Special time, memories
John Schlageck
Originally published 09:50 a.m., December 29, 2007
Updated 09:50 a.m., December 29, 2007
Many, many traditions are associated with Christmas — a decorated tree, colored lights, gift giving, Santa Claus, parties and turkey and ham dinners.
Most of these traditions are recent additions. If you look at Christmas folklore, before people decorated a Christmas tree, they celebrated with the Yule log. A stump of a tree was often brought home Christmas Eve and placed in the kitchen hearth or main fireplace.
This Yule log always came from a persons’ own land or that of a neighbor. It was never purchased.
Martin Luther was credited with cutting down the first Christmas tree. According to popular legend, Luther brought the tree home and decorated it with candles to imitate the starry skies of Bethlehem.
Under the tree, he placed a crib with the figures of Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus and various barnyard animals. German immigrants brought the tradition of the Christmas tree and its decorations to this country.
Throughout the years, the Christmas feast has changed. During the 17th century, Englishmen often carried a boar’s head triumphantly into the banquet hall while guests sang carols. This feast fell out of favor because the recipe called for finding, slaying and beheading a wild boar.
The idea of decorating homes with ivy, holly and mistletoe dates back many years. This old custom has survived even though some of today’s plants are made of plastic.
One plant that has remained a Christmas staple is the brilliantly red poinsettia. Legend has it that a poor Mexican boy was praying to Christ about how much he would like to give a gift. As he arose from his knees, a poinsettia plant grew at his feet. The boy broke off the branches and laid the beautiful poinsettia at the altar.
Decorations across the Kansas countryside were much different 70 years ago also. At school, the older boys went to a neighbor’s farmland and chopped down a cedar Christmas tree in northeastern Kansas.
Such a tree was usually decorated with popcorn strings, crepe paper, red cranberries and other homemade decorations. Most farm families didn’t have flashing lights and bright-colored tinsel to decorate their trees.
Handmade wreaths adorned the entrance doors in houses across rural Kansas. Country homes were void of blue, red and white lights because most areas didn’t have electricity.
Most children didn’t receive walking, talking robots, DVDs, electronic games or Rescue Heroes. Instead most families exchanged gifs of clothing and other useful items.
Food items were usually never a scarce commodity. Canned fruits, vegetables from the garden and nuts of every size and shape were consumed in great quantities.
Fresh produce was another matter – it rarely existed. I can remember my father telling us that, “Oranges were a big deal. They were special. We didn’t have many in those days. They were harder to get a hold of.”
While some people believe Christmas has lost some of the magic of days gone by, I would suggest it depends on the individuals and individual families.
I believe people still care about their friends and neighbors especially during the Christmas season. For some, the spirit of Christmas may be even stronger today. During this period of wars around the world, uncertainty and the threat of terrorism, churches, civic organizations and individuals reach out and help those who need it most – especially during this holiday season.
This December 25th, most of us will wake up a little earlier. We’ll make our way to the Christmas tree and unwrap presents. Later, many of us will worship the birth of the Christ child like many others have throughout the world during the past 2,000 years.
Merry Christmas.
John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.