THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS ROBIN

"A CHRISTMAS ROBIN" by M. Morgan Warren

I love the English robin, the little red-breasted bird so closely associated with Christmas that it's often called the Christmas robin. This colorful creature is a traditional Christmas symbol in the United Kingdom, often depicted on their festive greetings cards and Christmas gift wrapping. They also use robin decorations to trim their Christmas trees and their Christmas cakes or chocolate logs. It's hardly surprising that they cherish this pretty, cheerful wee bird  as part of their Christmas festivities because he is so colorful and most other birds have migrated to warmer climates. And during the long bleak winters it is uplifting to hear the chirpy song of the festive robin.

"ROBINS IN THE SNOW" card from Past Times

Robins live through out Europe (except the far north) and western Siberia. An increased number of robins are noticed in the UK during the winter months as robins in colder climates move to warmer wintering gathering grounds during the autumn.

Robins who live in close proximity to people can become rather tame, especially towards avid gardeners. They have learned to take advantages of unearthed worms caused from gardeners digging and turning the soil. Some cheeky robins may even perch on the gardening spade.

I have several English blogging friends who have posted about robins keeping them company as they go about their gardening chores. My friends are always so heartened by these visits!

"CHRISTMAS ROBIN AND FRIENDS" by Harry Bright

Male robins are very territorial and sing to proclaim their territory. What sound like a cheerful winter song to human listeners is actually a warning of occupation to other robins in the area. Robins will fiercely fight to defend their territory.

Chicks are not born with the trademark vibrant red breast feathers. They shed their chick feathers to make way for their splash of red on their breasts.

Robins commonly live up to the ripe old age of 5 years, which is something to sing about. The oldest robin recorded in England was 8 year, 4 months old.

"THE KINDLY ROBIN", Victorian Christmas Card

It is the English robin which is the bird closely associated with Christmas. While both the American robin and the English robin are both called Robin Redbreast, they are different birds. The North American robin, Turdus migratorious, is a thrush. Its coloration is actually a bright orange, which is spread not only across its breast but its underparts.

The coloration on the English or European robin - Erithacus rebecua - by contrast, is confined to the upper breast.  It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.

"ROBIN AND HOLLY" by Ellaine Hush

Although extremely familiar with the American robin with its rusty orange front, I have never seen an English robin. In photographs, the feathers of its upper breast look brown or even rust colored. As you can see by the beautiful paintings I share on this post, artists interpret the color in shades of red, red orange and brown.

"A CHRISTMAS ROBIN AMIDST 'MacINNES' HOLLY"

(The plant badge of the Clan MacInnes)

The English robin is connected with a legend of Christ's birth. On that first Christmas, it is said, the night was wrapped in a bitter chill. The small fire in the stable was nearly out, and the Mother Mary worried that her baby would be cold. She turned to the animals about her and asked them for help.

"Could you blow on the embers," she asked the ox, "so the fire might continue to keep my son warm?" But the ox lay sound asleep on the stable floor and did not hear her. Next, Mary asked the donkey to breathe life back into the fire, but the sleeping donkey did not hear Mary either. Nor did the horse or sheep. She wondered what to do.

Suddenly, Mary heard a fluttering of little wings. Looking up, she saw a plain, brown-colored little robin fly into the stall. This robin had heard Mary calling to the animals and had come to help her himself. He went over to the dying fire and flapped his wings hard.

His wings were like little bellows, huffing and puffing air onto the embers, until they glowed bright red again. He continued to fan the fire, singing all the while, until the ashes began to kindle.

With his beak, the robin picked up some fresh, dry sticks and tossed them into the fire. As he did, a flame suddenly burst forth and burned the little bird's breast a bright red. But the robin simply continued to fan the fire until it crackled brightly and warmed the entire stable. The Baby Jesus slept happily.

Mary thanked and praised the robin for all he had done. She looked tenderly at his red breast, burned by the flame, and said "From now on, let your red breast be a blessed reminder of your noble deed."

And to this day, the robin's red breast covers his humble heart.

(From "A Christmas Stocking" by Louise Betts Egan.)

"CHURCH ROBIN" (from Quarriers Cards)

Here is a poem that tells the same tale:

~ The Legend of the Christmas Robin ~

"Legend tells how a robin,
On the night of the first Nel
Braved the frosty winter night
So the baby might sleep well.

Throughout the night, the small grey wings
Did flutter for all their worth
And fanned the fire that warmed the Christ
His first night here on Earth.

In the heat of stirring the lonely fire
The shepherds have it said
The Robin wears with honor
A breast of Christmas Red."

Poem and painting copyright

http://www.spiritsup.com/.

