A Grah Bag of Christmas Customs

Santa Claus: The prototype of this jolly old gift-giving gentleman was a stern but kindly bishop who lived in Asia Minor in the fourth century. St. Nicholas, so legend goes, learned that the impoverished father of three young women planned to allow them to solicit in order to provide dowries. Filling three bags with gold, Nicholas threw them into the maidens' rooms. All were soon happily married, and St. Nicholas was forever associated with unexpected gifts.

When the Dutch settled New York, they brought with them the legend of an annually reappearing St. Nicholas, whom they called Sinterklaas. But it was not until the 19th century in New York City that this tall saintly bishop was recast as the jovial elf complete with sleigh and reindeer. The transformation, the result of one poem and one illustration, was the work of two unlikely men: a serious classical scholar and a political cartoonist.

Clement Clarke Moore, a professor of Greek and Oriental literature at New York City's General Theological Seminary, invented America's "Santa Claus" in 1822. Although opposed in principle to the frivolity of Christmas, Moore decided to write a poem to please his children. Inspired by his surroundings on a snowy Christmas Eve in Manhattan, Moore composed 56 lines on his way home from a market trip to buy a Christmas turkey. Moore's own sleigh and jingling bells suggested Santa's flying conveyance, while an old farmer friend, Jan Duyckinck, was reincarnated as the good saint.

"A Visit from St. Nicholas" first appeared in the Troy, N.Y., Sentinel in 1823 and was reprinted in magazines and newspapers across the country. A few years later political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a Santa Claus for Harper's Illustrated Weekly in line with Moore's characterization. The caricature depicting a round, bearded figure with a reermine-trimmed suit, a wide leather belt at shiny boots, cemented Santa Claus's image.

Christmas Trees: The "tannenbaum" finds its roots in the evergreens used for winter solstice festivals to show that life survives even in the cruelest seasons. The Egyptians erected green date palms indoors during their winter solstice rites; the Romans hung trinkets on pine trees during the Saturnalia; the druids placed candles, cakes and gilded apples in tree branches as offerings.

Of the many legends explaining the origins of the modern Christmas tree, three are the most popular. Some scholars trace the "tannenbaum" back to the fir tree erected by Boniface, the 8th-century English missionary known as the Apostle of Germany, in place of a sacred oak of Odin. Others point to the "paradise" trees of knowledge of good and evil, used as stage props in 15th century German Christmas plays.

But the most popular legend bestows the honor on the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. One Christmas Eve, travelling alone through a snow-covered forest, Luther supposedly noticed brilliant stars twinkling among the evergreen trees. The scene made such a deep impression on him, that to recapture it for his family, he cut a small fir tree, dragged it into the nursery and placed lighted candles on the branches.

Whatever its origin, the Christmas tree spread throughout Germany and was brought to America by Hessian troops during the Revolutionary War. But the tree did not gain popularity until the mid-1800's, when a picture of Queen Victoria's elaborate fir appeared in Godey's Lady's Book, the fashionable magazine of the day.

In 1856 President Franklin Pierce set up the first Christmas tree inside the White House, and in 1923 President Calvin Coolidge instituted the custom of lighting a National Christmas Tree on the White House grounds. Three years later the U.S. Department of the Interior named the giant General Grant Sequoia Park in Kings Canyon National Park, Calif., the nation's official Christmas tree.

Christmas Cards: One of the newer Christmas traditions, Christmas cards originated shortly after the inauguration of England's penny post. The first Christmas card, made by J.C. Horsley for Sir Henry Cole in 1843, sold 1000 copies.

Christmas cards became popular in the 1860s, when people experimented with sending visiting cards inscribed simply Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. In the late 1800s, the royal family adopted the practice and employed distinguished artists to design the cards. Thereafter the custom spread rapidly across Europe and America.

Yule Logs: Many ancient winter solstice traditions included lighted candles, bonfires and blazing logs to speed the sun on its way to yearly "rebirth." The Yule log is adopted from these pagan customs.

Mistletoe: Considered sacred by the ancient Druids, mistletoe was gathered in elaborate winter solstice ceremonies and distributed to all in attendance. The sprays hung over house entrances, signalled a propitiation and an offer of shelter to deities during the season of frost and cold. The plant was regarded as a symbol of future hope and peace, and whenever enemies met beneath it they would drop their weapons and embrace. Kissing under the mistletoe probably grew out of this practice. Originally used to deck churches, mistletoe was abandoned in favor of holly and ivy because as one chronicier reports, it was "found to set young ladies and gentlemen a-reading the marriage service."