Some historical links

I think one thing a lot of modern Americans who celebrate Christmas tend to forget is, not to very many centuries ago, many Christian groups DIDN'T celebrate Christmas - the Puritans, among others, in rejection of what they saw as decadence (and I suppose, some thought, a too-pagan or too-Catholic celebration) actually outlawed the celebration of Christmas in some locations.

Christmas in Williamsburg In Virginia, during Colonial times, there was some celebration, but it was largely limited to small gifts for children, a big meal, and church. (This essay compares colonial and modern Christmases.)

Here's a bit more history of American Christmases. I don't know how accurate any of this is, but I think it's interesting that they relate that before the Civil War, Thanksgiving was a much larger holiday in the North, and in the South, Christmas was more vividly celebrated.

There also used to be an "Old Christmas", which came from the old Julian calendar. (Interestingly, "Old Christmas" is the day those of us who follow the modern, Western Christian calender call Epiphany...and I know most of the Orthodox groups still use "Old Christmas" day. In fact, in some of the early days in parts of Illinois, people celebrated both "Old" and "New" Christmas, or so I have read).

I'm grateful that we're given the freedom to choose to celebrate Christmas as we individually see fit*. In my family - and in the congregations I've belonged to over the years - it's a big holiday. The church is decorated up, often there are parties of some sort (we have a CWF Christmas party, and they also have a children's party closer to Christmas), and Christmas eve service is both solemn and joyful, and this year we will have a Christmas morning service as well, since Christmas falls on a Sunday.

In my own family, as I've said before, our traditions are partly taken from our German heritage (stollen, some of the decorations, and one year we learned "Silent Night" in German), some from our British heritage (Roast beef and yorkshire pudding for Christmas dinner, a few years we did "crackers" - which are great fun, and some of the music), and then just a lot of regular old American traditions like having bubble lights on the tree and putting up lights outside the house.

(*Or not celebrate it, of course. I know some people who either don't celebrate because they find the frippery obscures what for them is important, and others who don't because of unfortunate things that happened during December in the past, and bad memories are brought up. And of course, some people are of different faiths (or no faith at all) and choose to celebrate different things)

But for me, it's Christmas, and Christmas done as "big" as I can do it, because I love it so much.