Aspects of the Antebellum Christmas
By 1860 many of the elements of our modern "traditional" Christmas were
easily discernible. Although some customs found during the antebellum era have
long since vanished, many more may be recognized instantly. Some, such as the
use of a christmas tree, were in their nascent stages, while others, like the
concepts of gift-bringers, were in mid-passage. No matter what stage of
development, the modern reveler transported to antebellum America would be able
to look upon familiar scenes. For, as one source contends, Santa Claus and
ornamented trees were becoming more common "to the whole country."
Perhaps the most important of the changing elements was the country's
attitude toward Christmas. By the coming of the Civil War the antipathy shown
toward the celebration by some religious groups and like-minded individuals was
rapidly softening. Indeed, "by 1859, the general attitude towards Christmas had
changed sufficiently for the Sunday School Union" to accept the holiday to such
a degree that it published hymns and accounts of celebrations. This was
emblematic of a general acceptance of Christmas by many denominations. This
changing of views combined with another ongoing force to further shape and help
define the American Christmas.
The continuing popularity of Dickens' A Christmas Carol and its "carol"
philosophy added yet another element by synthesizing "certain religious and
secular attitudes... into a humanitarian pattern." Its assertion that
brotherhood, kindness, and charity should be a part of life-- especially at
Christmas-- was quickly accepted and added to American tradition.
It was within such an atmosphere that Christmas as we know it began to
manifest itself. This essay will look at various aspects of Christmas
celebrations during the 1830-1860 period, both those that reach down to us
today and those which are but memories.
The Christmas Tree
The Godey's Magazine publication, in 1850, of an article and illustrations
depicting the British royal family's celebrating around the christmas tree is
generally seen as a seminal event in the ultimate American adoption of this
German (Prince Albert, of course, was German) custom. Although the article did
much to popularize the use of trees, it must be said that it was a custom that
had already begun to take root across the United States. In fact, some
historians argue that American adoption of the Christmas tree predated that of
the British.
There would seem to be support for this assertion. Successive waves of German
immigrants probably packed in their cultural baggage the custom of adorning
their homes with a small tree. As they spread through the nation, so too did
the decorated tree.
Some sources credit Hessian mercenaries with the introduction of the tree
during the Revolutionary War. However, as there is no direct, extant evidence
to prove this oft-told tale, it may be apocryphal. The likely source was
probably a now forgotten German immigrant seeking to recreate a bit of his
homeland in his new surroundings. No matter the originator, the christmas tree
graced more than a few homes prior to 1850 and nearly every area was witness to
its use. Perhaps the first American illustration of this was seen in an 1810
Krimmel painting executed in Pennsylvania. The Dictionary of Americanisms'
(1828) inclusion of a definition of "christmas tree" and the publication of
Kris Kringle's Christmas Tree in 1845 are indicative that the custom was more
widespread than previously thought.
With this background it is not surprising that the tree had become established
by 1860. So established, in fact, that a "German tree" was placed at the White
House by President Franklin Pierce in 1856. Whether the tree was placed upon a
table as German customs prescribed or on the floor as Americans were wont to do
is uncertain. Trees of the period were decorated with various edibles and
home-crafted ornaments, but by 1860 glass trinkets made in Germany were
becoming available to adorn the branches. Most, however, were decorated with
fruits, strands, and candles. Although, some people were more creative, like
the German immigrant in 1847 Ohio who had the local blacksmith pound out a
metal star for his spruce, where it was placed alongside paper decorations.
Music
Music exclusively associated with Christmas was added to songbooks during this
period. Caroling became increasingly practiced. The type of music, however,
belied the burgeoning secularization of the season, as most of it was of a
"sacred" nature or rampant with allusions to Christ's birth. "It Came Upon a
Midnight Clear" 1851), "See Amid the Winter's Snow" (also 1851), "There Came A
Little Child to Earth " (1856), and "We Three Kings of Orient Are" (1859) all
were composed before the Civil War.
Legal Recognition
Governments recognized the growing importance of Christmas by dealing with it
as they knew best: by passing a law. The first state to make Christmas a legal
holiday was Alabama in 1836. Between 1850 and 1861, fifteen states (including
Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) followed suit. A significant result
of this "legislation" was the states' recognition of December 25th as Christmas
Day. This helped standardize the date for celebration. Previously,
celebrations took place at varying times during the month (particularly
December 6th, St. Nicholas's day), or on January 6th, Epiphany. Thus, events
during the period helped cement the date used today.
