A History of Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions

by Kimberly Emory

Many Christmas traditions began long before the birth of Christ and Christianity. Various sights and events associated with the Christmas season began hundreds of years ago in ancient civilizations.

Winter solstice was celebrated by Celtic Druids in France, Britain and Ireland. This festival honored the sun on its shortest day in the sky, encouraging it to return for longer periods. In Persia, the god of light, Mithra, was born on December 25th and this time was accompanied by feasts and celebrations. The Roman god of agriculture symbolized by the sun, Saturn, was honored in a weeklong festival in Rome during this season, and in Scandinavia, yuletide was held as a 2 week-long festival for their god Thor. All of these festivals passed on holiday traditions through the years and as the world expanded. Immigrants traveling across Europe and eventually to America brought their traditions with them, which are still seen today.

Greenery

Both the Romans and the Scandinavians used evergreens to decorate during their winter festivals. They felt that this plant was the most honorable because it stayed green through the winter when other plants did not. The Druids also believed that mistletoe was magical- that it brought love and good luck. They also wore holly in their hair during their celebrations. In colonial American times, decorations at Christmas were sparse, but holly was most often used, especially in churches. Later, during the restoration of Williamsburg, women created Christmas wreaths from fruit, nuts, and evergreens. Many across the country wanted the ‘Williamsburg look’ in their own homes at Christmastime, but this is not historically accurate to early American celebrations.

In 1828 Dr. Poinsett returned from Mexico where he was ministering with the lovely red blooms on beautiful greenery we commonly see during the holidays today. This poinsettia flower was renamed for him. There is a Mexican legend about a girl who had nothing to give to the Christ child as a gift one Christmas eve. An angel appeared and told her to gather weeds and take them to the manger. While others laughed and scoffed at her gift, after she laid them down they miraculously bloomed the lovely red blossoms of the poinsettia plant!

Christmas Trees

Trees were first used during Saturnalia in Rome, when they decorated evergreen trees with candles and figures of Saturn. The Druids also decorated trees with candles and golden fruits to symbolize the sun during the winter solstice. Later, in the Middle Ages of Europe, plays about Adam and Eve travelled through northern Europe. One of the features of the play was called a paradise tree, often decorated with red fruits like apples. Since these plays were performed at Christmas time, the tree was linked with Christmas this way. Martin Luther is well known for having Christmas trees in Germany, where they hung cookies and candles on their boughs. Later, German professor Charles Minnigerode brought the Christmas tree to America when he stayed with an American family while teaching at William & Mary in 1842. The early Americans decorated their trees with paper chains, candles, popcorn and cranberry garlands, and cornhusk figures.

Lights

Since all of the ancient festivals had to do with the sun and light, candles were used frequently as decorations. After the arrival of Christianity, as Jesus declared himself the ‘light of the world’, candles and lights continued to be utilized during the Christmas season. In the Middle Ages candles were placed in windows as a symbol of welcome to the Christ child searching for lodging. Candles were also used to decorate Christmas trees, but as they were a very real fire hazard they were replaced with electric lights when available. Additionally, the Norsemen burned a Yule log on December 21st to encourage the return of light and heat on the darkest day of the year.

Food and Feasting

All of the ancient winter festivals were a time of feasting. Often wild boar was eaten during winter festivals, which translates to modern day Christmas hams. The yule log of the Norsemen is often times now celebrated as a rolled ice cream or cake dessert instead of an actual log in a fireplace. In the Middle Ages pie and plum pudding was popular during the Christmas season. In colonial America, life was hard and there was much work to be done. However, at Christmas time the harvest

was in and the people could relax a bit more, which brought about the twelve days of Christmas. This was a time of much dancing, feasting, and fox hunting for the colonists. Their feasts were always laid out very symmetrically on the tables, and usually included 12th Night Cake, which was very much like fruitcake and was served on the culminating and most exciting day of the holidays.

