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Summary of The Battle for Christmas 

4.4 . 238 reviews

What’s inside

Discover the unexpected roots of Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, and other American symbols of the most awaited holiday. Reveal ordinary people's role in creating traditions and rethink your customs.

Table of content

  • Summary of The Battle for Christmas
  • About the author
  • What is The Battle for Christmas about?
  • Who should read The Battle for Christmas
  • Topics in The Battle for Christmas
first key point

Our decisions constitute the core of traditions

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The 'things-have-always-been-this-way' approach is an integral attribute of traditions, yet most customs owe their popularity to certain people. For example, Americans generally believe that Dutch migrants brought Santa Claus to the United States. Although it's a creature of their folklore, it wasn't the Dutch who made Santa America's symbol for Christmas. Indeed, this celebration was typical for mid-17th-century Holland: Catholics closely associated Santa with St. Nicholas' Day. However, migrants to the New World were predominantly Protestants, who didn't approve of these customs.
A group of New Yorkers reinvented the Dutch tradition and made Santa a symbol of Christmas in the United States.
Therefore, people's decisions are the real driving force behind celebration rituals. For example, to publish a calendar marking the 25th of December as a holiday when no one else dared to; to return to nostalgic social harmony at Christmas, founding the New-York Historical Society. Or to popularize the unknown image of Santa by using its picture for advertisement in the press. In conducive circumstances, even the folklore base isn't essential: one family's habits can turn into a ritual beloved by the whole country.

Economic factors also played a critical part: it took a lot of time for Christmas to become the holiday we know today. We will see how agrarian and industrial societies transformed the meaning of the customs and their evaluation at the scale “acceptable — awkward.”
It is useful to think of traditions not as static entities but as dynamic forces that are constantly being negotiated and renegotiated. ~ Stephen Nissenbaum, Ph.D.
Come along as we span an unbelievable transformation of the most anticipated time of year. Our journey begins at a time when Americans almost stopped celebrating Christmas.
second key point

Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas, but it was a different holiday then

In an agrarian society, life had a peculiar rhythm, full of arduous work in the field and at housekeeping. In December, when preparation for the winter was over, people could unwind and enjoy the outcomes of their efforts. Since wine or beer was already ready at that point, this month was well-known for its banquets.
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third key point

Christmas carols weren't limited to best wishes initially

fourth key point

Clement Clarke Moore transformed Santa and added seven reindeer

fifth key point

Merchants used 1000-pound cakes, among other techniques, to draw consumers’ attention

sixth key point

Literature significantly contributed to the popularity of the Christmas tree in the United States

seventh key point

Dickens's “A Christmas Carol” set an example for the rich

eighth key point

Conclusion

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What is The Battle for Christmas about?

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