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Texas History Minute
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For generations, Christmas has been a time of magic and wonder for millions In the rush of modern America, that is sometimes forgotten in the maddening swarms of crowds at stores, mistaken orders from online retailers, and even near-riots over special discounts Christmas is celebrated around the globe, and each corner of the Earth has its own special traditions that go along with the season In the United States, Christmas traditions have changed steadily over the years; and millions still hold faithful to the original purpose of veneration of the birth of Christ and celebrating the message of peace and harmony
Dr. Ken Bridges
Many American Christmas traditions are a mix of different cultures thrown in with stories and songs that have grown in adoration over the years Some of the most famous Christmas carols are centuries old As more immigrated from Europe to the United States, the different Christmas traditions so adored by these new families began filtering through the nation
Early Christians celebrated Easter more with the death and resurrection of Jesus as the embodiment of Christian ideals However, by the fourth century, the birth of Jesus also began to be noted with special church observances also The Christmas Eve mass or communion service is still an important Christmas tradition for many American families
By the sixteenth century, Christmas slowly became more than a church service In Germany especially, the day became a celebration noted for singing, parties, feasts, and drinking The Puritans who arrived in New England in the early 1600s were appalled by such displays, which they considered sinful As a result, Puritan leaders banned observances of Christmas well into the eighteenth century.
It was knowledge of the differences by which New Englanders and Germans typically observed the day that inspired George Washington to cross the Delaware River on Christmas Night 1776 to stage a surprise attack on the Hessian outpost at Trenton, New Jersey
After a brutal series of losses that summer and fall, Washington knew he had to turn the war around He knew the German mercenaries the British had hired to pursue them would be too distracted by their own Christmas parties to suspect an attack during winter At dawn on December 26, he surprised and overwhelmed the exhausted and hungover Hessian revelers to change the course of history
The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany in the 1500s when candles were attached to evergreen trees It was not until the late 1700s that Christmas trees were introduced to the United States by German settlers. But Christmas as a holiday emerged slowly Louisiana was the first to declare Christmas a state holiday in 1837, and only a handful of states followed suit within the next few years It did not become a federal holiday until 1870
Even the tradition of exchanging gifts did not emerge quickly However, the gift-giving tradition expanded rapidly in the 1820s and 1830s, with merchants quickly looking to capitalize on the holiday
Santa Claus went through many changes in the process The original St Nicholas was an early bishop from modern-day Turkey in the fourth century known for his generosity toward the poor and children The Catholic feast day celebrating St Nicholas always fell on December 6, but Protestants merged the holiday with Christmas over the years Santa Claus emerged from the St Nicholas stories in Holland before becoming part of American lore in the late 1700s Christmas trees began being sold in large numbers by the 1850s in the North, with decorations, almost all homemade, steadily becoming more elaborate Though some families still used candles on trees, many opted not to do so for the obvious safety reasons of not exposing flame near a drying tree The first electric lights were used on trees in 1882, not long after the invention of the light bulb. As electricity became more widely available in the early twentieth century, colored electric lights became popular and safer alternatives. Still, most American families did not have Christmas trees in the early 1900s In fact, the National Christmas Tree at the White House did not become an annual tradition until 1923.
Rudolph was added to the sleigh team as part of a poem written in 1939, but country singer Gene Autry popularized his story with his rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1949 and was followed by his equallypopular “Frosty the Snowman” in 1950
Songs and stories surrounding Christmas became even more popular in the 1960s as new television specials introduced them to a new generation A Charlie Brown Christmas became an instant classic in 1965 as Charlie Brown looked for the real meaning of Christmas, upset that Christmas had become way too commercialized, even in the mid1960s His dismissal of the aluminum trees popular at the time in favor of a real tree was connected with the collapse of the aluminum tree’s popularity by the end of the decade
Christmas is celebrated today even in non-Christian households as the spirit of giving and peace has transcended its original religious meaning for some Far from the shopping crowds, Christmas still has a magical place in the heats of young and old alike In a quiet moment, many remember that Christmas is still a time of generosity for others And Christmas is still a time of peace in our hearts and in the world, as we are reminded of the gift of one precious life, of brotherhood, and of the harmony for which the holiday was born
Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