Santa

Most people know that Saint Nicholas was a real person who lived in Greece in the third century. A devout Christian, orphaned when he was very young, he gave away most of his inheritance and was well known for his good deeds. One of the best known stories about his generosity was providing the dowries for some young girls- some legends say he threw the money through a window and it landed in the girls’ shoes on the hearth (thus why the Scandinavians leave their shoes out on Christmas eve). Other versions say he tossed the money down the chimney and it landed in the girls’ stockings drying over the hearth (thus why the British and Americans hang stockings from the mantle). People in the Middle Ages began to give credit to St. Nicholas anytime they got an unexpected gift, but the legend really caught on in 1823 after the poem ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ was published. From there, the modern St. Nick was born and over the years morphed into the Santa Claus we know and love today.

The Spirit of Christmas

Rome’s Saturnalia festival included gift giving, known as strenae, which after the birth of Christianity was later connected with the magi’s gifts to the Christ child and continued. adults and not much gift giving was involved. It wasn’t until the 1800s that the holiday evolved into a time for children and families. This was the time when not only was the famous poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas’ was published touting the charitable legend, but also Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, which included a general feeling of giving and generosity that became linked with the Christmas season.

There are so many great traditions that surround the holiday season. Whether you enjoy caroling with your family (which was based on the tradition of wassailing in England, where people went door to door singing and given something to eat or drink in return), making gingerbread houses (which were romanticized and modernized from Grimm’s Fairy Tales), or helping others who are less fortunate (as so many have done for centuries on Boxing Day), make sure to focus on your family and making great memories- and maybe some new traditions too!

The Roanoke Star

Our valley has a very unique Christmas historical artifact- our very own Roanoke Star! The star was sponsored by the American Merchant’s Association in 1949 and meant to shine during the holiday shopping season and then dismantled. It was first lit on November 23rd, 1949, and quickly became so popular it was decided to keep it lit all year. Though the star has become an icon of our area and often has reflected our valley’s patriotism by being lit red, white, and blue for 6 years after September 11th, or sorrow, such as turning red for traffic fatalities or darkened completely on the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, its origins are in the festivities of the Christmas season.

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New Year, New Budget, New Memories!

by Leslie Butterfield Harrop New Year’s resolutions are undoubtedly filling up your newsfeed and taking front and center at the office water cooler! As a single mother, my resolutions are usually twofold: Make fun and lasting memories with my kids (yay!) and stick to a budget (nay!). Sometimes, these two goals can seem to conflict with each other: I would love to take my children on a world-class cruise to make amazing memories, but unless there is a cruise line that accepts Monopoly money, that won’t be in the cards for us this year.

Is It Possible to Make Lasting Memories on a Budget?

Yes, yes, YES! As a single mother, I am always looking for ways to save on expenses overall. I have used couponing apps, worked a side hustle, and even bartered for goods and services. To save in this day and age, you must be willing to ask, research, and get creative. Here is a breakdown of these budgeting basics:

Ask, ask, and ask again.

It is amazing to me just how much it can help to ask for the best deal. Any time you are booking airfare, hotel, or lodging, or seats for the orchestra, call the ticketing office directly and speak to a live person. 20

Ask if there are any deals going on, if there a coupon that is current, and ask about upcoming promotions that can save you money! A personal connection is always beneficial. You do not have to give them your sob story, just be polite and courteous and genuine. I promise that a bit of kindness can be paid forward to translate into some good fortune that saves you the moo-lah! Pro Tip: Always ask to be put on the waiting list if there is an event you are wanting to attend but that is sold out. Oftentimes, prices are cut for tickets at the last minute.

Research.

time to save the bucks. In other words, put in the work and enjoy the payoff. When researching budgeting tips, it helps to learn about prime buying times and how variations on something like travel dates can impact price. For example, if you are looking to take a weekend trip, you can bet that airfare flying out on Thursday and returning on Sunday is going to run you in the red! But flex those days a bit, by trying Wednesday to Saturday or even Friday to Monday, and you’ll see a difference in price that is worth the wait. Know when specific retailers mark down their inventory. Pro Tip: Make friends with the sales associates at your favorite store and get even more of the insider scoop, like when sales are coming up and where the clearance items are stockpiled.

