Title: Reading the picture book — Twas the Night Before Christmas to younger cousins
General Information about Item:
- Entertainment/books
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States
- Informant: H.A.
- Date Collected: 11-10-21
Informant Data:
- H.A. is a male Dartmouth student in the class of 2022. He is from Washington D.C. He has a younger brother who also attends Dartmouth. He studies neuroscience, and conducts research on campus in a neuroscience lab. He was raised Catholic, and grew up going to church on holidays.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: Christmas in the United States is celebrated by people of various religious backgrounds. The traditions of gifts, stockings, and a tree are shared by families, often because of the belief in Santa Clause among children.
- Social Context: There is also an element of commercialization surrounding the holidays, specifically Christmas. Because Christmas is celebrated by people of all races, religions, and cultural backgrounds in the United States, it is often secularized in the media. Religious movies, songs, and other artifacts sometimes have religious references, but do not emphasize religious sentiments.
Item/Transcript:
“Christmas is a really important time for my family. It is the only time of the year that my dad stops working, and spends time with my family. He always makes my mom laugh and it’s really nice. My grandmother used to read Twas the Night Before Christmas to me and my brother every year on Christmas Eve. When she past away, my family wanted to carry on the tradition, and so me and my brother read to my cousins. It is a really unique time for my family to connect, and it’s definitely my favorite holiday of the year.”
Informant’s Comments:
- Christmas is such a special time for families to spend time together, and to pass on family traditions.
Collector’s Comments:
- I really like the folk-family-tradition of reading the children’s book: Twas the Night Before Christmas. I thought it was very sweet that H.A. has kept his grandmother’s tradition alive.
Collector’s Name: Sunaina Sekaran
Tags/Keywords:
- Customary folklore
- Entertainment
- Christmas books