From "Robin Redbreast" by William Allingham:

"The fireside for the Cricket,
The wheat stack for the Mouse,
When trembling night-winds whistle
And moan all round the house;
The frosty ways like iron,
The branches plumed with snow, --
Alas! in Winter, dead and dark,
Where can poor Robin go?
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And a crumb of bread for Robin,
His little heart to cheer."

As you can see by the paintings, robins are often associated with holly, or ivy, or both. They are also often associated with red English postboxes, as shown in the cad above. The Robin was officially declared Britain's national bird in December 1960 in The Times.

The Anglo-Saxon name for the Robin was Ruddock, but by the Middle Ages Redbreast was used. In the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries the pet name Robin Redbreast came into use. The use of the plain name of robin is fairly recent, gaining official acceptance by the British Ornithologists’ Union in 1952.

"ROBIN REDBREAST" copyright Valerie Greeley

(Check out this English artist's blog, "Acorn Moon",

at http://www.acornmoon.blogspot.com/

(Print available as boxed cards)

According to the British Trust for Ornithology, robins became a Christmas symbol because they looked like letter carriers… or letter carriers looked like them. The birds had been called redbreasts for hundreds of years before British postmen started wearing red coats in the mid-1800s and earned the same nickname. A robin first appeared on a Christmas card in the 1860s. The bird was depicted carrying an envelope. The illustration of robins delivering holiday messages cemented the association and a Christmas bird was born.

"THE CHRISTMAS MORNING POST"

(English Postcard by Tuck and Sons)

\However, says the BTO, there may have been a Christmas connection much longer than this, and in different parts of the world. Earnest Ingersoll wrote that Northern Europeans looked for the robin at Christmas because it stayed through the winter, and that “in Southern Germany the custom is to put grain on a roof for the redbreasts, who come trustfully about houses at that season”.

Adds the BTO: "As the Christmas bird par excellence it seems appropriate to record the robin which managed to imbibe too much of the Christmas spirit. Some seventy years ago Margaret Holden wrote of the household robin which, having eaten its share of the plum pudding and brandy sauce, fell off the chair back on which it was resting. Left in a safe place to sleep off the effects, it never touched another drop."

"ROBIN ON HOLLY" by Derek Rowson

 Go to BTO's website called "A Robin Is Not Just For Christmas" for many more interesting facts on the English Robin:
http://www.bto.org/news/news2006/nov-dec/robin_for_christmas.htm.

"WINTER ROBIN" (from My Charity Cards)

Robins are often known to build nests in clay gardening pots. In fact, robins have been recorded building nests in lots of odd places, including kettles, teapots, pieces of machinery, barbecues, bicycle handle bars, bristles on upturned brooms, watering cans, hats and gardeners’ coat pockets (fortunately not while they're being worn).

Jill Bonner Cards

Although popular with all, children in particular love this cheerful and quite tame little bird. For them, a Christmas robin is the first sign of the holiday season, with the promise of good things to come!

For all kinds of merchandise related to The Christmas Robin (cards, mugs, prints, soaps), visit this site:

http://www.thechristmasrobincsite.blogspot.com/.

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

"HOLLY AND IVY" by Anita Stanhope

I have always loved holly and ivy as symbols of Christmas. To me, they speak of Olde English Chrismas, which I have held fondly in my heart since I was young. In the past few years I have also held  them in my heart as symbols of Celtic Yule. I am reminded of this Olde English Christmas carol featuring holly and ivy:

THE HOLLY AND IVY CAROL

"The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown

Of all the trees that are in the wood

The holly bears the crown.

(Chorus:

"O the rising of the sun

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ

Sweet singing of the choir.)

"The holly bears a blossom

As white as lily flower

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

To be our sweet Saviour.

"The holly bears a berry

As red as any blood

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

To do poor sinners good.

"The holly bears a prickle

As sharp as any thorn;

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

On Christmas Day in the morn.

"The holly bears a bark

As bitter as any gall;

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

For to redeem us all.

"The holly and the ivy

Now both are full well grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown."

VASE WITH HOLLY AND IVY

Card by Anne Cotterill

The Holly and Ivy Carol has been around since the 17th or 18th century. While its author is unknown, it was first published by Cecil Sharp. It is most unusual for a carol like "The Holly and the Ivy" to have survived over the years, especially during the stern Protestant period of the 17th century.

However, bringing in the holly and ivy began long before the birth of Christianity. Pagans had customarily decorated in winter with evergreens culled from the landscape. When everything else on the landscape was dead or dormant, evergreens reminded them of better times to come -- the return of a green landscape in spring.

Ivy had close ties with the Roman god of wine, Bacchus. Holly, meanwhile, figured prominently in the Roman celebration of the Saturnalia (upon which the Christmas holiday was directly modeled), as it was considered sacred to Saturn. Among the Celts, holly played a major role in summer and winter solstice observances.

