They Dared to Write Of OLD
CHRISTMAS An Exploration of the Christmas Spirit and It’s Role in the Disclosing of the Dark Folkloric Landscape of Wonders and Mysteries In Prose and Poetry
Chip Donahue Wrote: A brilliant, eye-opening collection. Very useful research.

 ISBN: 978-0-9854486-7-7

394 pages, Author- Conrad Jay Bladey, Hutman Productions, 2015

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A collection of literature and verse concerning the Christmas Spirit in all its forms:Old Christmas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, hogfather, etc..along with a detailed anthropological analysis, relevant songs and recipes.

An Exploration of the Christmas Spirit and It’s Role in the Disclosing of the Dark Folkloric Landscape of Wonders and Mysteries In Prose and Poetry
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CONTENTS

 

Dedication.. 2

Preparation of the auditory.. 11

Definition.. 12

PREFACE.. 13

Insert: EarWorm 1 - Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for guilty sinners slain-Author: Charles Wesley (1758) 13

Introduction.. 15

The Gift of Eternal Life The Bible.. 16

A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas 19 December, 1843    17

Charles Dickens 18

Names for  The Spirt of Chrismas Around the World.. 24

The History of Santa.. 25

The Original Santa Claus St. Nicholas.. 32

ST NICHOLAS, CONFESSOR, ARCHBISHOP OF MYRA—A.D. 342) Feast: December 6 From-The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints 1756-9    32

Rev. Alban Butler 32

More on St. Nicholas.. 34

Sinter Klaas Comes to New York.. 36

A Mummers Play- The Play of Saint George, Traditional From-  Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833). 37

William Sandys 37

Insert: Earworm 2, Gloucestershire Wassail 41

CHRISTMAS, HIS MASQUE 1640 (1616). 42

Benjamin Jonson. 42

Eleventh Century.. 52

Hail Father Christmas!  From-Bucks Herald - Saturday 29 December 1838 and The Guernsey Magazine Volume 16 1888 (c. 1066). 52

Anon. 52

Fifteenth Century.. 53

Sir Christmas ca. 1461-1477.. 53

Rev. Richard Smart 53

Seventeenth Century.. 54

From-SUMMER'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT 1600.. 54

Thomas Nashe. 54

The Mad Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow c. 1628 (earliest use of ho,ho,ho)  59

Ben Jonson (?) 59

Old Christmass Returnd Or, Hospitality REVIVED 1672-1696 ? From- The Ballad Collection of Samuel Pepys.. 62

Anonymous 62

THE  EXAMINATION AND Tryal of OLD  Father CHRISTMAS 1686.. 65

Josiah King. 65

Eighteenth Century.. 89

Brave News for your Jolly Souls From- Manchester Mercury Tuesday 09 January 1753 p.3.. 89

IN CHRISTMAS GAMBOLS. From: A collection of songs, selected from the works of Mr. Dibdin 1790.. 89

Charles Dibdin. 89

LXXXII. PROLOGUE To A CHRISTMAS TALE From- The poetical works of David Garrick, Esq. Now first collected into two volumes. With explanatory notes.: [pt.2] 1717-1779    93

David Garrick. 93

CHRISTMAS BELLS. From-Around the tea-table 1798.. 95

Thomas De Witt Talmage. 95

Ode to Christmas From- Northampton Mercury- Saturday 28 December 1799    96

Anon. 96

Nineteenth Century.. 97

XXV.—A CHRISTMAS EVE ADVENTURE. From- Standard recitations: for the use of Catholic colleges, schools and literary societies  c.1800.. 97

M. M. 97

From- A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty 1809.. 99

Washington Irving. 99

Woodcut of St. Nicholas December 6, 1810.. 102

Alexander Anderson. 102

Broadside of St. Nicholas 1810.. 104

John Pintard. 104

A New Year’s Present for the Little Ones from Five to Twelve Part III 1821    106

Anon. (William B. Gilley, Publisher) 106

Twas the Night Before Christmas/ A Visit from St. Nicholas 1823 (1912)  107

OLD CHRISTMAS ! From- Bury and Norwich Post Wednesday 16 December 1835    114

T. Fricker(1858)— Composed by J. Westrop. 114

BALLAD OF OLD CHRISTMAS From-Bristol Mercury  Saturday December 28 1839    115

Anonymous 115

OLD CHRISTMAS A SONG OF THE WASSAIL BOWL From-Kentish Gazette Tuesday December 27, 1842.. 116