Samuel Moore-Sobel is a freelance writer He is currently working on a memoir and publishes a blog which can be found by visiting holdingontohopetoday.com
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George Herbert Walker Bush is finally getting his due
A man arguably more qualified than any in our nation’s history to seek the highest office in the land, he struggled to win over voters at home Despite his efforts to bring the Cold War to a peaceful end, sign both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Clean Air Act – not to mention his execution of a clear and careful victory in Desert Storm - his fellow Americans cast him out of office in 1992 In favor of a younger, more exciting candidate Experience and prudence exchanged for flash and empathy
Since his passing on November 30th, President Bush has been lauded for his wisdom and prudence His character has been extolled, his virtue admired by both friend and foe alike Perhaps this reflects our current political moment “The nation mourns him not least because we no longer have a president who knows that the story of the nation is not all about him,” historian Jon Meacham wrote Undoubtedly, the decorum and class which exemplified George Bush’s term in the White House has been in short supply since he returned home to Texas in January 1993
“George Herbert Walker Bush was America’s last great soldierstatesman, a 20th-century founding father,” Jon Meacham declared in his eulogy The passing of the elder Bush marked an important historical moment – a eulogy offered by a son and our 43rd President, George W Bush
“When the history books are written, they will say that George H.W. Bush was a great President of the United States a gentleman who executed the duties of his office with dignity and honor,” he said
Much has been made of his humor and loyalty His love for both God and country Yet it was especially striking to observe Bush’s everpresent humanity in the outpouring of love and kind words offered in the wake of his passing The ways in which his loss was felt so deeply by those who offered eulogies, wrote articles, or gave interviews Honoring the life of our 41st President felt far more personal than ceremonial “None of us were ready for this day,” Senator Alan Simpson offered in his eulogy
“We mourn his loss from our own lives and what he was to each of us ”
The passing of this great American gentleman allowed for the contemplative reevaluation of a man we assumed we already knew Suddenly, the character qualities for which he was once criticized garnered praise Often accused of being unable to cast a vision, Americans turned back to the imagery he shared when he coined the term “a thousand points of light ” In the words of Patti Davis, “What a beautiful image, encouraging people to aim for the heavens instead of groveling in the shadows ” Meacham went even further, linking Lincoln’s “better angels of our nature” and Bush’s “a thousand points of light” as “companion verses in America's national hymn ” Who would have thought twenty-five years ago that a historian would reference both George H W Bush and Abraham Lincoln in the same sentence? “For Lincoln and Bush both called on us to choose the right over the convenient, to hope rather than to fear, and to heed not our worst impulses, but our best instincts,” Meacham said
Yet does Bush deserve a reappraisal simply because he differs so greatly from those who succeeded him?
“They don’t make them like they used to,” I told my mother, as we exited the Capitol Rotunda after paying our respects to President George H W Bush
“I think he stood out even in his own time,” she said quietly
Back in his day, as it were, letter writing was an art His predecessors and contemporaries likely wrote many a letter over the course of their public lives Yet, it was the ones George Bush wrote that everyone remembers Members of the media, current and former elected officials of both parties, spent the week fondly recalling the missives they received from their friend, George Bush The beautiful words he wrote to The Washington Post’s Ann Devroy as she battled cancer, or Maureen Dowd of The New York Times, despite the nearconstant opposition they provided during his Presidency
This was a man who cared deeply about his family Replete with a love story fit for the ages Sharing 73 years with his beloved Barbara which happens to be the longest marriage in the history of the American Presidency A man who sobbed in front of his biographer, Jon Meacham, at the mention of his daughter, Robin, nearly sixty
Tler Light
years after her premature death An important reminder that while his character may be all the more impressive in our current time, it was just as impressive as his life unfolded “An imperfect man, he left us a more perfect union,” Meacham said in his eulogy
Paying my respects to one of America’s most misunderstood leaders, it felt as if a piece of America would be buried with him Reflecting upon his elegance and grace, humility and love for the country of his birth, he possessed many of the qualities that help make this country great In spite of this loss, his voice will live on, inspiring his fellow citizens to build a “kinder, gentler nation ” All while pointing us towards “a thousand points of light ”
Perhaps all along, Bush did in fact possess a vision for the country Maybe now marks a moment in which we are finally ready to embrace it
Samuel Moore-Sobel is a syndicated columnist To read more of his work, visit wwwholdingontohopetodaycom
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How can I avoid falling back into debt?