"HOLLY AND IVY" by Roger Cockram

Holly and other evergreens were subsequently adopted by Christians as Christmas decorations. This, despite protests from disapproving church fathers, who regarded the decorations as 'too pagan.' Such protests notwithstanding, evergreen decorations were well on their way to becoming Christmas institutions, symbols of the pagan past co-opted by the new religion.

The holly, especially, took on Christian symbolism. As reflected in the carol, holly's "white as lily" flower is an allusion to Christ's purity, through Mary. The red color of holly's berry is associated with Christ's blood. Holly's thorny prickle is an allusion to the crown of thorns worn by Christ. And the bitter taste of holly's bark could be a reference to the drink offered Christ as he hung on the cross.

"THE HOLLY AND THE IVY" copyright Valerie Greeley
(Check out this English artist's lovely blog, "Acorn Moon")
http://www.acornmoon.blogspot.com/

Did you notice that the holly is the focus of the song, with the ivy being mentioned only once (not counting the repetition of the first verse)? David Beaulieu, who provided the above information in an article called "The Holly and the Ivy - Meaning Behind a Curious Christmas Carol", says the answer may lie in the fact that the carol is based on older songs, such as "The Contest of the Holly and the Ivy".

In that song ivy plays a role equally important to that of holly. The mention of ivy in "The Holly and the Ivy" is therefore a hold-over, says Beaulieu, a remnant from an earlier era. He writes, "The influence of the earlier songs about the holly and the ivy was apparently so strong that the ivy was given a cameo appearance in this one, too -- despite the fact that only the holly has any major role to play in it."

He adds, "What we see played out in 'The Contest of the Holly and the Ivy' and similar songs (perhaps dating back to medieval times) is the rivalry between men and women, thinly disguised as a contest between the holly and ivy. Holly was conceived of as being masculine in the plant symbology of the time, probably because it is more rigid and prickly; while the softer ivy is associated with the feminine in this tradition."

"HOLLY AND IVY" Botanical print

by Berkeley Fine Art Cards

Although I had read the pagan lore about the battle between the Ancient Celts' Holly King, who ruled over winter, and the Oak King, the Green Man who ruled over summer, I had not heard of the contest between the masculine holly and the feminine ivy. However, it does make a lot of sense to me! The reference to the holly's crown in "The Holly and the Ivy" should now make more sense, says Beaulieu, as should the inclusion of the ivy.

"HOLLY KING" by Joanna Powell Colbert

Concludes Beaulieu, "The people of earlier epochs were, by and large, closer to the earth than are we moderns. They paid attention to plant relationships that probably escape most 21st-century folks. They were also more inclined to the use of symbolism, including plant symbology.

"Noticing an ivy vine in the forest twining itself around a holly tree, for instance, afforded them ample reason to compare the two plants. Out of that comparison, a piece of plant symbology was born. And as a result of that plant symbology, the holly and the ivy will remain intertwined for ages -- not only in the forest, but also in song."

"HOLLY AND IVY" Victorian Postcard

In Scandinavian mythology, the holly belonged to Thor and Freya. The plant’s association with Thor's lightning meant that it could protect people from being struck by his bolts.

Norsemen and Celts would plant a holly tree near their homes to ward off lightning strikes. The crooked lines of the holly leaves most likely gave rise to its association with lightning, as well as the fact that holly conducts lightning into the ground better than most trees.

CHRISTMAS ROBIN WITH HOLLY AND IVY

by Jill Bonner Cards

The holly and the ivy, with their green and red colors that are traditionally associated with Christmas, have always been taken indoors during the winter with the hope being that the occupants would survive difficult conditions just like these hardy plants.  This holiday season, I plan to use the holly and the ivy as symbols of Hope for me and my family in our trying times. They will also help me celebrate Olde Christmas in the midst of modern-day Christmas.

CHRISTMAS PLANT LORE

"LISBETH READING" by Carl Larsson

(A huge Christmas Cactus brightens a

Swedish room in winter)

Many plants have come to be associated with Christmas, and since most of them have beautiful coloring, they bring us much joy in December and other dark months. Many of them have also become associated with Christmas lore and legend, mostly Christian but some pagan as well.

"POINSETTIA - FIDDLERS THREE"

by Patricia A. Hicks Ruiz

Legend has it that a poor young girl in Mexico was on her way to Christmas Eve mass. She had nothing to bring to the Christ child. So, she picked some green plants along the side of the road. When she arrived at the church, the plants had burst into beautiful red blooms. You guessed it. She was carrying poinsettias. In the 1800s, U.S. Ambassador John Poinsett brought the plants back with him to the U.S. He gave the plants, which would come to be named after him, as gifts to family and friends.