The original impetus for legal recognition seems to have come from the business
community. The initial legislation forbade the collection of promissory notes
on Christmas day and some judicial activities were suspended. Provisions for
the closing of schools, banks, and government offices generally did not appear
until after the Civil War.
Christmas Cards
One modern element all but unknown during this period was the christmas card.
They were relatively well-known in England by 1860, but the custom had yet to
make inroads on this side of the Atlantic. The first such Christmas greetings
in the United States are thought to be those issued by a New York engraver in
1851. Richard Pease printed cards, showing a family dinner scene, that read "A
Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year, to: From: ." However, it was not until
Louis Prang of Boston introduced a line of cards in 1875 that they became
widely used.
Commercialization
Another "tradition" rapidly coalescing during the period--and decried still--
was the commercialization of the holiday. As early as the 1830s newspapers were
filled with blandishments designed with "Christmas shoppers" in mind. Every
thing from raisins for baked goods to pianofortes for the parlor to uplifting
books for the mind and soul were pushed via the papers. Merchants were quick
to realize the potential of the gift-giving season and capitalize on the
growing importance of Christmas. Santa Clauses had begun to appear on street
corners and in stores by 1850. Philadelphia storeowners were among the first
to offer seasonal employment to those willing to impersonate Santa.
The trend did not go unnoticed. A Terre Haute (Indiana) newspaper editor
commented on the frivolity associated with the 1855 season. He was bemused by
the "gambol," gift exchanges, and the person of "Santa Clause" that seemed to
dominate the holiday. He wondered if such behavior was the proper way of
celebrating the birth of Christ. In a telling comment, he noted that it was
probably already too late to change things, as the trend was already well
established.
Bearers of Gifts
A major difference between the antebellum celebration and that of today was the
variety of gift-bringers dotting the landscape. Of varying ethnic or national
backgrounds, they scurried across the land on their mission to reward or
punish. Already by 1860, though, one was beginning to overshadow the others.
With the coming of the war and the enlistment of Thomas Nast to his side he
would come to dominate, but in pre-Civil war America he had competition.
Santa Claus
The greatest of all modern Christmas icons, Santa Claus, was evolving during
the period. Although it was to be several years before Nast was to give the
jolly, round one his most enduring form, "Santa Claus" of 1860 would be easily
recognizable to the modern child. "Santa," of course did not spring full-blown
upon America, but was born of legend and centuries of permutation. He was the
amalgamation of the traditions of gift-givers of many cultures, a bishop
legendary for his kindness, and the pens of several early 19th-century American
writers.
His most likely ancestor was St. Nicholas, a 4th-century Bishop of Myra in
Asia Minor. Hard facts about Nicholas are difficult to come by (not even a
Papal Council could burn away much of time's fog), but over the centuries the
legend of this kindly, charitable man grew apace. By 1,000 c.e. Nicholas was
arguably one of the most important and beloved saints in Christendom, having
become the patron saint of people as diverse as pawnbrokers and spinsters in
search of husbands. Most of all, he became identified as the patron of
children.
Nicholas first became associated with Christmas during the Middle Ages. An
agent of this transformation may have been a 13th-century French nun who left
gifts for the poor on the eve of St. Nicholas' Day (December 6th). Thus he
became linked to gift-giving.
Not even the Reformation's hostility toward Catholic saints could dim Nicholas'
luster in the eyes of his followers. Children still looked forward to his
gifts, or dreaded the switches he might leave behind to punish transgressors.
As the latter indicates, the Nicholas legend also had its darker side. As an
arbiter of behavior he could reward or punish. It is likely he was used a
weapon by parents in the age-old struggle of wills. Eventually, these
disciplinary duties fell to a companion, known variously Knecht Ruprecht,
Schwarze Peter (Black Peter), Krampus, or Belznichol. This bearer of punishment
was usually portrayed as a shaggy, dark-visaged bogeyman.
St. Nicholas' first appearance in the New World was in 1492, when Columbus
named a bay after him. Times became rather lean for the saint after that,
partly because America's mainly Protestant settlers disdained saints and the
rituals associated with them. Doubtless, private celebrations based upon the
Nicholas legend occurred, usually among Moravians or Dutch settlers. The fact
that laws were passed prohibiting is evidence enough. the above
notwithstanding, St. Nicholas entered a quiescent period that was to last until
the 19th century.
