The Christmas Issue

Issue #7

The Christmas Issue

First, may your Christmas season truly be blessed with simplicity this year, my friends. Gifts are easy to come by, parties are plentiful…but the simplicity of that first Christmas, that’s so much harder to create in our hearts. May you strive for that.

I know we won’t be traveling to Great Britain at Christmas, but I thought it might be enjoyable to peek a bit at how our long-lost cousins across the Atlantic celebrate the blessed season.

Ireland…

Don’t be fooled by the old movies. The ker-ching of the cash register and crowded highways are very much a part of modern Ireland’s Christmas.

But … some things that are particular to the Irish Yuletide..

---The Light in the Window.. Still a tradition throughout most of Ireland, as a light to guide Christmas Eve guests. I’m not sure how many Irishman would actually appreciate being visited by a hoard of people like in ancient times, but a little candle or electric light is still a tradition.

---The traditional crib of Jesus is probably more prevalent in Ireland than in America in terms of there being one in nearly every home.

---Trees are still largely real and green although artificial trees are starting to make some headway.

---The “Christmas Swim” is still a tradition in the coast cities, especially in Dublin. Yes, I mean swimming in the chilly sea.

---The “Wren Boys” come out in Southern Ireland. It’s long been a tradition that a wren be hunted, killed, and hung on the Christmas tree as punishment for the bird’s betraying St. Stephan. The boys, dressed in straw costumes, kill the birds, then go from door to door banging drums and shouting, “Penny for a Wren!” In olden days the boys would then go to the local bar and get soused on their pennies. The church, of course, was against this, and in recent days the coins are donated to local charities. (Remember: most Europeans cringe at our deer hunting.)

---“Little Christmas” or “Women’s Christmas,” the 6^th of January when the Christmas decorations are taken down. It’s considered unlucky to disrobe the house before the 6^th. On this day the men are to take over, including the cooking of the meal. January 6^th is still the traditional take-down date, but in recent decades the ladies have had to pitch in to get the job done.

The Irish Christmas Meal….

The meal will begin with a starter, generally of smoked salmon or prawns, soup or melon.

This is followed by a main course of roast turkey (or goose) and ham, accompanied by bread stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy and sometime cranberry or bread sauce. The traditional vegetable is Brussels sprouts, but celery, carrots, peas, broccoli and others may also be served.

Christmas Pudding is the traditional dessert with brandy butter or sherry sauce. And of course there’s trifle. My mother visited England many years ago and we’ve had trifle every Christmas since. (Thanks, Nancy!) Hot minced pies are often roasted over the fire on Christmas night.

The Season….

December the 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is a Catholic Church holiday and all Catholic Schools - the majority in Ireland - close for the day. The stores however most definitely do not close! The 8th was the day when people traditionally started serious Christmas shopping and in the past special trains were scheduled to take hordes of shoppers to Dublin for the day. Ireland is beginning to lead Europe in technology development so a great deal of Irish shopping is now done over the Internet.

One Christmas tradition that you’ll find in all of the British Isles is the Christmas Pantomime. Basically a 'panto' is a light hearted show aimed at both adults and children loosely based on a fairy tale - Cinderella, Snow White and Aladdin are particularly popular options. Traditionally some of the female parts, such as the ugly sisters, are played by men and there is lots of singing and dancing, some jokes aimed at the children and more with a political or topical twist aimed at the adults.

And finally, the horses. Beginning on St. Stephen’s Day (the day after Christmas) and continuing throughout the holidays, you’ll be able to find horse races in nearly any town of size. The Irish do like to watch (and bet upon) their ponies. I once had the pleasure of sitting in an Irish pub while a horse race was being televised. It was a real treat.

Okay, so this has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, but one of our fellow travelers, Bill Curry, sent me this turbulent tale and I thought I share it…

While on this trip to Japan, I had to use the bathroom It was in the tail of the plane. I had just sat down when the seatbelt bell sounded. I sure wish I had a seatbelt. Anyway the flight attendant was pounding on the door. She did this 3 times. I finally was able to make it to my seat. You may need to jazz it up a little. The flight was experiencing some turbulence. In more than one way.

Scotland….

ÜRemember Savings Stamps? They’re still alive in Scotland and the Scots use them as a special Christmas promotion, encouraging you to come back to that store for your gift shopping.

ÜSanta lives in Lapland, and not the North Pole, and although you can mail him a letter, any child knows that the quickest way is to burn the letter in the fire and let the requests go up the chimney where he’ll be sure to get them. Of course, not that many Scottish homes have fireplaces.

ÜDue to global warming, Scotland rarely gets snow for Christmas, so manufacturers have made fake snow that you can roll over your roof like a white carpet. (The word in Scotland is, “To celebrate Christmas, go to France.”)

ÜThe Christmas Stockings are often pillowcases, and they’re draped over the feet of children’s beds. (Only a young Scot would try that hard to get more booty.)