Get creative.

Okay, this may be the most important basic tip of all. Think outside the box when it comes to budgeting those dollars! Is there a way to trade a service you can provide for a service you are wanting from someone else? Bartering is a two-way street, and you would be surprised at just how much it can benefit both parties equally. Remember to ask, offer, and get creative to find a solution that works. If it is a business that you frequent, offer to share and post about their services and do a social review for them. If you have your sights set on taking a special vacation but lack those funds, clean out your closet and take your discarded items to a consignment sale. There was even a time I gathered loose change from a Wendy’s parking lot, which bought dinner for all of us with those lucky pennies. There is no limit on creativity! Pro Tip: Work to partner with other like minds in your community to find ways to trade and barter services — this will build a network of savvy savers at your fingertips!

Memorable Moments Make Life Meaningful

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get to the bulk! Building memories with your family that are beloved and treasured can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you have a pre-teen and a toddler in tow. Finding budget-friendly activities that sustain attention and offer enough stimulation for everyone at all ages is not always easy. There are a few rules that I try to follow when planning for fun with my kids. Namely, I try to aim for learning, incorporate sensory experiences, and strike while the iron is hot (don’t worry, I’ll explain below)!

Aim for learning.

Look for activities that enhance learning opportunities for kids. Learning takes place at any age, so age does not matter too much when it comes to this rule. A toddler can learn just as much as a pre-teen at the same place, but what they learn will be different. For example, I took my all kids to walk through the art museum recently. We saw sculptures, paintings, impressions, and drawings. My older kids were interested in reading the titles of the artwork and finding meaning in the expressions, while my younger kids liked to point out what they saw within the paintings themselves. Pro Tip: Art museums often have free admission or discount days — find out when and plan ahead. Check out the art museums at local colleges, which are almost always free and offer artwork that is beautiful and always very inventive!

Incorporate sensory experiences

I have an autistic child who has sensory processing challenges, but this is not the only reason why I focus our fun on things that provide sensory stimulation. My other kids also have sensory needs — in fact, ALL kids have sensory needs. Kids can learn and engage best when their senses are stimulated. Their minds wake up! This primes minds for perceiving and brains for retaining. We routinely take nature walks around the beautiful sights we have here in Southwest Virginia. During nature walks, we engage our five senses by listening, seeing, smelling, and touching what nature has to offer around us. My kids enjoy the input that walking provides while learning about nature at the same time. You can do this at the beach, at arboretums, or even any neighborhood park. Pro Tip: The library has children’s adventure packs that can be checked out, which include landmark info, guidebooks and even free admission to national and state parks. Happy hiking!

The Taubman Art Museum has free daily admission and their interactive children’s space, Art Venture is $5 per person and free for museum members!

Strike while the iron is hot.

Have a kiddo that cannot stop doing cartwheels? Take them to open gym at the local gymnastics arena for Saturday afternoon! Have a kiddo that sings Disney songs to her stuffed animals? Get tickets to a performance by the local children’s choir. Have a kiddo that is slightly obsessed with planes, trains, and automobiles? Go to the library and check out books, movies, and audio-materials on this topic. Have a kiddo that wants to be a vet? Go to the local animal shelter and talk to the vet techs and love on those cute and cuddly rescue animals. My point is that let your child lead the way when it comes to making memories together. When we as parents notice the interests of our children and provide opportunities to ignite that spark they already have, our kids feel special, loved, and cared for in a way that is as unique as they are! not have to break the bank. No matter what your goals are this year, rest assured that you can have the best of both worlds and bargain that budget and make those memories!