Anonymous 116

OLD TIME AND FATHER CHRISTMAS From- Hampshire Telegraph  Monday 01 January 1844.. 117

Old Christmas 1844.. 119

Mary Howitt 119

THE SONG OF OLD CHRISTMAS From- Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser - Wednesday December 24, 1845.. 123

Omega. 123

HURRAH FOR OLD CHRISTMAS From- Worcester Journal  Thursday December 17 1846    124

G. Linnaeus Banks 124

Christmas From- Bradford Observer  Thursday 24 December 1846.. 126

Anon. 126

AMen FOR The CLOSING YEAR From- Lancaster Gazette Saturday 26 December 1846    127

Anon. 127

OLD FATHER CHRISTMAS 1849.. 129

E. H. Burrington, 129

Song For Christmas From-Derby Mercury Wednesday 26 December 1849    130

Anon. 130

The Wonders of Santa Claus December 26, 1857.. 132

Harper's Weekly. 132

Christmas Time From-'Round  About Our Coal Fire', A Book of New Games, with Appropriate Music 1860.. 140

William Henry Davenport Adams 140

the  Return of king Christmas From-' Round  About Our Coal Fire', A Book of New Games, with Appropriate Music 1860.. 143

William Henry Davenport Adams 143

A Song for Saint Nicholas From "The Festival of St. Nicholas," Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, 1865.. 145

Mary Mapes Dodge. 145

From- “Lutie, Birdie And Minnie” From- General Lee and Santa Claus 1867    146

Louise Clack. 146

Christmas Eve and Christmas Morn From-  General Lee and Santa Claus 1867    148

Louise Clack. 148

The Christmas Tree From-Bradbury's Fresh Laurels 1867.. 151

William Batchelder Bradbury. 151

THE SEASONS: A MASQUE  AS PRESENTED BY FATHER CHRISTMAS AND HIS ATTENDANTS From- The Poetical Works  1868.. 153

Henry Alford 1810-1871. 153

Santa Claus And His Works 1869.. 159

George P Webster 159

SANTA CLAUS. from Short poems for short people 1872.. 164

Edgar Fawcett 1847-1904. 164

A LETTER FROM SANTA CLAUS (Mark Twain to his daughter, Susy) 1875    165

Mark Twain. 165

The Settler’s Christmas Eve FROM- The Poetical Works of Alice and Phoebe Cary: With a Memorial of Their Lives 1876.. 168

Alice Cary, Phoebe Cary, Mary Clemmer Ames 168

The Hard Times In Elfland [A Story of Christmas Eve] From-POEMS OF SIDNEY LANIER 1877.. 172

Sidney Lanier, Mary D. Lanier, Ed. 172

SANTA CLAUS. From- Poems 1879.. 179

Sarah Helen Whitman. 179

Santa Claus 1880... 182

Anonymous 182

THE SYMBOL AND THE SAINT 1886.. 183

Eugene Field. 183

SANTA CLAUS 1887.. 189

S. Moore. 189

Goody Santa Claus From-Bates' Fairy Gold (1916) 1889.. 190

Katherine Lee Bates (first mention of Mrs. Claus) 190

Insert Earworm 3 - Spike Jones, 18. Nutcracker Suite: Part One: The Little Girl's Dream , 19. Nutcracker Suite: Part Two: Land Of The Sugar Plum Fairy , 20. Nutcracker Suite: Part Three: The Chinese Dolls/The Fairy Ball , 21. Nutcracker Suite: Part Four: The Mysterious Room , 22. Nutcracker Suite: Part Five: Back To The Fairy Ball , 23. Nutcracker Suite: Part Six: End Of The Little Girl's Dream.. 194

MRS. SANTA CLAUS 1891 (1900). 194

Charles Henry Lüders 194

SANTA CLAUS TO LITTLE ETHEL From-Christmas tales from 'round the world 1891 (1900). 197

Francis Wells 197

SANTA CLAUS from Poems 1892.. 199

Julia C. R. Dorr, (Julia Caroline Ripley) 199

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT From- Hampshire Advertiser  Saturday 23 December 1893    200