ÜThis from a Scottish lady:

Presents are unwrapped carefully so that the wrapping paper can be used again. Often dads and grandpas get socks. Lunch is usually turkey with all the trimmings and one or two glasses of wine or champagne. Pudding is usually a Christmas cake - some people who don't like fruit cake may have a Yule log, which is a chocolate cake from Sweden. Most people have Christmas crackers and eat their dinner wearing a paper crown. Following this the whole family get together in front of the TV and fall asleep in front of either:

1. "The Wizard of Oz" or
2. "The Sound of Music" or
3. "The Queen's Speech" (always at 3pm).

At tea time, our family liked to have a light supper of bread and butter and smoked salmon, and more crackers if there are any left.

Thus ends Christmas and we all wait for a few days until Hogmanay. (Hogmanay is New Year's)

ÜOn Hogmanay, or New Years, they sit up watching “hootcher cootcher” music (I have no idea) on the telly, then just before midnight they go to the neighbor’s house across the street and bring a rock to signify a lump of coal or “first footing.” Wine and nuts are served and the older folks tend to stick to the whiskey. At “the bells” (on the telly) everyone joins hands, makes a circle and sings Auld Lang Syne. If you’re young you keep moving from house to house. If you’re my age, you try to escape back to bed as soon as possible.

ÜChristmas in Scotland used to be known as Nollaig Beag, or “Little Christmas.” This was a very simple celebration of Christ’s birth. Then the bigger events happened on the days after Christmas. I sort of like that idea, don’t you?

ÜThe Reformation hit Scotland as hard as everywhere else. By 1583, Bakers who made the Yulebreads were fined, and their punishment could be lessened if they gave the names of their customers!

In 1638 the General Assembly in Edinburgh tried to abolish Yuletide. When the monarchy was restored in England, the celebration of Christmas was restored throughout much of the British Isles.

ÜThere have been many times throughout Scottish history when the Scots have done something purposely because England was against the idea and vice versa. Such was the case with Christmas. Even after Victorian England established Christmas as a festive event, most of Scotland stuck to their 3-day celebration as a time of church-going and fasting.

Scottish Customs….

ÅThe Black Bun.. a Christmas treat of many fruits baked into bread then soaked for days in Scotch Whiskey.

ÅAll bees will leave their hive on Christmas morning, buzz around to find out what all the noise is about, then return.

ÅThe ashes in the fireplace were carefully checked on Christmas morning for footprints. A footprint headed toward the door meant a death in the family was eminent. A footprint facing in meant a new arrival was to be expected.

ÅThe Cailleach was a piece of wood carved to resemble an old woman’s face. The face was to represent winter. On Christmas Eve the family would throw the wood in the fire and watch it be consumed.

ÅThe Scottish also observe the custom noted in the Irish section about leaving a candle burning in the window to guide strangers, and the Scots would be even more upset to actually have to feed someone.

ÅThe Candlemas Bull was actually a cloud that passed overhead on Candlemas (Feb 2). An east traveling cloud foretold a good year, a southbound cloud meant poor grain in the forecast, and if it went west, the whole stinking year would be bad.

In short, the Scots don’t make quite the big bash of Christmas that we or their other English-speaking neighbors do. It’s still rather a somber affair in much of the country.. BUT.. come New Years.. Look out! (Maybe it’s because Auld Lang Syne was written by their favorite son, Bobby Burns.)

Christmas in England…

The English Christmas is perhaps most like our own. After all, she’s where we got the idea. But a few little nuances here and there set the Brit Yule tradition apart….

ÅMummering. Yep, that’s what it’s called. Philadelphia has its famous Mummer’s Parade which is a tradition borrowed from the English. In the Middle Ages, actors would put on masks and act out plays at Christmas. They were called Mummers. Some English villages still observe this tradition.

ÅAnd of course it’s Father Christmas and not Santa Claus. In fact, the British have been quite stubborn in resisting the American influence of Santa’s name. Father Christmas is dressed in red, green or white, and passes out presents on Christmas Eve, however the gifts are usually not opened until the following afternoon.

ÅAD 596 marked the arrival of Christmas to the British Isles, when St. Augustine brought Christianity.

ÅThe day after Christmas is Boxing Day, started when young boys would take clay boxes around town, asking for coins. The boxes were then broken open. Some say this tradition was begun by breaking open the alms boxes in churches and giving the money to the poor.

ÅThe only thing eaten before Christmas in the olden days was Frumenty..a kind of porridge made from corn. Over the years, eggs, fruit, spice, lumps of meat and dried plums were added. This is how plum pudding began.

ÅThe English also elect Boy Bishops who act as bishop for the day to commemorate St. Nicolas’s great love for children.