Lesley Butterfield Harrop is a registered nurse, specializing in community health and mental wellness. Lesley is passionate about increasing literacy about emotional intelligence, and she has contributed to several websites, blogs, and national publications, including the Salt Lake Tribune, BYU Magazine, and BTR.org. She has certifications and trainings in trauma-informed care, disability advocacy, familial mental health, and resiliency. Lesley serves on the board of directors for NAMI-Virginia and is a single mom of four kids and a feisty Chihuahua named Chaos.

Fostering the Future article by Kimberly Emory

Fostering is a topic that is often very unfamiliar to people in the community. Most understand that there is a need for foster families, but don’t always know everything that’s involved, or what to expect. There are many organizations and individuals who want to make known what’s being done to help foster kids and the families that shelter them in our valley, as well as families that want to tell the stories of changed lives—including their own!

What kind of help does DSS want from the community?

Steven Martin, director of the Roanoke City Department of Social Services, says that Roanoke City has the second or third (the number fluctuates) largest number of children in foster care in the state of Virginia. As of election day, there were 217 children in foster care in the city. Martin says the biggest need DSS has is for more foster families! Those 217 children need places to stay, and for the majority of them the best placement is in a family’s home. There are also therapeutic homes, which are for children who need a higher level of care due to the trauma they have sustained. Sometimes, because of a lack of foster family placements available, children who don’t need this type of care are sent to therapeutic homes, as well. If no placement is available locally (which is ideal for kids who have been removed from their home and their family, in order to maintain a sense of consistency and security), they may be moved to an entirely different part of the state to an open placement. DSS needs families to step up and be willing to take in these foster children and provide them with a safe and nurturing environment for however long is needed. Martin points out that many times, foster families end up adopting the children placed with them, which is great (Roanoke City had the highest number of children adopted last year in the whole state!), but then they no longer have the room and resources to take in other foster children who come along. Therefore, the need for new foster families is constant. DSS is always looking for those willing to provide good temporary homes for these children.

How can the community help and support kids in foster care and the families they are staying with?

Martin says the very best thing the community can do is show they care for foster kids and the families taking them in. Logan Walker, a foster parent in Roanoke, says, “The most immediate need for us was meals. When a child is placed in your home, it is a big adjustment for everyone, so having some meals already prepared was one less thing we had to think about.” Church ministries like Fellowship Community Church’s Empty Chair strive to support foster families in their church by providing a meal train for families with new foster placements. This can last up to a few weeks, and provides meals for the whole household, giving them one less thing to worry about while adjusting. Michelle Warren of Empty Chair says, “Get to know foster families and what their needs are, so they can focus on the new child and bond with them.” This can include acts besides providing food, like mowing their lawn and helping with cleaning and other chores—any service to support the family during this time of transition can be very helpful. Corinne Paxton, longtime foster parent in Franklin County, says, “These kids come to you with nothing. I mean nothing! So families are often in need of clothes, and for babies and toddlers, diapers, wipes, formula, and other baby equipment. And older kids need school supplies.” Basically, think of the things your own children need; foster children don’t have anything, but they still have the same needs as other kids. Matthew’s Child is an organization that provides a clothes closet, a first night meal/gift card program, survival kits for kids of various ages (and for foster families, too), and a car seat program for foster families. Paxton also reminds us that getting a placement around the holidays can be complicated because of the need to provide gifts for the child, so help in this area is also appreciated with donations of toys and clothes.

“Be positive and supportive. It’s ok to Paxton also pointed out ask questions, but know we won’t be able to answer everything about the that for rural foster families, transportation kids. And if you know someone who is can often be an issue. Many foster fostering or adopting, say something children have appointments and kind, get to know them, and ask if there’s visitations they anything you can do to help!” need to be taken to. In the cities, there is usually some type of public transportation to help with this need, but in rural areas this can be a burden. Helping out with transportation can be a huge benefit to these foster families. Another need, especially for teenagers who are about to age out of the foster system, is for mentors who can help them transition to adulthood. Empty Chair is always looking for volunteers to teach a one-time skills class on topics pertaining to independent living, such

as cooking, budgeting and paying bills, and job skills. These kids, who often don’t have much of a family, need positive role models to bond with and look to when they need help. Paxton says, “They need to get involved in positive activities, because otherwise they remember and draw from what their parents did,” which oftentimes was behavior that led the children to be placed in foster care. Another way to get involved and support foster families is to train to be a respite family. This is a family that has gone through specific training and is able to watch all the children in a foster family so the parents can have a muchneeded break. Even offering to babysit for a few hours while the parents enjoy a night out can be a huge help to foster families.