Hi Taylor - So, I’m about to pay off the last of my credit card balances, and I know I should be excited, but I’m mostly afraid. How do I make sure I don’t fall back into debt? -
Ivy
Hey Ivy - It’s good to be cautious of debt, but you shouldn’t be afraid You’ve proven to yourself you have control over your finances, so now you just need to use the same habits that helped you eliminate those outstanding balances If you keep spending wisely, debt won’t even enter into the conversation
1 Maintain the same budget The first and worst decision some people make after paying off debt is to change spending habits Now that you aren’t putting money toward credit cards, you have a bunch of cash to use however you like While you do have more money than when you were getting hammered by interest each month, frivolous spending is what got you into the debt problem in the first place Instead of spending, lean on saving Invest, think about buying property, and make sure your emergency fund is stocked You can break out of a spending freeze and feel a little more comfortable, but going from significant debt to a brand new car lease is a bad idea
2 Plan for credit card swiping It’s good to have credit cards, but only if you can trust yourself When you use credit as though it were debit, meaning you only charge if you have en checking account to c expense, you’ll earn r end up saving money back and travel rewar However, the momen disassociate credit sp the rest of your financ head back down a dan path If it helps, only credit card for one sp category, like groceries or gas. You should also make sure you only keep one or two cards in your wallet so you don’t feel tempted
3 Stay focused on the future You got out of debt because you kept your eyes on the prize You’re not doing anything different now, it’s just that the prize has changed Instead of hitting zero on your Visa, you now want to hit maximum IRA contributions or get enough saved up to buy a car with cash As long as you keep playing the long game, you won’t cave on extravagant purchases like you used to As someone who climbed out of debt myself, I was never really concerned about falling back into that trap Financial freedom feels way too good, and I was always focused on how I could make that feeling last forever
Stay diligent in your spending, Ivy, but don’t worry too much As long as you set good goals and stick to them, your financial situation will continue to improve
Taylor Kovar - Family Man Wealth Manager Author Speaker. Serial Entrepreneur. Travel Lover. Chick-Fil-A Fanatic. Kovar is the CEO and founder of Kovar Capital Management LLC of Lufkin, Texas.
Living with children
A Wisconsin pediatrician wants his newspaper to eject my column, giving as one of his complaints that I hew “to the idea that the world of the 1950s was the be-all and endall of parenting/ childrearing, and that if we were to return to that era with the good-old practices of our grandparents, our children would reap the benefits ” The good doctor then claims that my traditionalist point of view is not supported by evidence As “evidence” that his assessment of me is correct, he refers to Huffington Post review of one of my books in which the reviewer claims that I do not believe child and teen suicide, gender-identity issues, or drug abuse existed in the 1950s, all of which is news to me
It is, I realize, difficult for people born after 1965, roughly, to wrap their heads around the idea that there were, in fact, things about America’s past that were better than they are today The political climate, for one thing Childrearing, for another Is there a body of statistical and research-based evidence that would support the retro-notion that what is now called “parenting” was far more functional – for child, parent, school, and culture – pre-1960s than it has been since?
There most certainly is In fact, there is not one statistic that would support the notion that today’s parenting is guided by more enlightened ideas
For one, the child and teen suicide rate per capita is estimated to be at least ten times greater today than it was in the 1950s That happens to be a reliable marker of child mental health, and I doubt that any reasonable person would argue that how a child is parented significantly affects his or her mental health One of the questions I routinely ask people in my generation is “Do you recall a high school classmate committing suicide?” I have yet to encounter someone who possesses said memory. That some children did commit suicide in the 1950s is undeniable, but relatively speaking, it was rare
The research of Diana Baumrind, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California –Berkeley, finds that parents who adhere, today, to a traditional parenting ethic, emphasizing unconditional love and firm discipline, raise the most welladjusted children.
Baumrind and her research partner, Robert Larzelere of Oklahoma State University, have found that children who are occasionally spanked by responsible, loving parents, score higher on measures of well-being than children whose parents do not spank Mind you, that does not mean spanking is essential to raising a well-adjusted child It means that parents who spank on occasion – as did the typical 1950s parent – are likely to possess greater confidence in their authority than parents who do not spank or who spank liberally and indiscriminately The fact is, children need unequivocal authority as much as they do unconditional love
In the 1950s, during which I was in elementary school, it was not unusual to find an elementary teacher presiding, on her own, over a classroom of more than forty children That made it difficult to impossible to give children individual attention Many of us, including yours truly, came to first grade not knowing our ABCs Mothers who routinely helped their children with their homework were “unheard of ” Yet we outperformed today’s kids at every grade level The very rare child brought to school behavior problems of the sort that are legion in today’s classrooms (which belies the notion that these “disorders” are geneticallytransmitted)
The overwhelming preponderance of evidence is on my side: For reasons that have to do with a generally-held parental attitude as opposed to any given disciplinary method, parenting outcomes in the 1950s were better by far than they are today And make no mistake about it, the attitude in question works no less well today If it did not, this column would not be forty-two years in the writing.
I also believe classic rock from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s is vastly superior to anything being done today. Anyone want to take me on about that?
Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond com, parentguru com
John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
