Hanging the ornaments is always a journey through our forty-five years of marriage. Handmade ornaments from the first Christmas, others recall: trips taken, schools attended, places we've lived, friends, and pets. There are even a few from our childhood trees.
A friend told me her granddaughter asked, “Do we not have a Christmas tree because we’re Jewish?” I said, “well the tree is pagan, so you could let her have one if she wants it.” I don’t think she got her tree, though. Too thoroughly co-opted.
For artists, the entire Xmas holiday is filled with stereotypes that merit repeating. This is a crude animation I did years ago full of stereotypes. https://youtu.be/tuL9_zQwtoA?si=U23xpvSu58mdpnkR
Linda and I will be picking out a tree in a few days. Not one of the oversized $150 trees they sell at the farms in the country (we live in Berkshire County) but one of the $70 trees we can get in the parking lot at Walmart. Thia is a big step down for us. We have to move into a smaller place this spring, so we're thinking not only of downsizing our living space, but also downsizing our tree to fit on a tabletop next year. Then we're going to string wires and ribbons close to the ceiling of our new apartment, and hang our favorite decorations from them. W think we'll be forgiven by our children and grandchildren, but if not, they can all have non-alcoholic drinks with Christmas dinner.
Christianity has a very long tradition of adopting holy places, minor gods and celebratons from the religions it eventually displaced. Brilliant marketing. Examples
Christmas Tree: A long-term winter decoration in central Europe and a fir tree was a traditional element of the Roman Saturnalia. Late-comer to specifically Christian traditions, dating from the Refolrmation
Yule Log: Pagan winter solstice tradition became a 12 Days of 'Christmas standby
Christmas: The Nativity wasn't observed in the Early Church, which did observe Epiphany and Easter. The feasting and jolly good times of the winter Saturnalia turned out to be too good to pass up. You know, to ensure that people don't fall into evil ways.
Other holidays with cultural appropriations: Easter fertility rites, All Saints and All Souls harvest festivals, St. John's Eve for midsummer night dreams, and Candlemas welcoming spring.
Holy places are more common than holy cows. Among the most prominent: St. Peters, the Parthenon, Hagia Sophia, Cathedral of Sycracuse, Seville Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral. Informal shrines and fountains all over the place.
Saints! St. Brigid, Saint Nicholas, of course, St. George, Saint Christopher, Saint Michael the Archangel (a sort of Thor figure). Plus any number of more local spirits.
Greek! As far as we know all the Good Guys in the Gnostic Gospels spoke Aramaic. The New Testament is written in the Koine Greek (common, as opposed to classic). Greek was the lingua franca of the day. Saul was fluent and literate in Greek because he was a tax collector and Greek was the language of Roman administration and for the upper class Romans as an entre nous.
I love this and wow I remember what seemed to me the sudden astronomical prices of a fresh trees. And yet we had to have one. Through kids grabbing it down, cats leaping into it, getting that one piece of furniture that made it somehow geometrically impossible to have it in the living room.(and lo the dining room corner tree tradition was born).
It’s not a religious symbol. It is Northern European and it is beautiful. It made our elderly Jewish neighbors sad when their grandchild (a school friend of our small son) convinced his parents it wouldn’t hurt. Our best friend’s son also talked his parents into one (blue lights and Jewish stars) it delighted my dad enough in the 1950s that no my mom said, it’s not a false memory, your dad bought the tallest, biggest one available - we did have 12 foot ceilings in that house in Brooklyn. .. all of it. The lonely quart of eggnog on Christmas Eve since my scotch drinking husband could not accept it as a beverage and the kids preferred cocoa.
I suppose that the Christmas Tree is religious in its relationship to a religious holiday. As such it seems to have originated in Germany, though probably its origins predate Christianity. One, thinks, for instance, of the Burning Bush that so astonished Moses.
Tradition is a funny thing: part myth, part ancestral memory, part the debt that the present owes to the past. Tradition, indeed, is the past with us—not mere nostalgia but a profound acknowledgement of the burden we carry. The great failure of postmodern civilization is the rejection of that acknowledgement in its belief that it has to live down the past. But no. Our great failure lies in our unwillingness, perhaps our inability, to live up to the past. We mock tradition because it indicts our unworthiness.
