Christmas lights are going up, student productivity is going down, as of Dec. 6 finals are underway. But Dec. 6 is a special occurrence for another reason… it’s St. Nicholas Day.
Everyone has heard of St. Nick, aka Santa Claus, but most don’t know he began what became a glorious symbol of Christmas as a Grecian priest.
The guy in the mall or landing reindeer on the rooftop on Christmas Eve actually began his career by being St. Nicholas, a priest who was generous, especially to children, even throwing gold coins into open windows (that sometimes landed in stockings…).
Christmas traditions, whether based on folklore, or just on your crazy family, bring something special to the holiday. Like most, Lipscomb students are full of special Yuletide plans, but how do they compare with classic Christmas traditions?
After presents, there’s not a doubt the next best part of Christmas is the food. Lipscomb junior Tim Mueller says, “We eat Monkey Bread every Christmas morning; it’s a cinnamon-roll type thing.”
While in America, Christmas Day usually features ham and potatoes, around the world taste is a bit varied.
Japan is full of special holiday orders for Kentucky Fried Chicken, while the British meal centers around “Christmas pudding,” similar to fruitcake and doused in brandy.
Senior Colby Shaw describes his family’s delicacy: “My (grandpa) spends all day making prime rib, and we have it for dinner.”
Keeping in with the Latin America tradition, junior Andrea Robleto says, “We eat dinner at midnight on Christmas Eve, and then open presents right after.”
Pastors and parents alike always stress “the true meaning of Christmas,” which results in many religious festivities.
“We go to midnight mass, even though I’m not Catholic,” sophomore Phillip Shepherd says. Midnight mass is an event attended by people all over the world as a way to pay tribute to the baby Jesus.
“We don’t really do this anymore, but when I was younger, all the kids would act out the nativity story,” said senior Clayton Roe about his family’s traditions. “We used a Yorkie as baby Jesus.”
Sounds a little unconventional, but not as much as in Venezuela, where Mass means a trip to the local church on roller skates!
Christmas is such an amazing holiday because it’s the only one that is celebrated for two days. Festivities are, therefore, not limited to the actual Christmas day but usually begin on Christmas Eve.
“We sleep under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, after we open presents,” said sophomore Melissa Mathis.
Opening one or all presents on Christmas Eve is common throughout Europe, while children in Mexico wait until Jan. 6, which is Epiphany.
Almost everyone has had a wild experience with a “Dirty Santa” type gift exchange, and senior Denny Moran is no different. “On Christmas Day, we go to my grandparents’ and do the thing where you exchange gifts. The best thing I ever got was some tools.”
And then there is that tree, whether real, artificial, glorious or worthy of Charlie Brown…
The practice of getting and decorating a Christmas tree originated in Germany, where devout Christians in the 16th century would put decorated trees in their homes.
It is said that Protestant reformer Martin Luther was the first to put candles on his tree.
This tradition was carried over to the United States by German farmers in Pennsylvania.
Cutting down and trimming the tree is always a family event, according to senior Dave Wedekind. “The weekend after Thanksgiving we pick out a tree,” he said. “The next weekend we wake up early and decorate it, listening to Christmas music.”
Whatever your Christmas traditions, whether new or old, crazy or normal, they are sure to lead to Christmas being a time to make some of the best memories of the year.
Image courtesy of stnicholascenter.org