First Christmas at Columbia Tusculum

/ sandramervillehart

Benjamin Stites discovered the future location of Columbia, Ohio, through an unfortunate event. He was on a trading expedition with other traders in Kentucky when some of their horses were stolen. They built a raft and pursued Native Americans across the Ohio River. Stites and his men followed them up the Little Miami River. He returned without the horses, but had found the location of a settlement he wanted to establish.

Stites returned to his Pennsylvania home and eventually purchased 20,000 acres on the Ohio River near the mouth of the Little Miami River.

Twenty-six people traveled the Ohio River in November of 1788. Stites’ group included women and children. At Limestone, Kentucky (modern-day Maysville,) they prepared lumber to build a fort. They resumed their journey, arriving near the mouth of the Little Miami River on November 18th.

Having heard rumors of Native Americans waiting for them, Stites’ party posted sentinels. After singing a hymn and praying, the settlers began building a blockhouse. Three more blockhouses were quickly constructed. Palisades formed a wall around them to create Fort Miami.

They named the settlement Columbia.

Native Americans were friendly at first and visited the blockhouses.

Christmas of 1788 was a warm, pleasant day. The pioneers set up tables outside and invited their Native American neighbors to eat with them. Their guests arrived with their guns, fearing a trap.

Judge Isaac Dunn of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, later recalled that Christmas when he was a boy of six. Potpies, cooked in two ten-gallon kettles, were the main dish.

The settlers had also invited soldiers. Their arrival nearly caused a disaster. The pioneers wanted to live in harmony with their new neighbors and convinced the Native Americans to stay.

A delicious dinner was eaten on the river bank, a day the settlers long remembered. Well-satisfied, the Native Americans left around sunset.

Unfortunately, peace didn’t last. But on that Christmas Day, peace reigned.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Berten, Jinny Powers. Cincinnati Christmas, Orange Frazer Press, 2011.

“History of Columbia Tusculum,” Columbia Tusculum, 2019/07/29 https://www.columbiatusculum.org/history.

Suess, Jeff. “Christmas Celebrations in Cincinnati over the years,” Cincinnati.com, 2019/04/27 https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/history/2014/12/11/christmas-celebrations-cincinnati-years/20252307/.

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Christmas Lights

/ sandramervillehart

by Sandra Merville Hart

Before Christmas lights adorned Christmas trees, candles were lit on the branches to signify the light of Jesus. The family gathered in the parlor while fathers lit the candles. Because of the fire hazard, these were quickly extinguished.

After Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, Edward Hibberd Johnson had an idea. In 1882, Johnson displayed his Christmas tree by his New York City parlor window where it was plainly visible from the street. He strung 80 light bulbs together (red, blue, and white) and arranged them around the tree which stood on a revolving pedestal. The power for the lights and pedestal came from a generator.

To ensure his lights received the public’s notice, Johnson contacted reporters. The brilliance of the lights stunned them. Folks on the street stopped to gaze in wonder. However fascinated people were, decorating with lights wasn’t feasible for most.

President Grover Cleveland helped popularize Christmas lights when he had the White House tree decorated with them in 1895.

Electricity wasn’t widely available for many years—and the lights were expensive. In 1903, a set (20 plain, 4 red, and 4 frosted bulbs) cost $12 when the average hourly wage was 22 cents!

The price dropped to $1.75 for a sixteen-foot string by 1914.

Today, Christmas lights adorn our trees and our homes. Many of us still take our families out to see special light displays during the holidays.

And we have Edward Hibbert Johnson to thank for this beautiful idea.

Sources

Chan, Melissa. “Here’s How Christmas Lights Came to Be,” Time for Kids, 2019/08/15 https://time.com/4152307/christmas-tree-lights-history/.

Malanowski, Jamie. “Untangling the History of Christmas Lights,” Smithsonian.com, 2019/08/15 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/untangling-history-christmas-lights-180961140/.

Waggoner, Susan. It’s A Wonderful Christmas, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004.

 

A Simple Christmas Wish by Melody Carlson

/ sandramervillehart

Rachel Milligan is spending the week with her lovable niece, Holly, when tragedy strikes. An airplane crash takes the lives of Holly’s parents shortly before Christmas.

Now the only family they have left is each other. Rachel resolves to be the best parent she can be to her brother’s only child.

Yet the will reveals some surprises. What can they do to stop it?

Lovable characters (and one you may love to hate,) and an adorable little girl who tugged at my heart made this a page turner for me.

I love stories set during the Christmas season. This heartwarming story did not disappoint me. Recommend.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

First Children’s Christmas Party at the White House

/ sandramervillehart

President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams didn’t have the warmest of homes–even if it was at the White House.

