Welcome to the Holiday Edition of Something Old, Something New!

Something/Someone Old

My Something Old today is Boxing Day.

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated in Britain and in parts of what are, or used to be, the British Empire (apparently we left too early for the tradition to stick).

Its roots go back to medieval times and the relationship of the aristocracy to both their own servants, and the local poor. The day after Christmas was traditionally the servants' day off, when they could visit their families. The master, or mistress, generally gave the servants a Christmas Box to take home to their families.

In Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the remnants of this tradition are represented by Scrooge's first boss, Mr. Fezziwig, who throws a Christmas party for his workers:

Outside the manor (but quite connected to it), the church was collecting money for the poor throughout the Christmas holiday. On the day after Christmas, the alms box would be opened, and the money distributed. This, too, occupies a significant role in A Christmas Carol:

At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

"And the Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"

"They are. Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."

"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?" said Scrooge.

"I was afraid in what you said something had stopped them in full force," said Scrooge.

"A few of us are endeavored to raise a fund to buy the poor some meat and drink and food and warmth," said Hacking.

"What can we put you down for, sir?" asked Poole.

"Nothing."

"You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone. Since you asked me what I wished, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry. My taxes help support the public institutions which I have mentioned and they cost enough. Those who are badly off must go there."

So, Boxing Day, a bit like wassailing but with less impertinent good fun, traditionally was a time when the powerful had a responsibility to give to those below them on the social ladder.

Boxing Day, nowadays, is more like the United States' Black Friday--all shopping and football. At least, that's what people say online. Not having visited any other country at Yuletide, I haven't experienced Boxing Day.

Not that I miss feudalism, or its remnants, but it seems a sad change from the tradition of charitable giving to the tradition of shopping till you drop.

Something New

Here's three new Christmas traditions I found:

GET UP TO WATCH SUNRISE.
Face it: until it came north to the land of dark winters, Christmas (like Hanukkah) was a minor holiday. What better way to acknowledge the holiday’s pagan roots, celebrate the returning light, and set a mystical atmosphere over the whole day than to get up for sunrise? (Besides, your kids will get up early for their stockings anyway; might as well make the best of it.)

This sounds perfect, but I fear it won't happen much in practice. Even this pagan likes to sleep in. On the other hand, Christmas morning is one of the few times when getting up early is almost as nice as sleeping in late!

https://www.babble.com/holiday/how-to-celebrate-christmas-traditions-new/

Keri and her family have the tradition of Stocking Letters. They write notes to each other, including parents, and put them in each other’s stockings. They are to write one letter a day and make sure that they end up writing at least one letter to each family member. You get to read them on Christmas morning.

If your family, on balance, likes each other, this sounds like an excellent thing to do: a way to focus on people rather than things. If younger kids are writing the letters, though, there is a better than 50% chance the letters will be wholly honest, so I'd guess one should proceed with care before sending Uncle Horatio little Jimmy's letter. Best read it first!

But I guess if you keep it to stockings, extended family would not be included.

https://tipjunkie.com/new-christmas-traditions/

Capture family stories. Ask each family member to jot down a story about something that happened during the year. Young children could either draw a picture of something they want to remember or write just a sentence or two. Read the stories out loud on Christmas Eve or Christmas night. Then put the stories and drawings in a notebook to read on Christmas in the future. Repeat this every year and you will build a priceless library of family stories.

This sounds really great. It's proof that people with wildly different views than mine often have good ideas (this is a very Christian site).

http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/holidays/featured/christmas/14...

(warning: if you click through to this site, a pop-up will ask you if you want to help other families be transformed by the Gospel. I know a lot of people on this site aren't Christian, or at least aren't evangelical, so I thought I'd give you a heads-up!)

Something Borrowed

My Something Borrowed is Santa Claus.

Do these two guys look in any way similar to you?

Let me introduce you to the first guy:

Saint Nicholas (Greek: Ἅγιος Νικόλαος, Hágios Nikólaos, Latin: Sanctus Nicolaus); (15 March 270 – 6 December 343),[3][4] also called Nikolaos of Myra or Nicholas of Bari, was Bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor (modern-day Demre, Turkey),[5] and is a historic Christian saint.[6]

Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker (Νικόλαος ὁ Θαυματουργός, Nikólaos ho Thaumaturgós). Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers and students in various cities and countries around Europe. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints,[7] and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus (“Saint Nick”) through Sinterklaas.

