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Christmas Myths
10 Myths About
Christmas
BY MELANIE RADZICKI
MACMANUS
Most
people think it's been around, well, forever. But the Christmas tree is
actually a pretty recent holiday tradition.
German
immigrants brought the tradition here in the mid-18th century, yet 100 years
later it still hadn't really caught on.
In
fact, it was downright controversial. The New York Times wrote an editorial
against the practice in the 1880s, and when Teddy Roosevelt was president in
the early 1900s, he railed against cutting down trees for Christmas, saying it
was a waste of good timber [source: Shenkman].
The
tradition, of course, took hold regardless.
Despite
Christmas' popularity among Christians and non-Christians alike, little-known
facts like this -- and even outright myths -- abound.
From
the holiday's religious origins to Mr. and Mrs. Claus to that great, evergreen
symbol, the Yuletide tree, here are 10 enduring Christmas myths, exposed at
last.
10 Christmas is the Most Important Christian Holiday
Say
it ain't so! Yes, to the astonishment of many people -- including many
Christians – Christmas is not the most important Christian holiday.
Despite
the ribbons. Despite the tags. Despite the packages, boxes and bags. No,
Christmas can't hold a candle to that powerhouse Christian holiday, Easter.
And
it's not just an Easter bunny versus Santa Claus thing, either.
On
Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, who they believe is the son
of God.
That's
definitely an important event, and Christians spend a few weeks whooping it up,
from Dec. 25 until sometime in January, depending on their exact religious
affiliation.
But
Easter commemorates Jesus' rising from death into eternal life, which was not
only a coup for Jesus personally, but for all of humankind, as his resurrection
is said to have contained the promise of eternal life for all who believe in
him [source: Martin].
Because
Easter is so sacred, Christians spend nearly two months of the year celebrating
the Easter season, far longer than they celebrate Christmas. Think of it this
way.
Everyone
has a birthday. But not everyone can triumph over death.
9 Clement C. Moore Wrote "Twas the Night Before
Christmas"
How
many of us snuggle with family members every Christmas season to read "A
Visit from St. Nicholas," aka "'Twas the Night Before
Christmas"?
This
poem has been popular since it was first published in New York's Troy
Sentinel on Dec. 23, 1823 [source: Conradt].
The
poem was published anonymously, and it wasn't until 1836 that someone stepped
forward as the author: Clement Clarke Moore, a professor and poet.
According
to Moore, he wrote the poem for his kids, and later, unbeknownst to him, his
housekeeper sent it to the newspaper.
But
once Moore claimed to be the author, members of the Henry Livingston Jr. family
cried foul, saying their dad had been reciting the very same poem to them a
full 15 years before it was published.
Livingston,
interestingly, was a distant relative of Moore's wife [sources: Conradt, Why Christmas].
Who was
telling the truth? At least four of Livingston's kids, and one neighbor, said
they remembered him reciting the poem as early as 1807.
He was
also part Dutch, and many references in the poem are, too.
Plus
scholars who studied Moore's other written works say they're all vastly
different in structure and content from "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
But Moore
did claim authorship first. He was also friends with Washington Irving, who
knew all about Dutch culture and had previously written about St. Nicholas [sources: Howse, Conradt].
Add all
these clues together and the question of the famous poem's authorship is still
up in the air.
8 Jesus Was Born on Dec. 25
If
Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth, and Christmas is always on
Dec. 25, then Jesus was born on Dec. 25, right?
Nope.
No one knows for sure when Jesus was born.
The
Bible mentions neither a month nor a date. Yet while Jesus may have been born
on Dec. 25, it's highly unlikely, at least according to Biblical
interpretations [source: Christian Answers].
Here's
why.
First,
the Bible mentions that during Jesus' birth, shepherds were in their fields.
But
it's cold in Bethlehem in December, and nothing much grows in the fields, so
shepherds sheltered their sheep around that time of year and stayed inside.
The
Bible also says Mary and Joseph were traveling to take part in a census.
But
back in Jesus' time, censuses were normally held in September or October --
after the fall harvest, yet before the harsh winter made travel difficult [sources: Christian Answers, Boyett].
Finally,
while Easter was celebrated by the earliest Christians, Jesus' birth
wasn't considered a special day until about the fourth century, when the church
wanted some kind of celebration to take the focus away from the winter solstice
celebrations favored by the pagans. Voilà -- the church proclaimed Jesus' birth
date as Dec. 25, and it became a major Christian celebration.
