Back in the Christmas of 1968, I was stationed in the US Army in Augsburg, Germany. It was lonely and I didn’t have any family nearby. I recall taking the Strassenbaum (streetcar) downtown and checking out the Christmas decorations. All the buildings were lit up like in America, and all the shops had a big Christmas sale going on.
I remember being surprised that they shut the downtown streets off to traffic. Couples and families got dressed up in their holiday finest and walked the streets enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. It was very similar to our country, but a lot more casual.
The biggest difference I recall was their depiction of Santa. St. Nicholas wore a long red overcoat with red pants and white fur trim. But Santa didn’t wear the typical “Santa hat”, he instead wore a big high Cardinal’s hat, bright red with white trim.
I suppose many of our western ideas of Christmas came through our ancestors who immigrated from Europe, so its not surprising to see such similarities. What is your experience with Christmas celebrations in another culture?
Tags: Christmas, Santa, tradition
One of my earliest memories of Christmas was a white wire fence my parents put around the Christmas tree. We had a real tree with large colored lights and “Roman candles” with oil in glass tubes that bubbled when it got warm. We also draped tinsel from the branches. It must have been an intriguing sight for a little guy.
I always thought my parents put up that fence to keep my little sisters out of the tree, but Mom informed me they actually bought it to keep me out of the tree! I can’t imagine that being the case, though.
Although our culture is moving away from anything traditional and ritualistic, the one time when that is not true is Christmas. People still want to embrace the old Christmas carols and dig out old ornaments. We still love to remember Christmases past.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Tags: Christmas, tradition
A young rabbi was dismayed to find a serious quarrel among members of his new congregation. The quarrel took up all the congregation’s energy. During Friday services, half the participants stood up during one part of the proceedings while half remained seated. All decorum was lost as each side shouted at the other side to conform. Members of each group insisted that theirs was the correct tradition. Seeking guidance, the young rabbi took a representative from each side to visit the synagogue’s founder, a ninety-nine-year old rabbi living in a nursing home.
“Rabbi, isn’t it true that the the tradition was always for the people to stand at this point in the service?” inquired the man from the standing-up side.
“No, that was not the tradition,” the old man replied.
“Then it is true the tradition is for the people to stay seated?” asked the sitting-down representative.
“No,” the rabbi said, “that was not the tradition.”
“But, rabbi,” cried the young rabbi, “what we have now is complete chaos; half the people stand and shout, while the others sit and scream.”
“Ah,” said the old man. “THAT was the tradition.”
Some people have the tradition of fighting for their own opinion, even when it really doesn’t matter. Christ has called us to overcome our own selfishness and be united. Somethings aren’t worth fighting over.
Tags: fights, tradition, unity
Perhaps you’ve heard of the mystery of the docked ham. It’s the story of a young girl who couldn’t understand why her mother cut off both ends of a ham before putting it in the oven. Her mother couldn’t explain why she did it, but insisted that since her mother had done it that way, it must be the way it was done.
Well that didn’t satisfy the daughter, so she went to Grandma to find out. But her grandmother had the same rationale. The truth had to rest with the great-grandmother. Fortunately, the originator of the tradition was still living and alert. Her reason? When she was cooking for her family, she didn’t have a pan big enough for most hams. Her remedy was to dock the ends of the ham until it was short enough to fit!
So the mystery of the abbreviated ham was solved. Will the young girl get a bigger pan or follow the tradition? What would you do?
Tags: Change, tradition