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Tracing holiday traditions from then to today

Successive holidays fly by, from Halloween on into Thanksgiving, followed by the dreaded Black Friday. The Yuletide is now close by. (Are we even allowed say “Christmas” season?) A brand-new New Year is also upon us.

What is the Yuletide?

It seems that the word “yule” was originally a Scandinavian word that means feast and “tide” means time or time period. In other words, Yuletide means a “feasting time.”

The word Christmas is of Catholic Christian origin and means Christ’s Mass, commemorating the birth of Jesus. It also includes spending time with families in gift giving and merriment, and giving to those less fortunate.

Santa Claus, our favorite elf, comes in many variations, including St. Nicholas, who was a real-life Catholic bishop in present-day Turkey, and, as legend has it, was a benefactor to children. After his death, he became the patron saint of children.

Kriss Kringle is said to be a modification of the German word “Kristkindl,” which means “Christ child” in Germanic countries.

Now a little bit about modern-day folklore. We all know our old friend Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — the story, the song and an television animated special. We may not know about how it all happened.

The story itself was developed for commercial purposes in 1939 by Montgomery Ward, the popular department store chain of the time. This story was initiated by a copywriter by the name of Bob May, who was assigned to write a Christmas story to be put into a booklet form to be given away to shoppers.

May tested his story on his 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, who was delighted. However, May’s boss was concerned about a character with a red nose, which was associated with drunkards. May convinced his boss, and 2.4 million copies of the booklet were printed. By 1946, 6 million copies had been distributed.

It really took off when May’s brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, wrote the lyrics and melody for the Rudolph song. It finally was recorded by cowboy singer Gene Autry and sold 2 million copies in 1949. It went on to become the second-best-selling Christmas song ever, behind “White Christmas.”

Down through the years, we have all had very special remembrances of the Yuletide with pageantry, songs, laughter and family gatherings; that very special gift we received that never has been forgotten; watching from afar and in delight as young children rush for their gifts from Santa on Christmas morning and the excitement it brings to all. It is still one of the most precious moments of our lives that we never forget.

We must also never forget the true meaning of this beloved holiday in honor of the birth of our savior and the hope of peace everlasting. We must never forget the families of the poor who never receive the gifts and the food that we all enjoy.

Borrowing from “The Christmas Waltz” lyrics written by Sammy Cahn: “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love. Every song you hear seems to say Merry Christmas! May your New Year dreams come true. And this song of mine, in three-quarter time, wishes you and yours the same thing, too.”

Merry Christmas!

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