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Ho, Ho... Uh-Oh!

'Tis the season of good cheer! Even as adults, we still experience some of the excitement and anticipation that we felt as children. We can argue, as we do each year, about whether Christmas has gotten too commercial; but the fact remains that Christmas is basically fun. And the threat level is low.

But it was not always thus.

Since the days of Clement Moore and Thomas Nast, we have focused on Jolly Old Saint Nick and his sack of toys for all the good little girl and boys. But remember, he's makin' his list - he's gonna find out who's nice - and who's Naughty.

As Christmas got more commercial and gift-centric, we forgot about the Naughty warning. We tend to assume that he'll give us a pass. We forgot that Santa has a bunch of sidekicks, and not all

of them are Nice.

As Christianity took over Europe and the Americas, it officially replaced the religious traditions that went before. But belief is emotional more than intellectual, and people hold on hard to the traditions they were raised with. So although the central religious focus of Christmas - the Nativity - is pretty consistent, the more secular parts still retain a large percentage of the pagan. Even the date - mid-December - reflects the timing of the ancient Roman Saturnalia and the Norse Yule festivals.

Even good old Saint Nick, the 4th-century Bishop of Myra in Greece, who was a real person, retains traces of an earlier age. The secret gift-giving seems to have originated in an incident in his life, where he threw three bags of gold under cover of darkness, into a destitute man's home to prevent him from selling his three daughters into prostitution. But the sleigh and reindeer, as well as the Yule log, the boar's head, and so forth go back to Odin and the Wild Hunt.

And in much of Europe, Santa was accompanied by a truly scary character known as Krampus (AKA Servant Rupert, Belsnickel, and other regional names). If you were nice, you got gifts from Santa; if you were naughty, Krampus would snatch you up, stuff you in his basket, and carry you off to be beaten.

And make no mistake - these guys worked together. Santa and Krampus are often depicted in tandem. And who do you think gave Krampus the Naughty list??

So, you would expect that as the early settlers came over from England to the new colonies, they brought their rich and colorful Christmas traditions with them. But you would be wrong. Christmas in colonial New England was nothing like traditional Christmas in Olde England.

In fact - Bah, Humbug! - in 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned the celebration of Christmas. Not ‘discouraged’ or ‘frowned upon,’ but BANNED, as in subject to criminal prosecution and a fine of five shillings (now, about $8000).

In the Massachusetts colony, the established church of the 1600s was Puritan. The Puritans were seeking to reform and ‘Purify’ the church by purging it of the idolatry (both saintly and pagan), the princely hierarchy, and the ceremonial excesses that they saw in both the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. They lived by the authority of the Bible, and their social, civic, and religious lives were intertwined.

So why did the Puritans ban Christmas? Christmas in Catholic/Anglican England was a rollicking time. The harvest was in, the beer had been brewed, and the meat had been salted. It came right at the start of winter – a long, dark, cold season. So, it was a time to celebrate before the gloom set in. All that feasting on boar’s heads, dancing, wassailing, decking the halls, and resting-us-merry that the carols celebrate – that was Christmas before the 1600s. But the Puritans did not consider a 12-day-long party to be a suitable expression of religious devotion – “Men dishonor Christ more in the 12 days of Christmas than in all the 12 months besides,” lamented one preacher. And second, there was no authority in the Bible for a December Nativity; the date had been co-opted by early Christians from pagan celebrations that marked the winter solstice.

In the 1640s, England underwent a revolution that drove King Charles I from his throne (and ultimately to the headsman’s block) and established a Puritan Commonwealth. Among the rulings of the new Parliament was the decree in 1644 that December 25th would thereafter be a day of “fasting and humiliation” and that anyone caught celebrating or setting aside their labor would be charged with an offense and fined.

The Puritan General Court of Massachusetts soon followed suit, outlawing the celebration of Christmas in 1659. The English monarchy was restored in 1660, but Puritans maintained their power in Massachusetts. The ban remained law until 1681, and continued in practice for many more decades. Throughout the 1700s, December 25th was a regular day of work and school. It was not until 1856 that Christmas became a recognized legal holiday in Massachusetts.