1986 12 Pence Stamp, Great Britain

The Glastonbury Thorn legend ties in with Christ's death as well as the celebration of his birth. The legend goes that soon after the death of Christ, Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain to spread the message of Christianity. When he traveled there from the Holy Land he brought with him his staff. Being tired from his journey, he lay down to rest. In doing so, he pushed his staff into the ground beside him. When he awoke, he found that the staff had taken root and begun to grow and blossom. It is said he left it there and it has flowered every Christmas and every spring. Supposedly the Queen of England has a sprig of Glastonbury Thorn by her plate at Christmas dinner at Buckinham Palace.

"MISTLETOE" by Brian Cunningham

Mistletoe's connection with Christmas has pagan origins. It was sacred to the ancient Celts and the Germanic/Norse. They believed the plant enhanced fertility because it stayed green in the winters.

The Druids believed the mistletoe's magickal properties extended beyond fertility. It was believed to cure almost any disease and was known as the all healer. Sprigs fixed above doorways of homes were said to keep away lightning and other types of evil. Because the plant has no roots it was believed that it grew from heaven. Five days after the New Moon of Yule, Druid priests would cut mistletoe from the sacred oak with a sickle made of gold. The branches were divided into sprigs and given to people to hang over their doorways for protection. Mistletoe was placed in baby cradles to protect them from faeries.

The custom of kissing under the mistletoe came from Norse legend. Frigga, goddess of love and beauty, had a son, Balder, beloved by all. She wanted nothing to harm him and went through the earth getting all that sprang from the four elements, fire, water, air and earth, so that he would be safe. The goddess overlooked the mistletoe.

Loki, god of evil, wanted to hurt Balder, so, knowing Frigga neglected to ask the mistletoe not to harm Balder, he made an arrow from its wood, then took it to Hoder, Balder’s blind brother, guided his hand and shot the arrow into Balder’s heart. The boy died.

All living creatures tried to bring Balder back to life for three days to no avail. Finally Frigga managed to revive her son with the help of the mistletoe. Her tears on the plant became white berries and she blessed the plant. Anyone who stands under the mistletoe plant would never be hurt and was entitled to a kiss, a token of love.

"RED AMARYLLIS" by Altair Leal

The amaryllis is another plant linked with Christmas that has pagan origins - this time, in Greek mythology. Legend has it that the amaryllis began as a shy, timid nymph. Amaryllis fell deeply in love with Alteo, a shepherd with Hercules' strength and Apollo's beauty, but her affections were unrequited. Hoping that she could win him over by bestowing upon him the thing he desired most - a flower so unique it had never existed in the world before - Amaryllis sought advice from the Oracle of Delphi.

Following the Oracle's instructions, Amaryllis dressed in maiden's white and appeared at Alteo's door for 30 nights, each time piercing her heart with a golden arrow. When at last Alteo opened his door, there before him was a striking crimson flower, sprung from the blood of Amaryllis's heart. 

"ROSEMARY WREATH" by Teri Casper

Several common herbs have legends connected with the Holy Family's flight to Egypt after Jesus was born. Since rosemary is silent underfoot, its soft leaves muffling crackling twigs beneath it, it prevented detection and ensured their safe journey.

Another story involves rosemary, sugar cane and date palm. The plants argued as to which provided the Holy Family with the greatest benefit. Palm sheltered them in the daytime heat and gave them fruit. Sugar cane provided sweetness. The rosemary bush was silent, having nothing special to offer the family.

After Mary washed Jesus' swaddling clothes she asked the palm to bend its head so she could hang them on its fronds to dry. It couldn’t bend low enough for her to reach them. Sugar cane offered its branches but the clothes fell to the ground. So Mary hung out Jesus' clothes on the rosemary, a small flowerless bush that had antiseptic properties. Mary blessed the rosemary, giving it flowers the blue color of her robe. Legend has it that a rosemary plant will grow no higher than six feet in thirty-three years, so as not to stand taller than Jesus did.

During their flight to Egypt, Mary, Jesus and Joseph ran out of water. Joseph went to the nearest village to get some. Mary heard Herod's soldiers’ shouts and the sound of hoof beats approaching. There was no place to hide.

Mary saw a rose bush and asked for shelter. It refused, which is why rose bushes have thorns. The clove bush also refused help and this resulted in it having unpleasant smelling flowers. The sage plant hid them, blossoming to create safe haven. The soldiers passed by. Since then, the plant was considered sacred and believed to possess curative and protective powers.

SNOWDROPS AND HOLLY by Jill Bonner

Although the snowdrop is most commonly associated with very early spring, it is sometimes thought of as a Christmas plant. A legend about the origin of the snowdrop tells us that after being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve sat weeping. An angel comforted her. Since the Fall, no flowers had bloomed, and snow fell ceaselessly. As the angel talked with Eve, he caught a snowflake in his hand, breathed on it, and it fell to earth as the first snowdrop. The flower bloomed and Hope was born.

