Christmas

The history of Christmas is a diverse and contradictory adventure into the celebration of life. It is ripe with pagan traditions, like evergreen trees and holly, or Santa clause and wassail.

In England and Scotland, the 1500s saw the demise of Christmas. The rambunctious, riotous, celebrations full of 'anti' church elements was a constant bone of contention for the church, which ruled as a state, and tried to control the fate of kings and serfs alike.

I separate the Church and Christianity, because in the 1500s, they were separate. The Christians were not allowed to own bibles, Lutherans were burned by the thousands, and any spiritual manifestation by a Christian meant death.

This is why Christmas, the 'new' celebration of Jesus's birth, was born from pagan rituals. However, what we know now as Christmas is a new celebration, less than 100 years old.

In old Scotland and England it was a celebration of life, peace, and goodwill. A man was invited to feasts based on his rank. A high ranking noble would invite different levels of his peasants to dinner, but each would receive a portion based on their station. Still, it was an honour to be invited.

As the 1600s drew to a close, the noble family stopped eating in the great hall with the warriors and important men. They took to the solar and started to become more 'family oriented.' This may be the time when Christmas became family focused.