So how did we get Christmas back? In part, because American society became more diverse in religion as new denominations flourished. Civic and religious matters were legally made separate in Massachusetts in 1834, so public life became a secular matter. Add to that, the rise of the industrial economy in the mid-late 1800s and the more widespread availability of consumer goods. The 1840s also saw a huge influx of immigrants – Germans and Scandinavians settling in the Midwest, and Catholic immigrants, first Irish, then Italians and Poles, in the northeast, for whom the festive celebration of Christmas was customary.

And in part we owe it to Charles Dickens – “the Man Who Invented Christmas” – whose tale of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge was published in 1843, just as the public celebration of Christmas was being revived. To a nation struggling with expansion, immigration, industrialization, and the loss of established ties, A Christmas Carol provided sentiment, nostalgia, and an enduring image of Christmas “as it used to be” – as we would always like it to be.

God bless us, every one!

“PUBLICK NOTICE – The Observation of CHRISTMAS having been deemed a Sacrilege, the exchanging of Gifts and Greetings, dressing in Fine Clothing, Feasting and similar Satanical Practices are hereby FORBIDDEN, with the Offender liable to a fine of FIVE SHILLINGS.” Part of a 1659 notice announcing the banning of Christmas celebrations in Massachusetts.

We have had a busy year! But although we were closed for much of the time, CLOSED did not mean STOPPED!  We used this time to create new online family resources, plan new exhibits (opening soon!), retool our school programs, and engage with the community and schools on important equity and diversity initiatives. And, of course, the Weekly History Lesson!

But being closed DID impact our ability to raise funds—Events, even those that are not “Fundraisers,” provide us with the opportunity to make the case for your support by showing off the many programs and services that are supported by your donations.

Enclosed you will find an envelope for our 2020 Annual Fund Appeal. The Annual Fund is the major source of the funds that support programs like these. We are funded entirely by donations from friends like You – we do not receive any funding from the town or state. Since our in-person events were cancelled, your donation is more important than ever this year.

2020 Annual Fund Appeal. Thank You!

Join us (via Zoom) - Registration is free and open to all. 

January 18 (Monday) at 7:00 pm – Historic Haunts. Jeff Belanger.

Registration and link at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/explore-historic-haunts-with-jeff-belanger-tickets-131516745125. This program is free and open to all.

February 25, 2021 (Thursday) at 7:00 pm – Fireworks! Illuminations! Cheers! Gloria Greis, Needham History Center & Museum

Registration and Link at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fireworks-illuminations-cheers-the-history-of-transportation-in-needham-tickets-131519457237 This program is free and open to all.

Missed any?  

Recording Link: Zoom Cloud Patriots Passcode: ?3T4qquE

Recording Link: Zoom Cloud Suffrage Passcode: 6h@dK2+G   

Recording link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnW_8ajwEGo&feature=youtu.be

Bruce Johnstone, Fidelity Investments.

For a copy of the slide deck, contact Gloria Greis.

For more information about Programs, please call Gloria at 781-455-8860 or greis@needhamhistory.org, or see our website, www.needhamhistory.org/calendar-events

Blue Lotus Healing Arts is offering a discounted yoga class to Needham History Center members. Try them out with a yoga class for just $10. Contact Margaret at yoga@bluelotushealingarts.com for more information.

Stay Safe and Stay Informed! 

COVID-19 cases are rising, in Needham as well as in MA. Please keep yourselves and your town safe and healthy by sticking to the guidelines posted by Gov. Baker and the Needham Board of Health. It's easy to get tired of the restrictions, and start to get careless, but we have to keep it up for a while longer!

The Town of Needham has posted a website to coordinate the COVID-19 response, at www.needhamma.gov/coronavirus. The site provides frequent updates on the status of COVID-19 in Needham, and on any recommendations and restrictions that have been made.

Needham social service providers have convened to centralize information and resources. Get Connected Needham is a resource list that includes supports for residents of all ages and income levels and is intended to more easily connect individuals and families to services they may need during this time.

Lead Sponsor - The Needham Bank 

Program Sponsor - North Hill

Exhibits Sponsor - BID-Needham