
FANTASTIC FRIDAY
I heard on the news last night that half of our States here in the US may very well have a white Christmas here this year. Our cards, carols, and stories all hold up a white Christmas as the ideal Christmas time.
It makes us wonder why were the writers of so many popular Christmas songs dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh, dreaming of a white Christmas, walking in a winter wonderland, remembering a good king who gave alms when the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even, daring Mother Nature to let it snow, or imploring loved ones to please have snow and mistletoe
Though Christmas celebrations have existed in some form for at least 1,000 years, the holiday as we know it today saw a renaissance during the 19th Century. In both Britain and the United States, there was a push to reintroduce many of the long abandoned Christmas traditions, and to re-imagine this time of year as a time to celebrate family, community, and generosity.
Popular 19th Century writers, such as Charles Dickens, Washington Irving, and poet C. Clement Moore of Twas the Night Before Christmas fame, played a large role in this recasting of the ideal Christmas. And, thanks to both the intermingling of cultures in the U.S. and the marriage of Queen Victoria to the German-born Prince Albert in the U.K., Germanic traditions such as the Christmas tree found wider appeal.
Did you know that there was a period of time, from about the mid 16th Century until the late 19th Century, when the entire world was much cooler than it is now, or had previously been. During this time, glaciers grew larger, and winters were longer and colder across the globe, snow fell in areas where it once hadn’t, and canals, lakes, and ponds froze over for the first time in some areas. White Christmases were much more common 150 years ago, when many of our Christmas traditions were taking shape, than they are today.
Here in my part of the world we usually have a 50/50 chance of snow this time of year. But for us this year we've had snow on the ground for much of the month of December and new snow fell again yesterday. As we are very cold here it is a given that this year will be a very white Christmas.
Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Have a FANTASTIC Friday!
'On Ya'-ma