In Germany there is a different snowdrop legend. When God made all things on the Earth, He asked the snow to go to the flowers and get a little color from them. One by one the flowers refused. Then, very sad, the snow asked a snowdrop to give it a little of its colour and the snowdrop accepted. As a reward, the snow lets it bloom first whenever spring shows.

"CHRISTMAS CACTUS" by Margaret Mackay

I think the strength of the Christmas cactus' connection with Christmas comes mostly from the fact that it blooms at this time of year. However, I did find one legend from Brazil about the Christmas cactus. A young boy who lived in the Amazon jungle had asked God to give him a small Christmas sign in his hot and oppressive world. On Christmas morning, he awakened to the realization that the jungle had filled with flowers in the course of the night. The cactuses which grew on the branches of the ambient trees had all started to flourish  at once. 

"CHRISTMAS ROSE (Victorian print)

I love the The Legend of the Christmas Rose, a flower (helleborus niger) common in the British Isles but not here. It tells of a young girl named Madelon who wanted to go worship the Christ Child. Seeing the gold, frankincense and myrrh brought by others who were drawn to the humble birthplace, she despaired that she had no gift to bring, for Madelon was poor indeed.

In vain she searched the countryside for a flower that she might bring, but the winter had been cold and harsh - and there were no flowers to be found. Saddened, the girl began to weep. An angel passing over her stopped to provide comfort and smote the ground that was wet from her tears. There did spring a beautiful bush that bloomed of white roses.

"Nor myrrh, nor frankincense, nor gold," said the angel, "is offering more meet for the Christ Child than these pure Christmas Roses." And thus young Madelon went her way and worshipped the Prince of Peace, bearing the gift of her heart and tears.

"HOLLY AND IVY" by Maggi Kirkland

And then you have the Holly and the Ivy, perhaps the most famous Christmas plants of all. There's so much information on these two plants that I am going to devote an entire post to them.

THEY INVENTED CHRISTMAS

"CHRISTMAS CHEER" by George S. Knowles

I don't think I'd be overstating it much to say that the Victorians invented Christmas, at least as we celebrate it. To be sure, Christmas began with the birth of the Christ child and was either secretly observed or quietly or raucously celebrated, depending on the century.

But the Victorians are credited with many of the traditions we observe today. They revived an old and jovial Viking winter figure and named him "The Spirit of Christmas" and later "Father Christmas". They reinstated the ancient pagan custom of taking evergreens into the home, created the first Christmas card, brought back caroling and turned a once-riotous free for all into a family celebration.

During the 1840s, England’s Queen Victoria and her German-born husband, Prince Albert, introduced the Christmas tree, so popular in his homeland, as the centerpiece of the royal family’s holiday celebration. The scene was immortalized in both the Illustrated London News and Godey’s Lady’s Book in America, capturing the fancy of Victorian women. Very rapidly the “pretty German toy”, as the Christmas tree was frequently called, passed from interesting folk custom to tradition.

The wealth generated by the new factories and industries of the Victorian age allowed middle class families in England and Wales to take time off work and celebrate over two days, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Boxing Day, December 26th, earned its name as the day servants and working people opened the boxes in which they had collected gifts of money from the "rich folk". Those new-fangled inventions, the railways, allowed the country people who had moved into the towns and cities in search of work to return home for a family Christmas.

Victoria and Albert's Christmas Tree

(English newspaper version)

Victoria and Albert's Christmas Tree (American version)

(Note how this was Americanized for Godey's

Lady's Book. Victoria's crown has been removed,

as well as Albert's mustache, and the number of

children decreased. Apparently there was

Photoshopping in Victorian times too!)

Christmas crackers were invented by London sweetmaker Tom Smith in 1846. And then of course there is Charles Dickens, with his stories like "A Christmas Carol", who is often credited as The Man Who Invented Christmas, as claimed by London's Sunday Telegraph.

 
At the start of Victoria's reign, children's toys tended to be handmade and hence expensive, generally restricting availability to the rich. With factories, however, came mass production, which brought with it games, dolls, books and clockwork toys all at a more affordable price. Affordable that is, to middle-class children. In a poor child's Christmas stocking, which first became popular from around 1870, only an apple, orange and a few nuts could be found.
 
The "Penny Post" was first introduced in Britain in 1840 by Rowland Hill. The idea was simple: a penny stamp paid for the postage of a letter or card to anywhere in Britain. This simple idea paved the way for the sending of the first Christmas cards. Sir Henry Cole tested the water in 1843 by printing a thousand cards for sale in his art shop in London at one shilling each. The popularity of sending cards was helped along when in 1870 a halfpenny postage rate was introduced as a result of the efficiencies brought about by the railways.