Or so I sometimes think. But tradition survives and even thrives, in small ways and a few great ones. Families across this broad land cherish their holiday traditions. The Gregg family’s Christmas eggnog would stiffen the hairs of your forearms, for instance. It’s my father’s original recipe, involving both brandy and rum. Than that I need say no more…
Love the cartoon as it's so true. On another note, I had root canal and am recovering...Don't you just love when the dentist asks you questions with your mouth full of paraphernalia? My doc also advised me when I put my hand up for a minute .... "Please put your hand down; we have sharp instruments here." Yikes, what came to my mind then? Saws and pliers and swords and pikes, and all manner of painful instruments. I put my hand down quickly.
Yes, I was thinking of you and how you could do a cartoon, when she said, "We have sharp instruments here." And then, she also told me to tell her if I feel anything really hot on my tongue.... Oh Lordie...you could draw a blow torch. Yes, the dentist and the lawyer experience can be pretty humorous.......AFTER the fact. So glad I decided to sign up. xoxoxo
Dec 7, 2023·edited Dec 7, 2023Liked by Liza Donnelly
We used to get fresh cut trees when we lived in Minnesota and rented. Always a couple days earlier than we strung lights because ... frozen, never knew how it would relax. Some years the tree was WAYYYYYY wider than the room allowed, but 🤷♂️ Then I moved to Dayton for Huffy (one of the things that was my job was training techs how to install the Christmas tree display at Kmarts, Targets, Walmarts, etc.) Christmas in July was a very real thing for me as these programs and kits were assembled as far back as July! 3,000+ retail stores all needed to be up and lit in a 2-week window...
This is a long roundabout way of saying I have several artificial trees still in the box from those days (they gave away training displays) and I know how to professional shape and light a Christmas tree. Also, drives me crazy when I see one in some lobby somewhere that was just slapped up there... I’m also a pest at holiday family gatherings. 😀 I will shape your tree as casually as some people pet your dog...
The tree origin is pagan, but I forget the details. Have to look it up again.
Hanging the ornaments is always a journey through our forty-five years of marriage. Handmade ornaments from the first Christmas, others recall: trips taken, schools attended, places we've lived, friends, and pets. There are even a few from our childhood trees.
I agree, the same with us, only 35 years. Journey into childhood as well for me with some of what we have remaining.
Egg nog!! I need egg nog!
I no longer deck the halls. But boy do I like eggnog! Thank you Liza.
And oh the cartoon! Made me laugh and groan!
♥️♥️
THanks! Gotta love eggnog! Go get some!
Happy Together Time, to you and your!
A friend told me her granddaughter asked, “Do we not have a Christmas tree because we’re Jewish?” I said, “well the tree is pagan, so you could let her have one if she wants it.” I don’t think she got her tree, though. Too thoroughly co-opted.
For artists, the entire Xmas holiday is filled with stereotypes that merit repeating. This is a crude animation I did years ago full of stereotypes. https://youtu.be/tuL9_zQwtoA?si=U23xpvSu58mdpnkR
Linda and I will be picking out a tree in a few days. Not one of the oversized $150 trees they sell at the farms in the country (we live in Berkshire County) but one of the $70 trees we can get in the parking lot at Walmart. Thia is a big step down for us. We have to move into a smaller place this spring, so we're thinking not only of downsizing our living space, but also downsizing our tree to fit on a tabletop next year. Then we're going to string wires and ribbons close to the ceiling of our new apartment, and hang our favorite decorations from them. W think we'll be forgiven by our children and grandchildren, but if not, they can all have non-alcoholic drinks with Christmas dinner.
Totally get that, although we haven't done that yet! I like your "punishment for the kids and grandkids!"
Christianity has a very long tradition of adopting holy places, minor gods and celebratons from the religions it eventually displaced. Brilliant marketing. Examples
Christmas Tree: A long-term winter decoration in central Europe and a fir tree was a traditional element of the Roman Saturnalia. Late-comer to specifically Christian traditions, dating from the Refolrmation
Yule Log: Pagan winter solstice tradition became a 12 Days of 'Christmas standby
Christmas: The Nativity wasn't observed in the Early Church, which did observe Epiphany and Easter. The feasting and jolly good times of the winter Saturnalia turned out to be too good to pass up. You know, to ensure that people don't fall into evil ways.
Other holidays with cultural appropriations: Easter fertility rites, All Saints and All Souls harvest festivals, St. John's Eve for midsummer night dreams, and Candlemas welcoming spring.
Holy places are more common than holy cows. Among the most prominent: St. Peters, the Parthenon, Hagia Sophia, Cathedral of Sycracuse, Seville Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral. Informal shrines and fountains all over the place.