William J. Gallagher 200

A SANTA CLAUS MESSENGER-BOY from- When life is young 1894.. 201

Mary Mapes Dodge, 1830-1905. 201

FATHER CHRISTMAS From- Buds and Blossoms 1894.. 202

M. J.  Thayers 202

JOE'S SEARCH FOR SANTA CLAUS 1895.. 204

IRVING BACHELLER.. 204

A CONQUEST OF SANTA CLAUS. From- The Indiana School Journal 1895    208

CAROLINE A. CREEVY AND MARGARET E. SANGSTER.. 208

BILLY'S SANTA CLAUS EXPERIENCE 1895.. 221

CORNELIA REDMOND.. 221

Piccola From- McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader 1896.. 223

Celia Laighton Thaxter 223

Little Santa Claus and Big Santa Claus from- Creeve Roe: Poetry 1947 (1897)  224

Victor J. Daley, (Victor James) 224

Is There A Santa Claus? Editorial Page, New York Sun September 21, 1897    226

Francis Pharcellus Church. 226

Santa Claus on New Years Eve. From- Poems 1897.. 228

F. B. Coffin, (Frank Barbour), b. 1871. 228

Frank Dempster Sherman. 230

SANTA CLAUS' NARROW ESCAPE. From- Camp and Lamp: Rambles in Realms of Sport, Story, Song 1897.. 231

Samuel Mathewson Baylis 1854-1941. 231

Twentieth Century.. 233

SANTA CLAUS' SLEIGH RIDE from- Echoes of Spring 1901.. 233

Aaron Belford Thompson 1883-1929. 233

SANTA CLAUS from- In memory of W. V. 1901.. 234

William Canton  (27 October 1845 – 2 May 1926) 234

From- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus 1902.. 235

Frank Baum.. 235

FARMER STEBBINS AS SANTA CLAUS From- Songs of two centuries 1902    245

Will Carleton. 245

The Other Stocking From- Black and White 1903.. 247

G.K.Chesterton. 247

What Santa Claus Was Like from- What Santa Claus was like 1904.. 250

Will Carleton 1845-1912. 250

A Ballad Of Santa Claus December 6, 1907.. 252

Henry Van Dyke. 252

SLY SANTA CLAUS From- Christmas, Its Origin, Celebration and Significance 1907    254

Mrs. C.S.  Stone. 254

SANTA CLAUS From- Christmas, Its Origin, Celebration and Significance 1907    255

ANON. 255

A SOCIAL CALL From- The Collected Works 1909.. 256

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce. 256

“SANTA CLAUS” from- The Giant and the Star 1909.. 259

Madison Julius Cawein. 259

HELP SANTA CLAUS  From- Idylls By Two Oceans 1910.. 261

John Runcie. 261

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS PRAYER From- The Verses of James W. Foley: Book of boys and girls 1911.. 262

James William Foley. 262

A NEW CHRISTMAS CAROL From- The Verses of James W. Foley: Book of boys and girls 1911.. 263

James William Foley. 263

BILLY PEBBLE'S CHRISTMAS From- The Verses of James W. Foley: Book of boys and girls 1911.. 264

James William Foley. 264

SANTA CLAUS AND LITTLE BILLEE From- A LITTLE BOOK OF CHRISTMAS 1912    266

JOHN KENDRICK BANGS. 266

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN SANTAS From-  A LITTLE BOOK OF CHRISTMAS 1912    277

JOHN KENDRICK BANGS. 277

TOMMY AS SANTA CLAUS From- A thousand more verses 1912.. 290

Will Carleton, 1845-1912. 290

HURRAH FOR CHRISTMAS! From-The Best Christmas Book Joseph Charles Sindelar  1913.. 292

AIMEE CAREY.. 292

JIMMY SCARECROW'S CHRISTMAS From- CHRISTMAS STORIES 1913    293

MARY E. WILKINS FREEMAN.. 293

LITTLE GIRL'S CHRISTMAS From- CHRISTMAS STORIES 1913.. 299

WINNIFRED E. LINCOLN.. 299

TO SANTA CLAUS from- The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley 1916    303

James Whitcomb Riley, 1849-1916. 303

WHAT "OLD SANTA" OVERHEARD From- The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley 1916.. 306

James Whitcomb Riley. 306

A DEFECTIVE SANTA CLAUS from- The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley 1916.. 307