In general, Warren says, “be positive and supportive. It’s okay to ask questions, but know we won’t be able to answer everything about the kids. And if you know someone who is fostering or adopting, say something kind, get to know them, and ask if there’s anything you can do to help.”

What do foster kids wish the community knew about them?

Warren says the community needs to remember that kids are not in care because they did anything wrong—it’s that their parents can’t care for them. Her foster daughter added that she wishes people knew “it isn’t their fault that they’re in foster care.” Paxton’s experience is that “they want people to see they’re normal people— not crazy, not rejects. They’re not what they came from. They have issues, but they want a family. They want a chance to succeed. Even if they don’t realize it right away, they will get there.” Martin advocates for them, saying, “They’re not bad kids, they’re just coming from bad situations.” But Warren sums it up best: “They want to be like every other kid.”

Should I foster?

“If you are on the fence about foster care, or have been thinking about how you could play a part in helping a child, you should definitely reach out for more information,” says Walker. “We feel like it is our duty to care for these children, and we can’t ignore the need. We wanted to be a safe place for children to come and feel loved and cared for, whether temporarily or forever.” Warren points out that often people say they couldn’t foster because they would get too attached, but “that’s just what these kids need!” she exclaims. Walker states, “We love hearing success stories of families who are reunited and back together, and think there is something special about being a small part of that story. We were blessed to have a precious child in our home, and were also able to witness her returning to her family and the sweet reunion that was.” Warren also mentions that kids in foster care can sometimes exhibit some bad behaviors. However, Martin reminds us that these behaviors are the result of the traumas they’ve been through, and they just want to belong to a family. “People see the behaviors and want to see [the kids] as throwaways, and they’re not,” says Paxton about the children she’s fostered. She goes on to add, “For years, we had ten kids in our home, trying to keep siblings together. However, it’s not a business—it’s a family. Show them what a family feels like. Don’t do it otherwise!”

Warren reminds us that “parenting is hard—all parenting is hard! Fostering has changed me and helped me prioritize what’s important. It’s also shown me that these kids are so resilient!”

Paxton has fostered for 18 years. She speculates she’s had between 50 and 55 foster placements, 10 of which she has adopted. All of her adopted kids who are old enough to have graduated have done so with honors and are doing well in out in the world. Once or twice a year, she’ll hear from former placements who are now adults, or they’ll come to visit. “We know we’ve made a connection. We didn’t do a thing except give them food, shelter, clothing, and family. I don’t regret any of it.”

Walker concludes, “Choosing to foster has turned out to be the biggest blessing in our lives. It is not easy by any means, but it is so worth it.” As a community, let’s take care of our foster kids and give them a better chance at a bright future. “These are our kids,” says Martin.

Protect the ones you love, get your flu shot today.

@vaccinatevirginia

Perfect Paper Snowflakes

These aren’t your normal elementary school snowflakes! Follow these simple instructions to take your snowy decorations to the next level.

1.Start with a square piece of paper and fold the lower right corner up to the upper left to create a triangle. 2. Fold the triangle in half. 3. Fold the triangle into thirds, and cut off the uneven ends. (Cutting at different angles change the look of the snowflake.)

Try out these designs and make your own! Trace the shape on to your snowflake base and cut out the grey sections. Carefully unfold your snowflake. Some designs may not lay flat easily and should be placed under a weight like a large book before displaying.