Bringing History to the Holidays
We all have our holiday traditions. Whether you spend the season lighting your menorah, baking gingerbread, or eating twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve, we all bring a little bit of our family’s history to the holidays.
However, while you might know precisely where grandma’s ham recipe comes from or why you spin the dreidel, some bits of holiday history might be a mystery. Why do so many of us put up artificial trees? Did Jewish Americans always celebrate Hanukkah? Where did the Times Square Ball Drop come from?
It’s time to bring some history to the holidays.
Christmas History: Trees, Santa, and Songs
Artificial Christmas Trees
Did you know artificial Christmas trees were inspired by a toilet brush? Yeah, for real.
Beginning in the 1880s, tree shortages in Europe made it difficult to find live trees for the holidays. By World War II, the issue had only worsened. To combat the shortage, Addis Housewares Company in the UK came up with an ingenious plan — they repurposed their toilet brush-making machinery. The modern artificial Christmas tree was born!
But these trees didn’t take off right away in the U.S. Midcentury Americans didn’t have the same tree shortages and the only artificial trees growing in popularity were futuristic aluminum ones lit by color wheels. That is until Jewish World War II pilot Si Spiegel got into the artificial tree business.
When 21-year-old Si Spiegel returned from the war, he was told in no uncertain terms that commercial airlines had no interest in hiring a Jewish pilot. So Spiegel went back to school and got a job as a machinist at American Brush Machinery.
His bosses decided to try their hand at making artificial trees, but the first trees didn’t look much like trees at all. Thankfully for them, Spiegel had a vision. He brought in real trees to study, tweaked machines, and eventually, he produced a perfectly shaped fake.
In 1981, Spiegel started his own company, American Tree and Wreath, which produced about 800,000 trees a year, one off the assembly line every four minutes.
Want to learn more? Check out our article in Teen Vogue for a deep dive.
Santa Claus’ Military History
Believe it or not, Santa had a long military record in the U.S. Not quite the jolly vision we have of this Christmas icon.
Santa’s involvement in the military likely began in the 1800s. In 1862, during the Civil War, Harper’s Weekly published an illustration of Kris Kringle giving gifts to Union soldiers. But Santa’s involvement didn’t stop there.
In 1881, the famed German-born American cartoonist Thomas Nast illustrated “Merry Old Santa Claus,” which depicts Santa as we know him today. Of course, Santa has a long white beard, a round belly, and jolly cheeks. But he also has some military garb, including an army backpack, a dress sword, and a belt buckle to represent American soldiers.
Santa continued supporting American military efforts during World War I. He took to the streets to start selling war bonds to raise money for the troops. Propaganda also depicted Santa being buddy-buddy with Uncle Sam and generally being pretty patriotic.
Santa picked up the torch again during World War II, continuing the hustle to sell war bonds, but now also encouraging the conservation of resources and maintaining silence to prevent leaks to the enemy.
So, yeah. Santa has seen some stuff.
The Jewish Writer Behind “White Christmas”
“White Christmas” is a holiday classic. You can hear it playing everywhere from Santa’s station at the mall to your local Target. But songwriter Irving Berlin didn’t hang up Christmas lights or roast chestnuts. Instead, he lit the menorah and flipped latkes.
In 1893, at age 5, Irving Berlin was one of thousands of Jewish immigrants who had moved to the United States. Berlin and his family settled in New York, where his father took up work at a kosher meat market and his mother worked as a midwife. At only age eight, Berlin began working as a newspaper boy to earn extra money to support his family. It was this job, which brought him to music-filled saloons and restaurants, that introduced Berlin to his love of music.
Berlin began writing songs in 1907 and had his first hit in 1911, but more success was to come. In 1938, Berlin crafted the melody for “White Christmas,” but decided to shelf it — that is until Paramount signed Berlin to write for the 1942 film Holiday Inn. He took the song off the shelf, did some editing, and then brought it to Bing Crosby, the star of the film, who would sing the song. With 50 million physical records sold, it is the best-selling single of all time.
Part of the success of “White Christmas” came from its release date — right around the start of World War II. Although the song makes no reference to the war, the lyrics evoke nostalgia and longing, feelings that soldiers fighting abroad experienced deeply. Perhaps Berlin shared these emotions, as he had spent his childhood navigating life as an immigrant in the U.S.
“The public liked ‘White Christmas’ and it became a runaway,” Berlin said in 1953. “You see, a war song doesn’t have to be about wars. This is really a peace song.”
“White Christmas” certainly wasn’t Berlin’s only hit. He also penned classics like “God Bless America” and “Puttin’ On The Ritz.” But the emotional message of “White Christmas” still resonates with Americans decades after its release. And the story behind it reminds us of how many diverse experiences contribute to the American story.
The History of Hanukkah in the U.S.
Before the 1800s, Hanukkah was a minor holiday to most Jewish Americans. But just as Christmas and other holidays grew and shifted, so too did the Festival of Lights. By the 1890s, Christmas was a national holiday that bridged denominational divides. For the 2.3 million Jewish immigrants arriving between 1881 and 1924, like Irving Berlin, there was pressure to Americanize.
Shortly after the Civil War, Cincinnati Reform Rabbis Max Lilienthal and Isaac M. Wise took inspiration from Christian celebrations around the nation. Their congregations hosted Hanukkah assemblies — telling the holiday story, singing hymns, and, of course, candy for the kids. They publicized these Hanukkah assemblies nationally and encouraged other congregations to join in.
After World War II, suburban communities boomed. Hanukkah got a boost from Jewish families and congregations looking to reaffirm their identity and faith. And by the 1970s, menorah lightings were taking place in parks and city halls across the nation, with President Jimmy Carter being the first to nationally recognize the holiday in 1979.
Where does the New Year’s Ball Drop come from?
Do you watch the ball drop on New Years’ Eve? If you’re a fan of this classic tradition, then you should definitely know where it comes from.
Back in the 19th century, those celebrating really wanted to bring in the New Year with a bang. For example, in 1828, partygoers at a fancy dress ball found themselves being harassed by marauders on their way home. Soon enough, New Year celebrations were believed to be too dangerous in the city. By 1879, New Years’ parties were being held in churches, gymnasiums, and theaters to avoid the hard-core partiers.
But one unlikely person thought there was a better way to celebrate the new year — it was none other than the owner of the New York Times, Adolph Ochs.
In 1904, Ochs threw the first Times Square New Year’s Eve party to create a safe space for New Yorkers to celebrate. The ball drop started three years later in 1907, and since then, there have been seven different versions of the ball.
The ball drop has occurred every year except for in 1942 and 1943 — that was because of World War II. Today, it’s a time-honored tradition. And whether you’re watching from Times Square, a New Year’s Eve party, or your couch, the ball drop is a part of our history to remember.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday season! ❤ Team Made By Us