Saints! St. Brigid, Saint Nicholas, of course, St. George, Saint Christopher, Saint Michael the Archangel (a sort of Thor figure). Plus any number of more local spirits.
Greek! As far as we know all the Good Guys in the Gnostic Gospels spoke Aramaic. The New Testament is written in the Koine Greek (common, as opposed to classic). Greek was the lingua franca of the day. Saul was fluent and literate in Greek because he was a tax collector and Greek was the language of Roman administration and for the upper class Romans as an entre nous.
Thank you!
I love this and wow I remember what seemed to me the sudden astronomical prices of a fresh trees. And yet we had to have one. Through kids grabbing it down, cats leaping into it, getting that one piece of furniture that made it somehow geometrically impossible to have it in the living room.(and lo the dining room corner tree tradition was born).
It’s not a religious symbol. It is Northern European and it is beautiful. It made our elderly Jewish neighbors sad when their grandchild (a school friend of our small son) convinced his parents it wouldn’t hurt. Our best friend’s son also talked his parents into one (blue lights and Jewish stars) it delighted my dad enough in the 1950s that no my mom said, it’s not a false memory, your dad bought the tallest, biggest one available - we did have 12 foot ceilings in that house in Brooklyn. .. all of it. The lonely quart of eggnog on Christmas Eve since my scotch drinking husband could not accept it as a beverage and the kids preferred cocoa.
Lovely memories, thank you, Patris. Put the scotch IN the egg nog!
I suppose that the Christmas Tree is religious in its relationship to a religious holiday. As such it seems to have originated in Germany, though probably its origins predate Christianity. One, thinks, for instance, of the Burning Bush that so astonished Moses.
Tradition is a funny thing: part myth, part ancestral memory, part the debt that the present owes to the past. Tradition, indeed, is the past with us—not mere nostalgia but a profound acknowledgement of the burden we carry. The great failure of postmodern civilization is the rejection of that acknowledgement in its belief that it has to live down the past. But no. Our great failure lies in our unwillingness, perhaps our inability, to live up to the past. We mock tradition because it indicts our unworthiness.
Or so I sometimes think. But tradition survives and even thrives, in small ways and a few great ones. Families across this broad land cherish their holiday traditions. The Gregg family’s Christmas eggnog would stiffen the hairs of your forearms, for instance. It’s my father’s original recipe, involving both brandy and rum. Than that I need say no more…
Love the cartoon as it's so true. On another note, I had root canal and am recovering...Don't you just love when the dentist asks you questions with your mouth full of paraphernalia? My doc also advised me when I put my hand up for a minute .... "Please put your hand down; we have sharp instruments here." Yikes, what came to my mind then? Saws and pliers and swords and pikes, and all manner of painful instruments. I put my hand down quickly.
Hope your mouth feels better! I did a cartoon years ago about dentists expecting you to answer a question in such a state.....
Yes, I was thinking of you and how you could do a cartoon, when she said, "We have sharp instruments here." And then, she also told me to tell her if I feel anything really hot on my tongue.... Oh Lordie...you could draw a blow torch. Yes, the dentist and the lawyer experience can be pretty humorous.......AFTER the fact. So glad I decided to sign up. xoxoxo
Thank you, Allia! Lawyers are a topic my husband used to go after a lot in his cartoons! I only have like two lawyer cartoons, not sure why!
It feels lime it's never been more important to have something to look forward to. Love the drawing!
Thank you!
We used to get fresh cut trees when we lived in Minnesota and rented. Always a couple days earlier than we strung lights because ... frozen, never knew how it would relax. Some years the tree was WAYYYYYY wider than the room allowed, but 🤷♂️ Then I moved to Dayton for Huffy (one of the things that was my job was training techs how to install the Christmas tree display at Kmarts, Targets, Walmarts, etc.) Christmas in July was a very real thing for me as these programs and kits were assembled as far back as July! 3,000+ retail stores all needed to be up and lit in a 2-week window...
This is a long roundabout way of saying I have several artificial trees still in the box from those days (they gave away training displays) and I know how to professional shape and light a Christmas tree. Also, drives me crazy when I see one in some lobby somewhere that was just slapped up there... I’m also a pest at holiday family gatherings. 😀 I will shape your tree as casually as some people pet your dog...
So funny! "I will shape your tree as casually as some people pet your dog....."