The Nicholas who reemerged in the early 19th century was soon transformed
into a secular saint who was to play a central role in what was to become a
folk festival instead of a purely religious occasion. This revitalization came
through the confluence of American literary efforts and the increased
immigration of Germans and others wont to celebrate Christmas.
John Pintard, his brother-in-law Washington Irving, Clement Moore, and the
anonymous author of
Kriss Kringle's Book
were the literary pioneers who helped establish Santa Claus. Pintard, an
early light in the in the New York Historical Society, was among the first to
resurrect Nicholas, who was to become the patron saint of the society. At a
society dinner in 1810 Pintard unveiled a broadside showing Nicholas, two
children, and stockings hung from a fireplace. Beneath those now familiar
elements of the Christmas story was the phrase "Sancta Claus, Goed Heylig Man"
(Saint Nicholas, Good Holy Man).
Irving was the next to take up Nicholas' cause and his inclusion (twenty-three
times) of him in
Knickerbocker History
did much to bring the old saint before the public. Clement Moore's now
universal "A Visit From St. Nicholas" ("The Night before Christmas") was
published in 1823. Its synthesis of many elements of the legend was a boon to
the Christmas celebration and the exaltation of Nicholas. Another major
influence was
Kriss Kringle's Book
, offered in 1842. The book told of St. Nicholas, or Kris Kringle, a "nice,
fat, good humored man" who brought gifts for good children. The descriptions of
Santa Claus in these and other books and the illustrations of Robert Weir,
brought about the change in image from a thin ascetic to a robust character.
As is clear from the above, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and Santa Claus had
all become synonymous by mid-century. As such, it is appropriate to discuss
the evolution of terms. Santa Claus is, of course, a corruption of St.
Nicholas. Popular thinking has it that the Dutch were responsible for this
alteration, but this appears to be untrue. Linguists view it as having
originated in Switzerland where such phonetic changes were consistent with
normal usage. The analogue Dutch term "Sinterklaes" postdates the original
corruption. Kriss Kringle was a corruption of Krist-Kindl, or Christ-Child
(see below), that came to be associated with the jolly, fat man instead of a
cherubic child. Exactly when these variations occurred is impossible to
pinpoint, but they were well in place by 1860.
Santa Claus, then, was well with us by 1860. A thin, ascetic saint had added
much poundage, undergone a secularization process, and a name change. In the
process he was becoming the center of a folk festival that was to overawe all
others.
Dur Weinachtsmann
But there were still other contenders about. The Weinachtsmann was a German
secular version of St. Nicholas who had made his appearance by 1800. He, too,
travelled about on Christmas Eve, walking from place to place with a sack or
basket of gifts. Though usually viewed as of kindly disposition, he also
carried in one hand sticks meant for bad children. He was normally portrayed as
a thin, stooped old man. He made a minor appearance in America among the
Pennsylvania Dutch.
Father Christmas
Father Christmas was the English equivalent of Santa, with some differences. He
was not descended from the Nicholas tradition, but filtered from the pagan
mists as the descendant of a character from a medieval mummers' play.
Initially, he was more concerned with wassail and mistletoe than gifts for well
behaved children. However, he grew into the role of kindly gift-giver. He was
transplanted to America by British immigrants. By this period he had come to
more closely resemble Santa Claus in attitude and bulk.
Pere Noel
Pere (Papa) Noel was a French gift-giver who showed up in America, mainly in
Louisiana, during the period. He was a version of Santa Claus with a Gallic
twist-- especially among the Creole. Often he had the same fat stomach, but
with the addition of a twinkling wit and an eye for the ladies. He would arrive
at celebrations, joke with all present, and hand out small gifts (New Years was
the time for major gifts).
Krist-Kindl, or Christ-Child
The concept of the Christ-Child as a gift-giver evolved in Germany. The Krist-
Kindl appeared as a substitute for St. Nicholas partially because, some
historians argue, the old gent was too redolent of Rome for some Protestant
reformers. At any rate, the Krist-Kindl was portrayed as a cherubic child
(boy or girl) who travelled by mule carrying gifts. Children set out a basket,
filled with hay for the mule, to receive their gifts. The Krist-kindl concept
was adopted by some Pennsylvania Germans. By 1860, however, he/she was rarely
a part of Christmas; the role having been overtaken by the jolly elf who had
appropriated the name.
