“Merry Christmas!” That short phrase was spoken regularly in almost every personal interaction in the month of December when I was a child. Over time there has been a movement to be more inclusive of those who do not celebrate Christmas by substituting “Happy Holidays”. But sometimes it seems that this more recent phrase combines Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Years into one massive holiday as a rushed mind-numbing “season” rather than enjoying each in turn. As someone who enjoys these holidays for the unique traditions surrounding each one, it feels somehow wrong to hurry through them and diminish the individual significances. On that curmudgeonly note, perhaps a quick historical look at several Christmas traditions is in order.
“Merry Christmas” as written in the U.S., could seem to be adapted from the imagined Victorian British “Merrie Christmas” (it was never truly spelled that way), and is a departure from the more formal “Happy Christmas” (which actually is used in Britain). We know that “Merry Christmas” dates from at least the mid-1500’s, thanks to the English carol, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” which was introduced at that time. There is also a grammatical difference, since “happy” describes an inner emotion while “merry” is a more active, even raucous, behavior description. And “merry” was reinforced by Medieval “Twelve Days” celebrations (which could get very raucous) as well as Victorian British observations of the holiday and promoted in the writings of Charles Dickens.
Decorated Christmas trees date at least back to Medieval Germany. Immigrant to the U.S. from Germany and other Northern European countries brought the practice and it became popularized in the early 19th century. History credits Mark Carr of New York with opening the first Christmas tree lot in the U.S. in 1851. Long before electric lights, Christmas trees were decorated with fruits, nuts, and candles. The candles were only lit for brief periods during special moments like Christmas Eve dinners, when the candles could be watched carefully. Electric lights have generally supplanted candles and artificial trees are the preferred choice in some 80% of U.S. households.
Special decorations for the home at Christmas have also had a long history. It has been recorded that by the early 1600’s, London houses and parish churches were festively arrayed with evergreen branches, ivy vines, bay leaves, and other greenery. Nativity scenes were known in 10th century Rome and spread from there throughout Europe, often depicting local buildings and even including live displays outdoors. Cards are a more recent tradition, dating to Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843. As this practice evolves, like so many others, cards are often sent electronically in 2024.
One of my favorite traditions is the story “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. It presents the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge, an isolated unhappy miser, who is transformed on Christmas Eve into a proponent of good will toward all. The book ends with the lines, “…it was always said of him (Scrooge), that he knew how to keep Christmas well…God bless us, every one!” With that, I wish to all my readers, “Merry Christmas”.