James Whitcomb Riley, 1849-1916. 307

A PLANTATION SANTA CLAUS From- Songs of the Soil 1916.. 314

Fenton Johnson. 314

The Errors of Santa Claus From- FRENZIED FICTION 1917.. 316

Stephen Leacock. 316

THE TROUBLES OF FATHER CHRISTMAS From- A Merry-Go-Round of Song 1919    321

Norman Gale. 321

VERSES FOR PRUE From- A Merry-Go-Round of Song 1919.. 322

Norman Gale 1862-1942. 322

THE APOLOGY OF FATHER CHRISTMAS From- A Merry-Go-Round of Song 1919    323

Norman Gale, 1862-1942. 323

THE LAST CHIMNEY from- A merry-go-round of song 1919.. 325

Norman Gale, 1862-1942. 325

THE ASTONISHING DANCE From- A Merry-Go-Round of Song 1919.. 326

Norman Gale,  1862-1942. 326

King John's Christmas 1927.. 328

A.A. Milne. 328

HOW  SANTA  CLAUS CAME TO SIR SLOSSON  From- Life of Eugene Field: The Poet of Childhood 1927.. 330

My Dear Children   1931.. 331

J.R.R. Tolkien. 331

Santa Claus and Science From- The Commonweal 1935.. 334

G.K.Chesterton. 334

SANTA from- The heavenly guest 1935.. 334

Celia Thaxter,  1835-1894. 334

The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus 1942.. 335

 Ogden Nash. 335

Will The Real St. Nicholas Please Stand Up?—And Indeed He Did From- Holiday, December 1963.. 338

Ogden Nash. 338

Santa Claus: A Morality 1946.. 339

E. E. Cummings 339

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 1950.. 343

C.S. Lewis 343

Letter to  Santa Claus, 347

From- A Word Carved on a Sill 1956.. 347

John Wain. 347

Santa from- The Complete Poems 1981.. 349

Anne Sexton, 349

"Is There a Santa Claus?". 351

Edwin L. Sabin. 351

Santa Claus from Ends and Beginnings 1994.. 353

Iain Crichton Smith. 353

From- Hogfather 1996 (1999). 354

Terry Pratchett 354

Santa's Prayer on Christmas Eve Date Unknown.. 359

Warren D. Jennings 359

Conclusion.. 360

The Folkloric"Big Bang"---- A Dream of Processes at the Beginning of Time and the Activist Approach to Folklore.. 360

Insert- Earworm 4 Ivor Cutler, “Go and Sit Upon the Grass”, Velvet donkey, Virgin Records, 1975. 360

The Wonder. 363

This Small Collection.. 363

Appendix 1  Santa's Favorite Songs. 368

Jolly Old Saint NicHolas c.1860.. 368

Up On The House Top 1864.. 369

Finger Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten 1889.. 371

Emilie Poulsson. 371

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 1934.. 374

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer 1939.. 374

Robert L. May. 374

Here Comes Santa Claus 1947.. 374

Must Be Santa 1949.. 375

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 1952.. 375

Nuttin' For Christmas 1955.. 375

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer 1979.. 376

Appendix 2 Popular Santa Songs. 376

Appendix 3 Santa Humor.. 378

Appendix 4 For the Reader.. 381

TollHouse Chocolate CrunchCookies From- Ruth Wakefield's Toll house tried and true recipes "Eleventh printing (revised)" 1940.. 381

Ruth Graves Wakefield. 381

Christmas Pudding.. 382

Wassail! 383

Smoking Bishop.. 384

Candy Canes.. 384

Appendix 5 Movies about Santa.. 386

Appendix 6 earworms. 388

1-Earworm : Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for guilty sinners slain, Author: Charles Wesley (1758) 388

2- Earworm  Gloucestershire Wassail 391

3-Earworm 3 Spike Jones, 18. Nutcracker Suite: Part One: The Little Girl's Dream , 19. Nutcracker Suite: Part Two: Land Of The Sugar Plum Fairy , 20. Nutcracker Suite: Part Three: The Chinese Dolls/The Fairy Ball , 21. Nutcracker Suite: Part Four: The Mysterious Room , 22. Nutcracker Suite: Part Five: Back To The Fairy Ball , 23. Nutcracker Suite: Part Six: End Of The Little Girl's Dream  392

Earworm 4 Ivor Cutler, “Go and Sit Upon the Grass”, Velvet donkey, Virgin Records, 1975.