I'm sure Nikolaos of Myra was a very charitable and kind man, if half the stories told about him are true. For instance, once a farmer had no money for his three daughters' dowries, and thought he would have to sell them into slavery; Nikolaos stole into his house and left a bag of money inside. (How did anybody know it was him, I wonder?) He also saved three falsely accused thieves from death, which is probably why he became a patron saint of repentant thieves.

But I'd sooner believe George W. Bush won the 2000 election than believe that this guy:

is the Greek man who became a Turkish bishop who spent some time in prison for his beliefs, was freed by Constantine's conversion, and attended the Council of Nicaea, famously slapping someone there because he disagreed with them so passionately.

Like St. Lucy and St. Brigid, the Christian veneer on Santa Claus is very, very thin.

There appear to be several pagan sources for the jolly old elf, but I bet there are more, if I dug farther.

The Holly King is one of the more tenuous connections. According to some neopagans, the Holly, or Winter King, and his counterpart the Oak, or Summer King, is a tradition that began in Ireland. Since the winter king saves one from starvation and wears a holly crown, some think that he is a precursor to St. Nick.

One mythological predecessor to St. Nick is female!

Frau Holda is the Germanic goddess of winter. In German folk legends, she is depicted as a beautiful blonde who is the protector of children’s souls....she would fly through the night and give gifts to children...In some depictions, Holda is dressed in red and uses chimneys to deliver gifts. Some Germanic traditions involve leaving food and milk for Holda on Dec. 24, known as Mother Night.

The most convincing predecessor of all--yet also, to me, the most shocking--is Odin, the patriarch of the Norse pantheon, and god of wisdom:

St. Nicholas is commonly linked to Odin, the ruler of Asgard, one of the major gods in Germanic mythology who was depicted as a white-bearded man with magical powers. However, Odin’s ties to Santa Claus may be more pronounced. The winter solstice, also known as Yule, was a time when Odin led a hunting party, known as the Wild Hunt, in the sky with an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. The 13th century Poetic Edda said the mythical horse could leap great distances -- a trait reindeer possess. Children would leave their boots by the chimney filled with carrots and hay to feed Sleipnir. Legend has it that whenever Odin flew by he would leave gifts by their boots, as About.com noted.

That sounds like the origin of leaving cookies and milk out for Santa and receiving gifts in stockings! In fact,

After Christianity took hold, this practice was later adopted in relation to St. Nicholas. Children would leave their shoes on the windowsill or bedroom door on the evening of Dec. 5 for the saint to reward them with nuts, fruits and sweets, as CatholicCulture.org pointed out.

Seems like a pretty easy step from shoes to stockings. I bet the mantle was chosen over the windowsill by frustrated parents tired of drafts or cleaning off their children's shoes!

http://www.ibtimes.com/santa-claus-pagan-origins-5-influences-behind-fat...

Why I'm shocked at the connections between Odin and Santa Claus, the Wild Hunt and the magical reindeer:

Odin is a just and often gracious god, but he is so far from jolly! I see him as a very serious, even grave, patriarch, who paid a terrible price for the wisdom he received, and hardly as a cheery guy handing out plenty in midwinter. And the Wild Hunt could not, to my mind, be farther from Santa's reindeer--as far as I know, they are a downright frightening force.

Still, Odin's horse Sleipnir has eight legs and Santa has--eight reindeer. They're both white-haired and white-bearded. Odin's wisdom made him know whether it was appropriate to deliver gifts or punishments when he rode by, much like Santa knows whether you're naughty or nice.

Here's a hilarious and somewhat snarky rendering of the connections between Odin and Santa:

I'm certain I'm pushing the boundaries of fair use hard, so please visit this hilarious gentleman's website at:

http://infolocata.com/mirovia/irrefutable-proof-that-santa-is-odin/

to see further proofs.

So the Christians borrowed Santa from various, mostly Northern European, pagan traditions, and slapped Nicholas of Myra on top of them because, well, you have to have some connection to the Church.

Something Blue

I never liked the song "Blue Christmas" before, but I've found reason to change my mind:

I found this story about the song at Answers.com, but of course, can't vouch for its verity:

I live in Cleveland Ohio years ago maybe 15 possibly 20 Mel Blank jr was in town promoting his book.
when he came on the local radio morning show Lannigan He did a bunch of voices and concluded with Porky Pig's blue Christmas
the new owners of that station still play the original recording here and you can hear the DJ and crew laughing in the background

Happy holidays to you all.