Their Pennsylvania Avenue home, built near a swamp, was drafty and cold. Large fires crackled and snapped in thirteen fireplaces to ward off the chill.

In 1800, as Christmas approached the President and First Lady decided to host a children’s Christmas party. Their four-year-old granddaughter, Susanna Boylston Adams, lived with them and they wanted to honor her.

Greenery was hung in the East Room to decorate for the occasion. Government officials and their children were invited to the party.

A small orchestra provided music. Guests munched on cakes and drank punch.

They sang Christmas carols and played games. The party was a great success … with one exception.

One of the children accidentally broke a gift of Susanna’s—a doll dish. Susanna grabbed her friend’s doll and bit off its nose in retaliation.

The President stepped in before the situation got too out of hand.

Christmas parties soon became a tradition at the White House. Occasionally these were children’s parties in those historic early presidencies. Other parties were elegant affairs for adults.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Source

“Background: Winter Holidays at the White House,” White House Historical Association, 2019/11/03 https://www.whitehousehistory.org/press-room/press-releases/background-winter-holidays-at-the-white-house.

Christmas in America in the 1700’s and 1800’s, World Book, Inc., 2007.

“Christmas Traditions at the White House Fact Sheet,” White House Historical Association, 2019/11/03 https://www.whitehousehistory.org/christmas-traditions-at-the-white-house.

 

 

The Christmas Tree

/ sandramervillehart

by Sandra Merville Hart

The tradition of Christmas trees began centuries ago. Citizens of Alsace, France, bought trees to set up, unornamented, in their homes in 1510.

In Germany and Austria, traditions in the 1700s were to hang evergreen tips upside down. Often decorated with apples and nuts, these Christmas trees also earned the name ‘sugartrees.’

German settlers in Pennsylvania had community Christmas trees by 1747, yet most Americans still considered them pagan symbols in the 1840s.

The White House’s first Christmas tree was with President Franklin Pierce in 1853, around the time Christmas trees began to be sold in the United States.

Even so, only twenty percent of American families had Christmas trees in 1900. Twenty years later, it was a tradition in most American homes. The popularity of the trees brought shortages, leading to Christmas tree farms.

Artificial trees, available from the 1880s, were often used by poorer families.

After World War II, the demand for Christmas trees by nostalgic British soldiers exceeded the supply of evergreens. The Addis Brush Company of America, who had manufactured artificial brush trees since the 1930s, sold thousands of trees in Great Britain.

Addis then manufactured a Silver Pine tree, made of aluminum, in the 1950s. It was sold with a Christmas tree color wheel that illuminated the tree in different colors as it revolved.

Another fad began in the 1960s—flocked Christmas trees, where spray is added to resemble snowy branches.

Whether your preference is for real or artificial trees, Christmas trees remain a beautiful holiday tradition.

Sources

History.com Editors. “History of Christmas Trees,” History.com, 2019/08/15  https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees.

“History of Christmas Trees,” National Christmas Tree Association, 2019/08/15 https://www.realchristmastrees.org/dnn/Education/History-of-Christmas-Trees.

Waggoner, Susan. It’s A Wonderful Christmas, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004.

Western Christmas Wishes

/ sandramervillehart

Two novellas included in Western Christmas Wishes

 His Christmas Family by Brenda Minton

Laurel Adams didn’t really want to return to her childhood home in Hope, Oklahoma. Her grandmother was ill and needed help—that’s why she went home.

Cameron Hunt rented a guesthouse from Gladys and had reasons to prefer his own company. Yet with Gladys in the hospital, he figured he’d have to show Lauren the ropes and help her with Rose, the teenager who stayed with Gladys under foster care.

There are some surprises awaiting these two as Christmas approaches.

Not only did the struggles of the main characters tug at my heart, but also the secondary characters battled major obstacles.

An enjoyable holiday romance.

A Merry Wyoming Christmas by Jill Kemerer

Michael Carr, in between job assignments, returns to his family’s ranch for the Christmas holidays. A rift between him and his brother guarantees that he won’t linger too long after the holiday.

Leann Bowden looks forward to a new start in Wyoming with her two-year-old daughter, Sunni. Leann arrives at Sunrise Bend a few weeks before her new job starts to get them settled. It didn’t matter that Christmas was coming—there was nothing tying her to St. Louis.

There’s something about Michael that draws Leann to his quiet strength. Yet, if he doesn’t plan on staying, she can’t give into her feelings. She’s already been through one man leaving her and her daughter … she can’t go through it again.

Believable characters, an adorable little girl who tugged at my heart, and a sweet romance made this an enjoyable read!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Colonial Virginia Christmas Feast

/ sandramervillehart

Christmas morning began with a bang in colonial Virginia. Literally. Men fired their muskets. Firecrackers popped and cannons roared in celebration of the day. If none of these noisemakers were at hand, men beat on pots and pans to join the merrymakers.