"CHRISTMAS DOLE" by Joseph Clarke

(Bringing in the plum pudding)

In honor of the Victorian invention of beloved Christmas, I thought I would post a number of Victorian Christmas paintings to go with a MeMe challenge given to me by Mary in New York, who has several blogs, including "Celtic Dreamscape" (on my sidebar) and "Moontides". (I love the true Victorian paintings but hate the treacly modern interpretations. (Do you hear me, Thomas Kinkade?)

1. Have you started your Christmas shopping?

Ha, Ha, too funny! Are you kidding me? I don’t even have the money yet to start shopping. But even when I had money, I was never one to shop early. You don't get the best deals by shopping early!


2. Tell me about one of your special traditions.

Dan and Kristen used to make sugar cookies every Christmas Eve Day. They would take over the kitchen and make batch after batch. They would cut cookie dough with holiday cookie cutters and top them with sprinkles.


3. Are you a Black Friday shopper?

Did that once, at Columbia Mall in Grand Forks with an infant Kristen.  Once was enough.

"CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND", Artist Unknown
(Giving presents to the poor)

4. When do you put up your tree?

Usually on the first Sunday in December, the same day I set out my decorations. However, last year we didn't buy our tree until Christmas week. (We didn't have the Christmas Spirit at the time, but we did manage to find it.) We don't have a tree yet this year - it's too damn cold to be looking for a real tree.

We have tried out many types of Christmas trees - the spindly firs of our childhoods, white pine, scotch pine, and even a hand-cut blue spruce, but have finally settled on Fraser Firs as the best tree to hold ornaments and not get dried out really quickly.


5. Do you travel at Christmas or stay home?

During my years in college, and as a young wife and mother, I traveled a lot, first going home from Grand Forks (six hours) and then from Bismarck (four hours). For a long time we split our holiday visits between my parents' home in Larson and Dan's parents home in Williston. Then, they started coming to Bismarck and I was the hostess. Now that they have all passed, we stay home, going no farther than to my sister's house in Lincoln, five miles away.


6. What is your funniest Christmas memory?

I didn't know about it when it happened, or for many years afterward. It wasn't until the night before my stepfather's funeral that Brother Ron told us that he had seen Santa and his reindeer fly across the moon when he was a little boy. We found this to be extremely hilarious and laughed and howled until we cried. (PS - Brother Ron also fervently believed in UFOs, which may help explain our hilarity.)

"UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE", Artist Unknown

7. What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time? Of recent movies, I love "The Family Stone" and "While You Were Sleeping". Not counting the movies that everyone lists ("A Wonderful Life", Miracle on 34th Street"), I would have to say "The Snowman" by Raymond Briggs. I will be doing a post on my favorite Christmas movies.


8. Do you do your own Christmas baking, what’s your favorite treat?

I do not bake. See #2 above. I should have been the one baking though. Dan and Kristen made hard sugar cookies, and I like my sugar cookies soft, with buttercream frosting. For the holidays, I also love fudge, peanut brittle, thumbprint cookies, overnight (refrigerator) cookies, snickerdoodles, Swedish pepparkakor (heart-shaped gingersnap cookies) and Norwegian sandbakkels, rosettes and krumkake.

Regarding sweets, I love chocolate-covered cherries, chocolate drops, red and green M&Ms, chocolate oranges, Hershey's holiday kisses, Christmas mint patties . . . Yes, I love a Chocolate Christmas. Nuts - I'm the one who'll eat the pistachios when no one else will, and I will fight you for the cashews. With nuts you have to crack, I love hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts, which had a common, horrid racial name when I was a kid. The Brazil nuts were so difficult that I had to have Dad The Expert Nutcracker crack them.


9. Fake or Real Tree?

Real. You can’t beat the smell of a fresh evergreen tree. Dan and I agreed years ago to never get an artificial tree.

"GOING TO A CHRISTMAS PARTY" by George S. Knowles

10. What day (as a mom) does the actual panic set in to get it all done?

Although it used to, panic doesn't set in any more. If the top shelves don't get dusted, or the last decorations set out, or the Christmas wreath purchased for the door, it doesn't matter. The basics will get done and that's all that counts.


11. Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?

Oh, yes. Late Christmas Eve afternoons, I would still be wrapping gifts and - glue gun in hand - fancily decorating them with silk flowers, lace, ribbons and trinkets. These days, I'm still racing the clock, but I'm putting gifts into gift bags, not wrapping them.


12. What is your favorite family fun time at Christmas?

Going to movies. I used to go with my Aunt Mary, but now Kristen and I go. This year, though, there's really nothing special I want to see.

"THEIR CHRISTMAS EVE" by John Sargent Noble

13. What Christmas craft do you like the best?

I used to do so many needlework crafts for Christmas. I loved to do embroidery, especially crewel work. I worked for weeks and weeks on Kristen's stocking, which we still use today (I had to take it completely apart a few years ago and carefully wash it in cold water after she spilled Coke all over it), a little "Baby's First Christmas" stocking, a table runner, a needlepoint-on-plastic angel, a couple of small cross-stitch pictures featuring cardinals, etc. etc.

