Feature 14 and

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temptation to relapse into eating what it calls ‘flesh foods’. In this period The Salvation Army heavily promoted a vegetarian diet, and Salvationists were encouraged to ‘stick to your resolution’ in the face of friends urging ‘you must have a bit of turkey … it wouldn’t be Christmas without turkey’. It goes on to advise that ‘Yorkshire pudding, lentil or pease pudding [or] stewed macaroni … [can] so easily take the place of meat’.

A FESTIVE CHRISTMAS

The pages of Salvation Army periodicals are rich with advice and guidance on how to make the most of the Christmas period. By the end of the 19th century The Officer magazine recognised: ‘If at Christmas our hall remains dull and drab of aspect, and out of keeping with the general endeavour to embody the prevailing spirit of good cheer, it cannot be surprising if many of our own people should find their family gatherings and social reunions more attractive than Christmas meetings.’

Similarly, a 1904 article entitled ‘How to attract the Christmas crowds’ asked: ‘Can we not learn something from the world of business and pleasure that will help us on the question?’ Guidance was offered with suggestions for wreaths and drapery in the meeting hall. Thrift was the watchword here and advice was given to make wreaths from the discarded waste of evergreens and holly to be acquired by ‘an appeal to the friendly proprietor of an estate in the neighbourhood’.

A FUNDRAISING CHRISTMAS

The War Cry has had a decorative and eye-catching Christmas cover ever since its first Christmas issue in 1880, which carried black-and-white etchings of William and Catherine Booth. The first ever colour War Cry cover was for Christmas 1900, juxtaposing traditional European holly with a scene from India. The issues running up to Christmas carried advertisements for goods sold by the Army that could be purchased as ‘presents for Xmas’. In 1903 there was

‘Christmas Trade Journal’, 1912

a full-page advert for books written by General Booth, a biography of his late wife and recent songbooks.

Christmas 1899 saw a page illustrating a whole range of articles available from the Trade Department, including singing clocks, slippers and mandolins. In 1911 Trade used its new, purpose-built premises on Judd Street to open its first Christmas ‘Giftorium’, where Salvationists could buy all their Christmas presents.

Such was the popularity of the Giftorium that in 1912 an advert asks the question ‘Will there be a Giftorium this year?’ and emphatically responds: ‘The answer is yes!’

Alongside the long list of toys that were available, the advert goes on to stress that, in keeping with The Salvation Army’s commitment to pacifism: ‘There will be neither guns nor fighting soldiers. The Army is against the kind of war that kills people.’ The 1912 Christmas Trade Journal even included images of Father Christmas shopping at the Giftorium for all his presents.

The 13 December 1913 issue of The Bandsman and Songster goes into detail about the Giftorium that year. ‘The showrooms of The Salvation Army supply stores are … tastefully and seasonably decorated… In addition to floral and rustic decorations, there is a fine representation of a waterfall coursing musically through a mountain crevasse. Another ingenious feature is the snow-covered windmill whose planes, illumined with multicoloured lights, revolve by electric power. The good ship Santa Claus has arrived at Judd Street harbour with a cargo of excellent gifts from everywhere... The “rig-out” of the steamship, with its entirely marine setting, is very realistic. To port and starboard the lifeboats hang on their davits to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers, while members of the crew will give children a free swing in the boats… That good old mariner, Captain Christmas, paces the bridge… The SS Santa Claus can be boarded in the 1st-floor showroom.’

The Giftorium seems to have been a casualty of the First World War as it did not reappear in 1914 or afterwards.

CHRISTMAS TREE BELIEVERS

The theme uniting all these different Salvation Army Christmases is the celebration of Christ’s birth. The Local Officer in 1903 reminded its readers: ‘Do not let us regard Christmas as merely or chiefly as a time when we give one another gifts and eat, drink and are merry without stint… Jesus was born at Christmas. We are keeping his birthday. Let us then make him the central guest at our table.’

The 1889 Christmas War Cry carried a front cover illustration of the Crucifixion with a Christmas tree and the Christ-child in his manger. The article sustains a metaphor where the Christmas tree stands for Jesus and its cutting down for his death on the cross: ‘The Salvation Army have been Christmas tree believers for over 1,800 years. Our Salvation Christmas tree has never disappointed us.’

Keep up with the International Heritage Centre blog at salvationarmy.org.uk/

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STEVEN IS DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL HERITAGE CENTRE

How do we move through suffering?

Matt Little continues a monthly series exploring the four questions used in The All Terrain Podcast

IWAS initially baffled when, not long into the first Covid-19 lockdown, I heard others likening their pandemic experience to that of being in a ship during a storm. Sure, there had been challenges, like a period of unemployment and helping to home-school three children, but I had enjoyed being with my family more.

Of course, I was fortunate – others had very different lockdown experiences. One friend had a tumour the size of a grapefruit removed. Another lost his paramedic friend to Covid-19 and was unable to visit his mother in her new care home. A third lost his wife and has had to grieve without the support of familiar faces and routines.

Had my experience mirrored those of my friends, I might well have likened it to being in a boat on stormy seas.

FEARING FOR THEIR LIVES

Mark’s Gospel addressed Christ-followers in Rome during the middle of the 1st century. In AD64 an immense fire destroyed much of the city and rumours abounded that Emperor Nero had started the blaze to kickstart Rome’s rebuilding. Under attack by his senators, he found a scapegoat in the messianic Jews – Christ-followers who happened to live in the only part of the city unaffected by the fire – and demanded that the Jewish community collaborate with his soldiers, triggering a minigenocide.

‘If a believer was identified,’ says Alexander John Shaia in Heart and Mind, ‘everyone in his house was publicly executed. Neighbour was forced to turn on neighbour. Even family members betrayed each other, hoping to secure safety before someone reported them to the authorities.’

Had I been a 1st-century Christian living under Roman rule, I might well have likened it to being in a boat caught in stormy seas. Mark certainly did, using the metaphor throughout his narrative. To those in turmoil, without hope, and wondering if help will ever arrive, Mark helps them consider the question: ‘How do we move through suffering?’

FACING SUFFERING HEAD ON

American gymnast Simone Biles made headlines in July by withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health issues. Media coverage was overwhelmingly positive. Her team stated: ‘We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritising her wellbeing.’

The stigma that used to surround mental health is being dismantled thanks, in part, to high-profile personalities such as Biles showing courageous vulnerability despite the potential backlash. But, while an increasing range of therapies and medical solutions exist, poor mental health can still cause relentless suffering for many.

Gemma Hunt, known to some as a presenter on CBeebies and to others as a host of Songs of Praise, shares openly in The All Terrain Podcast