After church services, the colonists enjoyed a large dinner that might include up to eight courses.

George and Martha Washington, wealthy landowners before the Revolutionary War, served lavish feasts for their guests. Meats included crab, oysters, codfish, turtle soup, Yorkshire pudding, ham, venison, boiled mutton, and turkey with stuffing. Served with these were relishes, vegetables, biscuits, and cornbread.

Then, if the diner had any room for dessert, there were possibly a dozen choices. Tarts, puddings, pies, fruit, cakes, ice cream, and dishes of candy, nuts, and raisins were among the selections.

January 6th was known as Twelfth Night, and was typically marked with a celebration that marked the official end of the Christmas season.

Most of the colonists were from England or had English roots so it isn’t surprising that they enjoyed wassail (spiced wine or ale punch with apples), mince pies, plum puddings, and fruit cake.

Washington had an eggnog recipe that he made for his guests. They loved the potent drink.

Music, dancing, and visiting with friends might last for another week after the feast.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Source

Christmas in America in the 1700’s and 1800’s, World Book, Inc., 2007.

 

 

An 1876 Christmas Appeal from Orphans

/ sandramervillehart

by Sandra Merville Hart

Undoubtedly children orphaned by the Civil War still lived in Cincinnati orphanages in 1876. Though the war ended 11 years earlier, citizens would never forget the horrors of the time.

So, when an ad for the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum asked for a bag filled with “anything you can think of to eat, wear or use”, generous folks must have responded.

Here are a few foods they requested: split peas, raisins, coffee, cake, sugar, tea, hominy, turnips, spices, ham, beets, cheese, poultry, potatoes, apples, beans, and rice.

They needed clothing, woolen cloth, cotton cloth, calico, flannel, shoes, stockings, combs, brushes, pins, sheets, dishes, knives, forks, and spoons.

There was a list of ideas for gifts under “Send to our Christmas Tree”: gloves, hair ribbons, nuts, candy, handkerchiefs, skates, sleds, slates, hoods, scarves, mittens, neckties, baskets, thimbles, lead pencils, drawing paper, Dominoes, evening games, Backgammon, Games of History, Games of Authors, color boxes, work boxes, scissors.

This variety would fit almost any budget.

Many of these items are on Christmas lists today, aren’t they?

We have a time-honored tradition of giving at Christmas. If your budget allows, look for a charity to bless with a gift.

Sources

Berten, Jinny Powers. Cincinnati Christmas, Orange Frazer Press, 2011.

 

 

M is for Manger

/ sandramervillehart

I love this book!

The authors take a word from each letter of the alphabet that ties into the Christmas story. For example, “C” is for Carpenter. Joseph was a carpenter.

Each letter’s word is written in a poem.

There is a Scripture reference included with each letter.

This is an excellent book for toddlers through the second grade.

The beautifully-illustrated hard cover book makes a wonderful Christmas gift.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

Boar’s Head Festival

/ sandramervillehart

In 1340, according to legend, a student at Queen’s College in Oxford, England, read a metal-bound book of Aristotle as he strolled through the forest to Christmas Mass. Wild boars, a menace to society, roamed the woods and one attacked the young man. With no weapons, he rammed his book into boar’s mouth, choking the animal to death. Roasted boar was often served at medieval banquets. A procession carried in the boar’s garnished head into the dining hall that night while carolers sang. This presentation at Christmas became a symbol of Jesus’s triumph over sin.

St. John’s College in Cambridge celebrated the Boar’s Head Festival by 1607. An expanded cast of historical characters, lords, ladies, knights, hunters, and others told of the birth of Jesus. Magi and shepherds were added later.

Mince pie and plum pudding were served at the festival and the Yule Log was lit.

The medieval festival is still celebrated in Europe and the United States. The formal program at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati includes: Orchestral Prelude, Procession of the Beefeaters, The Yule Sprite Comes, The Boar’s Head Procession, The Yule Log, The Waits, The Angel, The Shepherds, The Magi, The World joins the Kings and Shepherds, Recessional, Orchestral Postlude and The Yule Sprite Returns.

During the Boar’s Head Procession, a boar’s head is carried in by knights and others.

There is symbolic meaning to the parts of the medieval service that occurs between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The costumes and processions transport guests back in time and is worth experiencing.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Berten, Jinny Powers. Cincinnati Christmas, Orange Frazer Press, 2011.

“The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival Tradition,” Christ Church Cathedral, 2019/07/29 ttps://cincinnaticathedral.com/boars-head-tradition/.