of the trouble with Christmas in early America.
So then, who brought Christmas to America? Hats off to our Dutch and German forefathers. Give the Germans their credit for the tradition of our Christmas trees. And from the Dutch? Well, the Dutch gave us the Santa Claus we all know so well.
In the 17 and early 1800s, Christmas in America was not a time of charity and of helping those in need. That wouldn't come along until the Christmas of 1843, when Charles Dickens published a short little story known as "A Christmas Carol". It was Dickens who changed not only the way England and America celebrated Christmas, but also how the whole world would come to keep the holiday from a time of total revelry to a time of charity and helping those in need.
In a very real sense, our Christmas traditions developed along with America. In many ways, it paralleled our struggle to develop our own identity as Americans. If we look carefully into the full sweep of the holiday, we can begin to see how, unlike the many religious holidays that can divide us, Christmas has grown to become a uniting force.
It's now uniquely celebrated in America by Christians and non-Christians alike. And like our people, American Christmas traditions come from many cultures. Holly and mistletoe from ancient European Norse legends. Christmas trees from Germany. Carols from England. Fruitcakes and eggnog from the Middle Ages.
And the central story of Christmas itself from the ancient Middle East. We've crafted our own rich holiday, uniquely American, yet tied to people and places, stretching back into time itself. Our individual Christmas memories are this way, too.
Each Christmas is different, yet each somehow the same. Grounded in our musical carols, our children, and our traditions. In Christmas, we renew connections to our past and we build for our future.
After it is all said and done, our Christmases are the ties that bind. With them, we mark each year in the passing of our lives.
Chip Davis is an American musician and composer best known as the founder and leader of the music group “Mannheim Steamroller.”
The essay above is read by Davis on his 2001 album, “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Companion.”