Most
scholars, incidentally, agree Jesus was likely born near the end of September,
based on a host of additional Biblical clues [source: Boyett].
7 Germans Always Put Pickle Ornaments on their Trees
You
might have noticed that most ornament stores carry glass pickles. Ever wonder
why?
The
popular story is that the pickles are part of a very old German tradition that
went like this: On Christmas Eve in Germany, parents hid glass pickle ornaments
deep within the fragrant branches of their trees, once all of the other
ornaments were in place.
The
next morning, the first child to find the pickle ornament got an extra gift
from St. Nicholas, while the first adult to find it (not counting the ones who
hid it) would have good luck for the next year [source: German Pulse].
Not
too shabby! Unfortunately, this cute tale is a myth. Most Germans say they've
never heard of this practice, and it's definitely not a tradition.
That's
pretty good intel. But the tale has more flaws. In Germany, as in many European
countries, St. Nick traditionally delivers his gifts on the night of Dec. 5,
not on Christmas Eve.
Christmas
Eve is also the day German kids normally open their presents, not Christmas Day.
So
how did this story become so well-entrenched? It's still a mystery.
Glass
ornaments were being produced in Germany in the 16th century, and by the 19th
century some Germans were crafting fruit- and nut-shaped ornaments. But that's
about as close as we can get to figuring it out [source: German Pulse].
6 Abbreviating Christmas as "Xmas" is Sacrilegious
Don't
take "Christ" out of Christmas!
That's
the rallying cry of many Christians, who become quite frantic over what they
view as sacrilege -- removing Christ's holy name from the important holiday,
and replacing it with a simple X.
A
secular X. An impersonal, present-and-Santa-seeking X.
But
if we take a closer look, writing "Xmas" isn't a necessarily a slam
against the son of God. Far from it.
The
word "Christ" in Greek is written "Χριστός." Notice
anything familiar?
The
first letter is "X," or chi. Chi is also written as an X in the Roman
alphabet.
Rather
than being an offensive abbreviation for Christmas, "Xmas" is actually
a quite logical nickname [sources: Boyett, Bible Suite].
5 Santa Claus, St. Nicholas and Father Christmas Are All the Same
This
is a tricky one. The three are definitely different, yet sometimes can be
considered the same.
St.
Nicholas was a fourth-century Turkish bishop who spent his life giving money to
the poor, and it's said one of his favored methods was secretly leaving money
in people's stockings overnight.
Nicholas
died on Dec. 6, and was eventually proclaimed a saint. Thus, Dec. 6 became
known as St. Nicholas Day.
Various
cultures celebrated by instructing their kids to leave out stockings or shoes
the night before so "St. Nick" could fill them with gifts like fruit,
nuts and candy. [source: Why Christmas].
By
the 16th century, Europeans were turning away from the idea of St. Nicholas,
yet they loved the gifting tradition. So St. Nick morphed into a guy named
"Father Christmas."
First
mentioned in 15th-century writings, he was a partying dude associated with
drunkenness and holiday merrymaking.
In
the U.S., St. Nick became Kris Kringle. Father Christmas and Kris Kringle
generally brought gifts on Christmas, not Dec. 6.
When
Dutch settlers began emigrating to the U.S., they brought with them stories of
St. Nicholas, whom they called Sinterklaas.
Soon
Sinterklaas became Americanized as Santa Claus [sources: Religion Facts, Why Christmas].
By
the 20th century or so, all of the Father Christmases, Kris Kringles, etc.
became "Santa Claus," uniformly depicted as a round-bellied,
white-bearded old guy who brings gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
Yet
some people around the world, namely Christians from European countries where
St. Nick was a beloved hero, still celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6 by
setting out shoes or hanging stockings the night before.
So
while Father Christmas and Santa Claus are definitely now one and the same, St.
Nicholas is still a toss-up, with some people recognizing him as a distinct
individual and others lumping him in with the other gift-bearing men [sources: Religion Facts, Why Christmas].
4 Three Kings Visited Jesus Shortly After His Birth
Gaspar
(or Caspar), Melchior and Balthasar, three kings from the east, are said to
have traveled a long way to see Baby Jesus, following a freakishly large,
bright star and hauling gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh along
with them.
