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| Tiny Tim (Public Domain) |
Nevertheless, it wasn't always that way. In fact, during many historical periods, Christmas would not have even merited a PG rating.
History.com tells us that during the Middle Ages, Christmas was "celebrated raucously in a drunken carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras." How then
did it morph into a child-centered, family-friendly holiday?
In a word (or two):
literary invention…
Authors like Charles Dickens and Washington Irving had a profound effect upon the way that Christmas was
perceived.
During a time of great "class conflict and
turmoil," Dickens "created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol." This
story popularized a message of "charity and good will towards all humankind" (emphasizing the Tiny Tims of the world). Before
that, Irving had written "a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house." Within
these stories, upper and lower classes "mingled effortlessly," which gave the
impression that Christmas of yore had been one big happy family-type occasion.
Americans "began to embrace Christmas as the perfect family holiday" - with only one catch. If children were nice, then plenty of goodies would come their way. But if they were naughty - look out!
Santa would not be nearly as generous with those mini-meanies.
Or would he?
Whereas warnings like these served as child-restraining techniques for decades, a recent Walmart survey (now that sounds objective) shows that adults are no longer as willing to collude with Santa as they once were. Not surprisingly, this survey indicates that "nearly 80% of parents say
their kids will get the same number of toys [wonder where from] for Christmas, even if they get on Santa's 'naughty' list…"
Resources
http://www.history.com/topics/christmas
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2012/11/26/santa-claus-naughty-or-nice/1719823/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomMoney-TopStories+(Money+-+Top+Stories)
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