However, I ruined my love for needlework when I became a "Creative Circle" representative and held home parties to sell needlecraft kits. I had to make so many demonstration pieces that I burned myself out, but good. I haven't picked up a needle in years.


14. Christmas music. Yes or No, and if yes what is your favorite song?

Oh, Yes! It's one part of Christmas (along with outdoor lights) that I still really enjoy. I love "What Child Is This?" and "Good King Wenceslas". By the way, when I answered the same question, posed by my Aunt Mary, she said, "Oh, you would pick those!"

Wow, can one ever read a lot into five small words. I know she meant, "I've always thought you were weird, and this proves it." I can't help it, I love those old English carols. (And my favorite non-holiday hymn is "Jerusalem".)

Songs I hate: "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", "Feliz Navidad", "Little Drummer Boy". I hate LDB because my stepdad used to think he was funny by singing Ah ruh-ha-ha-hung" instead of "Ah-rump-pa-pum."


15. When do you plan to finish all your shopping?

It won't take long. I only have five people to buy for. My list gets smaller and smaller each year. I don't even have a workplace "Secret Santa" present or a book club gift to buy this year. Not having much money, my sister and I have agreed to buy only one nice gift for each person in the other's family. That leaves Dan and Kristen, and we'll be cutting back in our family too.

A favorite author of mine, Dee Hardie, wrote in her book "Hollyhocks, Lambs and Other Pleasures", that she never went to the marketplace during the week before Christmas. I have tried so hard to keep that same promise, but have never managed to do so.

I am supposed to pick five people to continue this meme, but you know me, I am a rebel. Instead, I invite anyone who wants to do this meme to do so, and I'd love it if you'd let me know what you've written.

"CHRISTMAS EVE" by George Goodwin Kilburne

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I use a great many beautiful paintings in my posts. The following site has been invaluable to me in finding these pictures: www.goldenagepaintings.blogspot.com.

"CHRISTMAS EVE 1901" by Carlton Alfred Smith

I WANT OLD CHRISTMAS BACK

From the book "An Old Fashioned Christmas"

Written by Rochelle Pennington, Illustrated by Cathy Stern

(Very like my one-room country school,

except that we had an oil-burning stove)

"The world is too much with us; late and soon," is a famous phrase from poet William Wordsworth. I'd like to paraphrase it to say that "Christmas is too much with us late and soon".

You may think this is just another rant about the commercialization of Christmas, and it is, in part. Yes, I hate that stores start selling Christmas decorations even before Halloween. I hate that Thanksgiving, that unique and wonderful American holiday, is consumed and obscured by the premature Christmas hullaballoo. I hate the concept of Black Friday. I hate that TV commercials urging us to spend money we do not have are so prevalent as to be almost unavoidable. I hate all the extra advertising in the Sunday paper.

My favorite image of Santa, the Coca-Cola Santa

I admit that I was once a part of the whole Christmas madness. After moving into our new home in 1982 after the fire that destroyed our previous place, I started observing Christmas in a big way. I bought umpteen Christmas decorations and made umpteen Christmas crafts. I started collections of Christmas collectibles.

Our house was decorated for Christmas to the extent that my mother-in-law commented that it looked like a Better Homes and Gardens magazine spread. Crazily, I stayed up late on Christmas Eve 1982, feverishly finishing Kristen's crewel-work Christmas stocking. (She was less than six months old, but that didn't matter to me!)

I always displayed live poinsettias and other Christmas plants. I have sought out, in years past, traditional English plum pudding and hard sauce. I have ordered English Christmas crackers from a catalog. My sister makes a big meal Christmas Eve; I reciprocate Christmas Day. I used a Quaker lace tablecloth, cloth napkins, good china, candles and a floral arrangement (which Dan always wanted to "take out of the way").

"HOLIDAY MEMORIES MARIETTA, OHIO, 1959'"

by Michael Dickinson

(If you click on the picture to enlarge it,

you will see department store names very

familiar to us Americans of a certain age!)

But this year, I think I am tired of Christmas. It is just so ubiquitous, so soulless. I told Dan that if if weren't for the fact of Kristen coming home this year, I would just skip Christmas. Dan agreed with me, and he loves Christmas!

I'm ALMOST at the point where I want to say "Bah, Humbug". But that's actually not how I feel. My brother, John, was killed in a car accident on Dec. 21, 1978, at age 25. It was very, very difficult for all of us to celebrate Christmas that year. I think that if not for the fact that my parents had already purchased a live tree, the Christmas presents were already bought, and that Glori's son Nick (John's beloved little nephew) was at the magical age of two, we would not have had any kind of Christmas celebration. But we did NOT say "Bah, Humbug".