Alas,
according to the Bible this is yet another Christmas miss, despite the presence
of a trio of king figurines in all nativity sets.
The
Bible says magi came from the east, following a big star, and that they were
looking for the King of the Jews.
But
magi are wise men, not kings. And the number of and names of the magi are never
detailed anywhere in writing.
Further,
the Bible says the men arrived when Jesus was a young child, not an infant, and
they found him at home with his mom -- not in a manger in a stable.
Scholars
believe the men were likely astrologers who arrived a year or more after Jesus'
birth.
Because
three gifts are listed in the Bible, scholars also say it's possible that over
time, people assumed this meant there were three men [source: Boyett].
The
myth of their names emerged later, after a mosaic depicting the magi was
created in the sixth century.
The
mosaic, housed in the Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy,
contains the names Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar [source: Sacred Destinations].
3 Boxing Day is for Boxing Up Gifts
for Return
Lots
of people have never heard of Boxing Day.
Those
who have -- and who know it falls after Christmas -- often think it's a
day designated for boxing up any gifts you don't want, don't like or can't use,
and taking them back to the store.
Nice
as that may sound to anyone who's used to receiving bum gifts, unfortunately
it's completely wrong.
Boxing
Day is Dec. 26, and it's a celebration that takes place only in a few
countries.
It
started in the United Kingdom during the Middle Ages as the one day of the year
when churches opened their alms boxes, or collection boxes, and doled out the
money to the poor.
Servants
were also given this day off to celebrate Christmas with their families, having
had to work for their bosses on Christmas Day [source: Why Christmas].
The
holiday changed over time. In the years leading up to World War II, blue collar
workers such as milkmen, butchers and newspaper boys used the day to run their
routes and collect Christmas tips from clients.
Today,
in certain countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand, Boxing Day is a day when certain sporting events are held, namely
horse races and soccer matches [source: Why Christmas].
What
that has to do with alms for the poor -- or boxes -- is another mystery.
2 U.S. Students Can't Sing Religious Carols in Public Schools
This idea is
false -- at least for now. As long as secular songs are included in a school
holiday concert's repertoire, Christmas carols may also be
sung [source: Gibbs, Jr. and Gibbs III].
But
there's much debate over whether singing any sacred choral music in public
schools is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s 's Establishment Clause.
The
Constitution's First Amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting
an establishment of religion."
This
"Establishment Clause" is at the heart of many disputes over what
people consider freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and freedom of
religion [source: Kasparian].
As of now,
however, there's been no ruling by the Supreme Court, and no Constitutional
amendments, banning this practice. Some individual school districts, however,
have banned Christmas music in school concerts [source: Rundquist].
1 Christmas Trees Are a Fire Safety
Hazard
We
hear about the dangers of Christmas trees -- especially real ones --
bursting into flames every year at Yuletide.
Yet
neither real nor artificial Christmas trees are that likely to catch on fire.
First,
real trees simply don't spontaneously combust, even if you forget to water
them. And secondly, actual cases of any Christmas trees causing residential
fires are extremely rare.
According
to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), between 2005 and 2009, U.S.
fire departments responded to an average of 240 home fires per year that began
with Christmas trees [source: National Fire Protection
Association].
With
tens of millions of trees both fake and real sold every year, 240 fires is a
pretty small percentage. Of course, this doesn't mean you should take unnecessary
risks.
If
you have a real tree, water it regularly, and remember to turn off the lights when
you're away.
And
remember that overloaded outlets and faulty wires are the biggest potential
culprits when it comes to holiday fires [source: National Christmas Tree
Association].
Author's Note: 10 Myths About
Christmas
I'm so relieved Christmas trees
aren't a major fire hazard, because I'd never want to give up my tree.
And
thank goodness my frequent use of the term "Xmas" isn't offensive.
Now
I'm going to go hang my pickle ornament on the tree, read whoever's "Twas
the Night Before Christmas" and call it a day.
Melanie McManus
Melanie has
worked as a radio station news reporter, as a press secretary in the Wisconsin
State Legislature and as editor of two local publications. Since 1994, she has
worked as a freelance writer and editor, specializing in travel and fitness.
She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for her travel journalism. Her first book, "Thousand-Miler" (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2017), is a memoir about her record-setting thru-hike of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for her travel journalism. Her first book, "Thousand-Miler" (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2017), is a memoir about her record-setting thru-hike of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
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