ÅThe tradition of hanging greens and putting up trees began in the Victorian Age (dear Queen Victoria brought much of the fancy doings to England during her reign..maybe it makes up for the lack of smile in all her pictures). The “greens” tradition was imported from Germany by the Queen herself and legend has it that she put up the first Christmas tree (actually, it was her lover, Sir Walter Raleigh) and in those days everyone wanted to emulate dear old Vic.

ÅAttending Midnight Mass is very much an English Christmas tradition and the Christmas meal isn’t eaten until afternoon so that everyone may first attend morning mass.

ÅThis from a British gal on the Internet:

Typically there are 2 roasted meats 1 being either goose (traditional) or turkey (American) covered in bacon and stuffed with sausage meat, the other meat being a gammon. A variety of seasonal vegetables but essential are roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts and always kilted sausages (also called sausages in blankets). For dessert Christmas pudding with brandy butter or brandy custard / cream, the pudding is so rich in alcohol that it is usually ignited before serving. Mince pies not only contain dried fruit but also suet and brandy. Christmas cake is also eaten and is traditionally made a couple of months (end of September) before Christmas and matured by regularly feeding it brandy.

ÅThe pulling of Christmas crackers often accompanies food on Christmas Day. Invented by a London baker in 1846, a cracker is a brightly colored paper tube, twisted at both ends, which contains a party hat, riddle and toy or other trinket. When it is pulled by two people it gives out a crack as its contents are dispersed.

ÅThe name “Stir Up Sunday” comes from the opening words of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 and later (that is the prayer of the day that “collects” up the themes of the readings). That same prayer, adapted into more modern language, is now the Church of England's prayer after communion for this Sunday:

"Stir-up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

ÅEngland has only known seven white Christmases in the entire twentieth century.

ÅBread baked on Christmas Eve will never grow moldy. (Uh…according to legend.)

ÅAnd although I didn’t really intend for our summer trip blog to become a cookbook, how could I help but include the original British recipe for Trifle?

Trifle: The Great British Pudding
(Olde English Trifle)

Serves 6
1 pint milk
1/2 vanilla pod
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
2 tbsp. caster (fine) sugar
1 Victoria sandwich cake (see recipe)
6 oz. raspberry or strawberry jam
4 oz. medium sherry
10 oz. Devonshire Cream
1 1/2 oz. flaked almonds, toasted and
2 oz. glaze cherries to decorate.

Scald the milk with the vanilla pod. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Beat together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar and strain on the milk. Cook over a gentle heat, without boiling, stirring all the time until the custard thickens slightly. Pour into a bowl; lightly sprinkle the surface with sugar and cool.

Spread the sponge cake with jam, cut up and place in a 3 1/2 pint shallow serving dish with the macaroons. Spoon over the sherry and leave for 2 hours. Pour over the cold custard.

Whip the cream until softly stiff. Top the custard with half the fresh cream. Pour the remaining cream on top and decorate with the almonds and cherries.

(All I can remember about my mother making Trifle is that we had an annual crisis until she could find ladyfingers to put into one of the layers.)

ÅAnd although it’s a custom that goes back much further than the British (we borrowed it from them)… St. Francis of Assisi is said to have created the first Nativity performance in Italy around 1223. Folks in those days either couldn’t read at all, or couldn’t read the Latin texts, so St. Francis and his friends would act out the story of Christ’s birth, usually without words. In order to compact the whole gospel message, he was likely the one who erroneously put the Wise Men at the birth instead of coming a couple years later as the Bible indicates. Also, he used the Italian version of the stable instead of the original “cave” idea. So..St. Francis is to blame for getting straw all over your carpet every Christmas season. (But he’s loved by costume makers of Magi clothing.)

I had the pleasure of visiting London shortly after Christmas one year, and from what I could observe, their celebration is very much like ours. In fact, the after-Christmas sales seemed even more numerous. I had the “joy” of visiting Harrod’s shortly after Christmas during their biggest sale day of the year. Never again. Perhaps the island’s not quite as commercialized as the American version of Christmas, but it’s nearly identical.

And this is a purely personal observation, only somewhat backed up by statistical research… Church attendance in England lags quite a bit behind the U.S., (44% versus 21 % in England..but the Irish are second only to Nigeria at 84% attendance!) but that’s perhaps because the “church” experience in general isn’t as personal as in the U.S. The United Kingdom seems to have many believers who don’t have a specific church connection. There is a trend in the last couple of decades toward the less formal, more personal churches springing up here and there.

I think that Scotland’s stats are usually averaged in the England’s, but I have a suspicion that it may be do to the old joke:

“Did you hear about the three Scotsmen who went to church? They took up a collection. One man fainted and it took the other two to carry him out.”

And our prayers for safety for Bob and Janet Chipman who’ll be flying out at Christmastime to visit Son Tim in Latvia!

Finally….From Matthew:

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

We are so blessed. Know it. Take joy in it.

I’ll be talking to you in the New Year.