Despite a funeral on Christmas Eve Day (the church wouldn't let us wait until Dec. 26), we managed to celebrate Christmas that awful year, and I think there is an unwritten code in our family that after that tragedy, no matter what the circumstances we will always observe Christmas.

From the "Christmas In Walnut (IA)" Collection

by Susan Prince

But it does get harder. Over the years, in addition to the loss of John, we have had to face the loss of my Grandmother, all my aunts and uncles, my mom and stepfather, my brother Ron, and Dan's mom and dad. As I get older, it gets physically harder and harder to drag out the multitudinous Christmas decorations and set them up. Dan no longer has the desire or the inclination to put Christmas lights up on the roof.

Underlying it all, there is the unspoken desire to HAVE OLD CHRISTMAS BACK. I want Christmas to go back to the time when our family Christmas tree was a not-very-big fir decorated with flung tinsel, homemade red and green construction paper chains, and strung popcorn and cranberries. I want Christmas to be the sight, while driving home from Crosby to Larson, of lone houses on the dark prairie magically illuminated with a string of lights along the roof line.

"CHRISTMAS MEMORIES" by Angela Trotta Thomas

I want Christmas to be a big barrel full of Christmas nuts in a small town grocery store (and a barrel-ful of lutefisk to be avoided at any cost). I want Christmas to be the naievete of the Lutheran church pageant and the elementary school program. I want it to be about the identical paper sacks of ribbon candy, peanuts, chocolate drops and popcorn balls given out by Santa Claus at both places, secular and sacred. I want it to be about having a little bit of money and the freedom to roam the dime store to consider gifts of Evening in Paris perfume, handkerchiefs, and other fancy treasures for loved ones.

I want Christmas to be about the beloved carols of "Silent Night", "Oh Holy Night" and "We Three Kings", instead of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". I want it to be about the Christmas lights that were strung over Main Street in Crosby and countless other small North Dakota towns, always at some point during the season to be blown about by fierce Alberta Clipper winds. I want it to be about the Nativity scenes set up beside brick chuches, giving comfort and sustenance to observers.

"SURPRISE PACKAGE" by Vickie Wade

I want Christmas to be about free December Saturday movie matinees in Crosby. I want it to be my Grandma's house, with the red cellophane wreath in the big front room window and the Miles Kimball lighted plastic musical church atop the TV. I want it to be about the glass-blown ornaments sold by Kresges. (Does anyone know what retail giant Kresges became?)

As much as I like mini-white lights (called "fairy lights" in England) I want Christmas to be about those old-fashioned fat multi-colored bulbs and bubble lights. I want it to be wearing out the toy pages in the Sears and "Monkey" Wards Christmas catalogs. I want it to be about "Frosty the Snowman" instead of "The Nightmare Before Christmas". 

Artist Unknown 

I want Christmas to be walking with my mom along deserted Larson streets, with the snow coldly crunch-crunching under our feet, as we view a Christmas moon wreathed with misty vapor. I want Christmas to be turkey dinner at Grandma's house, with all those people long gone: Grandma, Mary, Donny, Scotty, Dave, Ina, Leo, Billy, Mom, Dad, John and Ron. Only Glori and I and our immediate families are left.

I want Christmas to be waiting for HOURS!! on Christmas Eve for Dad to come in off the road, because Santa had left the presents locked in Dad's shop (I later figured out it was to guard the presents from John's prying eyes and hands.) I want Christmas to be the one when Brother Ron swore he saw Santa and his sleigh flying across the moon.

Artist Unknown

I want Christmas to be the gift exchange at the one-room school, even if I usually just got the Lifesavers "Book Pack". At least that was better than the year I got a set of panties from Jim Iverson (even if it was his mom who bought the gift, it was still mortifying). I want it to be the Christmas that I got the kitchen set, or the big floppy dog, or the Betsy-Wetsy or Poor Pitiful Pearl dolls. I want it to be about Ron's train set, and his lifelong love of trains.

I want Christmas to be trying out new ice skates on the bumpy, choppy, possibly unsafe ice at Tweet's Lake. (No indoor rinks for us!) I want it to be about going to my friends' house to see their new toys. I want it to be two solid weeks of no school!

From the book "An Old Fashioned Christmas"

Written by Rochelle Pennington, Illustrated by Cathy Stern

I want Christmas to about the huge tree in the middle of Main Street in Columbus. About looking for the Christmas star in the North Dakota night sky. About the King James version of the Christmas story. About unquestioning faith.

I want Christmas to be about no worries or cares. I want it to be about breathless anticipation and pure joy. I want Old Christmas back.

NOTE: Christmas cards by Cathy Stern, artist of two of the paintings above, can be found on her website, http://www.whitesparrowstudio.com/.