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 392

 




Introduction

Definition

“Dark matter is a kind of matter that accounts for most of the matter in the entire universe. Dark matter is one of the greatest mysteries in modern astrophysics. It cannot be seen directly with telescopes; evidently it neither emits nor absorbs light or other electromagnetic radiation at any significant level. It is otherwise hypothesized to simply be matter that is not reactant to light. Instead, the existence and properties of dark matter are inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter, radiation, and the large-scale structure of the universe. According to the Planck mission team, and based on the standard model of cosmology, the total mass–energy of the known universe contains 4.9% ordinary matter, 26.8% dark matter and 68.3% dark energy Thus, dark matter is estimated to constitute 84.5% of the total matter in the universe, while dark energy plus dark matter constitute 95.1% of the total content of the universe.”-Wikipedia (verified)

i propose that the dark folkloric landscape is disclosed/inferred by artifacts of celebration, customs, spirits etc…….

one way disclosure is advanced is by the construction and maintenance of artifacts of disclosure, cumulatively using the broadest range of human experience rather than selectively based upon the received views of the present. “practice makes perfect!”  Without practice and implementation of artifacts of disclosure understanding and explanation will be limited.  Curation and storage are necessary but not sufficient.

 

PREFACE

 Insert: EarWorm 1 - Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for guilty sinners slain-Author: Charles Wesley (1758)

 

 

We  live in a world filled with abstract, unseen, eternal mysteries and wonders.  It is the dark landscape of the human conditions filled with dark matter made visible only indirectly through folklore and celebration. To make it visible we cover it with artifacts. Once disclosed we can make our way more efficiently, avoiding its swamps, pitfalls, and mountains, to go about our life’s journey. The “physics” of the relationships between our disclosing artifacts and the underlying landscape -the black folkloric matter, if you will-has not been explored. Folklorsts have been distracted by history and physical description, collection and recording. Our challenge is to explore this new frontier.  The stories presented in this small collection are artifacts from the huge Santa/St. Nicholas/Old Christmas/ Father Christmas/Christmas Spirit….  genre. Essentially they describe personifications of the season. As probably the most didactic genre in existence outside the more instructional books of the Bible, its goal is to teach us how to live in the dark, invisible, yet strangely tangible and physical  landscape of the human conditions.

 

 St. Nicholas and Santa Claus lead our way, demanding obedience, encouraging us with gifts.  Those lagging behind are tortured by Krampus and his crew. In addition to drawing your attention to the way these works disclose abstract landscapes, I also wish to draw your attention to the authors.  Why did they create these artifacts of disclosure, celebration and instruction?  How did they manipulate them?  Were their attempts at disclosure successful? What did we learn, not about history or writing style, but about the eternal mysterious, wonderful, abstract landscape of the human conditions which we all share?  I  encourage you to explore the dark matter of folklore but also to take these works off of the pages and share them with others. Try your own hand at the work of disclosure.

 


Introduction



Writing as I am in the year 2015,  I reflect upon a Christmas which, like so many holidays and celebrations, obtains its character from the present and its  purpose from the ages.   Christmas has always been   composed of many cultural artifacts stitched together by many individuals and groups; maintained by a spectrum of supporting forces ranging from the changing seasons to universal human tendencies to political whim. These items are created in order to disclose eternal mysteries. Why are we still here? Why are there divisions in society? Why did life unfold as it has?  There have been many course  corrections and design changes.  There are always elements of the Commercial, the Religious, the Secular as well as of Un-rule,  a benevolent anarchy. The world paused through unrule and waived the rules in favor of a breath of decompression, of venting and of the exercise of exuberance.

The Christmas Spirit has traveled a complex and often rocky road over the centuries, disclosed to us by the many artifacts of celebration which we have attached to it. The question is- Do we still see it through all the manmade accretion? Are there enough artifacts of disclosure? Do we still value them? Can we follow it and avoid the consequences?

 

 We should all realize that our celebrations exist to reveal and disclose universal mysteries so we might negotiate our way around them as we travel between the immensities of birth and death.  In this light our celebrations are not arbitrary or optional.  They are essential and mandatory.  Without them we are at risk.

 

It is not so much the presence of commercialism or conservatism that matters, but the dominance of the superficial manmade artifacts of celebration at the expense of the disclosure and adaptation to the underlying mysteries of the universe that should concern us. We achieve balance by carefully considering our universal human physical and emotional needs.  When these are being met –when all are provided for -we then will have a holiday that   renews, cures and   re-creates our universal humanity.  The authors represented here dared to write of these awesome mysteries. Dare to follow them!

 

Enjoy your Christmas!

-Conrad Bladey, Hutman Productions January,  2015

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