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 Christmas Thru the Ages

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PostSubject: Christmas Thru the Ages   Christmas Thru the Ages EmptyThu Nov 06, 2008 3:18 pm

Christmas Through The
Ages
No one really knows what Day Jesus was born on, but observing his birth is important. So in the Year 349AD Pope Julius 1 created Christmas, December 25, as the day we'd Honor his Birth.

According to Christian belief, Santa Claus got his start as
St. Nicholas a 4th Century bishop who lived in Asia Minor, Which is known today as Turkey.
For the record, During the 10th century, Christian writer Metaphrastes compiled many of the traditional stories about
St Nicholas.
For Centuries St Nicholas's life was celebrated on Dec. 6th, the anniversary of his death and his Official Roman Catholic Feast Day. But after the Reformation, the Protestants said that Christmas celebrations, which included Pagan traditions of exchanging gifts, and raucous Merrymaking, exhibited "An extraeme forgetfulnesse of Christ, giving liberty to carnall and sensual delights." The English Parliament banned Christmas observances in 1644, and the Puritans in Massachusetts did the same. Christmas devotees kept the Holiday alive by celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas instead, and over time, the two celebrations merged.
From 1659 to 1681, people in Massachusetts could be fined five shillings for honoring the Holiday.
Dutch immigrants brought the tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas to North America, during the 17th century.
After the Puritans nearly did in the Santa Figure it took an organized effort to restore his popularity. In the early 19th century, a small number of influential New Yorkers, rekindled interest in St. Nicholas, as the focal point of a wholesome, home-centered tradition quite unlike the rowdy, pagan celebrations of old. They declared Nicholas the patron saint of their city, In 1809, Washington Irving wrote a history of New York in which he introduced "Sinter Klaas" to America as a kindly saint who arrived at people's homes on horseback on the eve of his feast day.
Three years later, Irving amended the description, saying Nicholas flies over treetops in a wagon.
The image of St. Nick as a "Jolly Old Elf" towed around by flying reindeer really began taking shape in 1822, with the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" ---Also Known by its opening line, "Twas the night before Christmas" It was written by Clement Moore ( A biblical studies professor) for his children.
Illustrator Thomas Nast produced the first popular images of St. Nicholas for the 1863 Christmas issue of Harper's Weekly.
In 1897 Editor Francis Church of the New York Sun answered a letter from 8 year old Virginia O' Hanlon that asked wheather Santa Claus exists. His response included the famous phrase:
"Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"
The notion of Santa as a Chubby fellow with a white beard and dressed in a red suit developed into a secular commercial standard in the 1920's. An illustration by artist Haddon Sundblom ( a Swedish Illustrator) for a Coca-Cola Advertising campaign to sell Coca- Cola during the Winter. Sundblom chose as his model a portly retired Coke Salesman and dressed him the Company colors Red and White. And that cemented the image of a round and Jolly Santa.
Santa always brought gifts, but nothing like the loot kids expect today. Centuries ago, children woke to find nuts, sweets, and maybe clay figurines in their stockings. Sometimes the toes of their stockings would be filled with an orange, which represented the gold that St. Nicholas gave the poor. But in the late 19th century, merchants started looking for a way to get rid of their inventory at the end of the year. In 1867, Macy's department store in New York City broke sales records by staying open late on Christmas Eve, and in the 1870's, it lured even more shoppers with elaborate Christmas window displays, and by bringing Santa Claus, alive and in person, into the store. Santa's Commercialization had begun.
When Santa's not too busy, he puts in appearances at big parades, Since 1924. Santa has been the highlight of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The annual event has delighted thousands each year. though it did take a break during
World War 11, when Macy's donated the rubber used in its balloons to the war effort.
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