June 26th: The Day Christmas Became A National Holiday

Irving's 'Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon'

June 26th seems to be a pretty odd time of year for Christmas to be relevant...but it is! 'Tis the season to be jolly, but before 1870, America did not celebrate Christmas as a federal holiday. It was not until June 26th of that year that they could crack out the Christmas trees, the Christmas stockings, the Christmas carols, the Christmas food, the Christmas presents...etc. 
   It all comes down to the American Revolution, after which the English were not friends, so therefore their customs were not favoured either, which included Christmas. So the Grinch-like Congress "stole Christmas" from the nation, and in fact, Congress was in session on December 25th 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. 
   However, thanks to best-selling author Washington Irving, in 1819, his popular book series The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon described the celebrations of Christmas in an English manor house. Historians believe Irving actually reinvented the culture of Christmas and its customs, creating it as a time of peace and joy. The Sketchbook told the story of an English squire who invited peasants to his house on Christmas Day, underlining the moral of showing compassion and kindness to all people, regardless of wealth or social status. Now bearing in mind that the early 19th century in America was a time of class conflict, unemployment and poverty; Irving's text made an optimistic impression on the country's view of Christmas. It soon became associated with celebration and religion, family and peace.

Cenedella's Santa Claus

   Post June 26th 1870, America seems to go somewhat Christmas crazy from about October onward. You certainly don't have to be there to experience Christmas U.S.A. style! The commercial aspect of Christmas almost overrides the religious message of the festive period, with images of Santa Claus plastered in every shop window, and people dressed in furry red and white clothes throwing candy canes and chocolate coins every which way. The tinsel-tastic mercantile focused side of "the holidays" provoked artist Robert Cenedella to produce a controversial image of a crucified Santa Claus. It was displayed in 1997 at the New York's Art Students League, and protested against the figure of Santa overtaking Jesus Christ in popularity at Christmas. Although this was a highly polemical move by Cenedella, he has a point. Most children get excited about presents, candy and food; not Jesus' birthday. Is it time to give Jesus a bit more attention on his birthday, and less of the overweight man in the red suit? Or should we just accept the Christmas holidays as a time for peace on Earth and family fun?