As we journey through the various celebrations of Christmas throughout American history, we must remember this point: the first Americans had very few holidays. This axiom became even more so after the Revolutionary War. Post-Revolutionary Americans rarely celebrated birthdays; Twelfth Day was entirely unknown. New Year’s Day was hardly celebrated and Christmas was not really a religious day at all. Children in the early 1800s had three holidays: July 4, Thanksgiving, and a day called Training Day.

New Orleans at this time, of course, was an exception. Holidays were legion. The strong Catholic tradition lent the city a beautiful festival atmosphere, with liturgical and communal celebrations of Christmas with its midnight Réveillon dinners, which are still celebrated today, Twelfth Day, Mardi Gras, Good Friday, Easter, and All Saints’ Day to name a few. There were minor holidays celebrated in the Crescent City, at least 95 others, as begun by Pope Gregory IX who declared at least one in four days a holy day dedicated to a saint or martyr.

America, though, was a new nation. It was a nation of many different tribes and religions and of driven people. E pluribus unum was the new motto. For holidays, though, it might have been e pluribus pauci, for the sparsity of the nascent nation’s holy days. Early Americans were not in the mood to fight over religion nor were they inclined to celebrate when they could build cities and fortunes.

By the 1830s, Americans had silently agreed to celebrate July 4, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and Christmas. But even then, Christmas was poorly celebrated in New England states, where Calvinism predominated. When Southerners were educated at schools like Princeton and Brown, many of their letters home remarked how sad it was that they had no Christmas celebrations. That was all about to change due to one man’s vision.

Washington Irving was born in Manhattan the same year America won its independence through the Treaty of Paris. His father was a strict Presbyterian born in the Orkney Islands and his mother a fun-loving Anglican. Irving was a man much after my own heart. You may know him for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but his influence is far more greatly felt from his Christmas writings. He loved Christmas for its religious nature, but he also saw that it could be used to bring an uncultured, disgusting people together for the good of society. In 1820 he finished The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, stories about himself, guised as Geoffrey Crayon, who travels to England. There, he found a joyous celebration of the twelve days and learned of its use to bring people, both rich and poor, cultured and uncultured together. The holiday united a people and made the times “merrier, and kinder, and better.” If England could roll back Cromwell’s condemnation of the holiday, perhaps there was hope for an American Christmas.

INTERLUDE

For those of you who know me best, you know I love love and I love crafting. Over the last few years I have become a regular at Hobby Lobby. This may change, as I was pleased to hear that Gordon’s, known formerly as Eric’s of Metairie, has opened as of Dec 1 at 4306 Waverly St. I had previously spent countless hours at Eric’s of Metairie and Gordon’s of Kenner, two of the best places in the New Orleans Metro to get your crafting on.

Hobby Lobby is a beautiful store filled with many beautiful things. There isn’t a time of the year when it is more beautiful than Christmas. While some big box stores cause a revolting feeling when surrounded by the many cheeseparing slatterns of modern day America, I have never once felt that way inside Hobby Lobby. Its patrons are usually tidy in appearance and friendly in demeanor. I never tire of perusing and perambulating the well organized, clean aisles.

10. Acrylic Triune Nativity

It wasn’t until hour three in store that I deliberately stumbled accidentally upon Hobby Lobby’s manger scenes. I say deliberately because from the very beginning, I was on the lookout for these marvelous religious symbols of love and family. Many stores have gone secular in their Christmas ornamentation, even omitting the word Christmas from common expressions, like Merry Christmas (remember the Merry Everything rugs against which I railed at World Market?). After two hours of exploring Hobby Lobby I feared that it too had moved secular. But then, by accident, or divine hand, it came upon an afternoon clear a beauteous glimmer of hope.

The nativities were spotted! They were not as plentiful as I had hoped -- probably only about 20 different ones, paling in comparison to my own collection, which I sheepishly (get it?) admit to numbering over 50 now. But this one caught my eye -- translucent and glass-like.

9. Santa Claus outfit

I won’t lie: I purchased this. Sure it was $80, $80 I do not have, and which is essential in getting my Poorboy Tours of New Orleans F350 van running again. But sometimes, sometimes you just have to splurge.

Is there a finer suit available? No Jos Banks 12 suits free for one suit is going to bring the smiles that Santa’s big red suit will. And the ladies! Not that I would ever do that. But for you desperate single guys out there, if you think a dog is a magnet, wait until you don Santa’s suit.

In 2003, while I was repairing college football by petitioning the NCAA, the media, and the BCS on how best to select a national champion, I was at the same time volunteering as a high school senior at Ozanam Inn. For Christmas that year, I was chosen by my youth group to play Santa. Mother purchased me a Halco suit for the big day of gift giving. We had packed hygiene kits and wrapped them for the residents. I had sewed a large velvet red bag with white rabbit firm trimming earlier in the week. When we got to church, my group mates helped me load the bag with gifts.

By the time we got to the inn, there was a very large line of men waiting for their gifts. They were eager and so polite and kind. They championed me as I walked in, giving me a king’s welcome. I had never felt so well liked and appreciated in all my life. As the bag ran out, I was in such a giving and uplifted mood that I couldn’t bear to see the ten or so faces disappointed that they too wouldn’t receive a gift.

I was on a mission to get these guys some gifts. I dashed out of the inn, and made my way down to Walgreen’s to get some toiletries and maybe a candy cane or two. Before I could get there, I found myself face down. Some miscreant drinking in a bar, fixed in a factory made Brooks Brother suit, had seen me skipping along the streets in such glee that he couldn’t stand it. He used the hook of an umbrella’s handle to sweep my ankle. I stood no chance. A busted lip and a bleeding nose looked up at this poor being who then ripped my Santa suit before spitting on me. I wept. He and his friends laughed. It was humiliating and I was so embarrassed I took the street car home. The last few gifts were never given.

I haven’t had the courage to wear a Santa suit since. But thanks to some of my friends here, I think I will have that courage again, perhaps even this week. I’m more confident today than 17 years ago, and I am ready, I think, to carol and brings gifts again as Santa.