Some of the things people lament, the presumed ills of modern Christmas like over-indulgence of food and drink, are actually its truest traditions. “What my study does is focus on how the festival has been reinvented. In his telling, tradition is just the dream of the present. He has written a fascinating book, about how modern Christmas came about. Stephen Nissenbaum, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, knows more about these myths than most. Still the most important festival of the northern year, Christmas has layers of subtexts and meanings, and we surround ourselves with artefacts and traditions which constantly mix fables and fact, ancient rituals and modern myth. The month of December has always had special significance for those of us who live through long, dark winters. I found it hard to explain exactly why they had to be separated. One year my son decided to place our small crib at the center of this tableaux, with a particularly fine Santa, all red velvet and white beard, placed strategically beside Baby Jesus’ cot. Mixed in with the red-hatted creatures go sheep, reindeer, and miniature pine trees. The dining table becomes a winter wonderland, covered with Santas of different nationality, size and shape. Ancient carol singers share the mantelpiece with a new holly wreath. When getting ready for Christmas, decorations collected over the years come down from the attic to transform our house into a yuletide shrine.
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