They are all included on one document, in an arbitrary order.
Consent Forms (Julia’s interviews)
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Author Archives: f004r20
Conclusions on Gift-Giving traditions (Julia Cross)
While interviewing informants from 5 different states, it was interesting to see some overarching similarities:
- Presence of a tree
- Belief in Santa Claus (whether passive or active)
- Social function – the act of giving and receiving gifts are often a way to bring people together and convey affection to the recipient
Differences:
- How important Santa is (for some, it is important to convince younger children that Santa is real so certain actions are done to keep up the myth such as only laying the presents out when children are asleep. For other families, Santa does not play an active role, but his existence is still passively acknowledged)
- Time gifts are opened – either done the night of the 24th or the morning of the 25th
- Ways the tree is decorated – minor differences in technique and ornament type
Overall, many traditions are widely adopted, although they are made personal. For example, although most if not all participants mentioned a tree, Ora’s family has the tradition of using snail shells as ornaments which, as far as I know, is unique to their family. Stockings were mentioned a few times, but Theory’s family uses them for humorous purposes. In this way, widely adopted practices and beliefs are made personal and intimate to each folk group (in these cases the folk group is usually the family) and the result is sub-groups of similar, but new folklore.
Introduction (written by Julia Cross)
Goal:
The aim of this project was to determine the ways in which American Christmas folklore is or isn’t widely adopted. Given the diversity of the American population, and how Christmas has become somewhat removed from its initial Christian origins, we were curious to see the ways in which people from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds engage with the holiday.
Collection methods:
We chose to take an open ended approach. We started by asking very general questions about Christmas and a vague theme (such as gifts or food). Our subsequent questions sought to focus on something the informant placed importance on, or talked extensively about. Although we could use some practice, we aimed to give voice to the informant and let them decide what was important to them without imposing our own bias.
Division of work:
Each group member collected from roughly 5 informants, for a total of 35 items in this collection. Initially, we sought to collect under 5 distinct themes: food (Evan Fu), gifts(Julia Cross), decorations(Josh Betts), pop-culture(Sunaina Sekaran and Jackson McGinley) and general events and activities(Dylan Lawler and Danny Hincks). However, since not every informant engages in any or all of these categories, the boundaries of each sub-group became blurred. Additionally, the categories themselves are not distinct: gift giving traditions go hand-in-hand with decorating a tree (which would be gifts and decorations), for example.
Conclusions:
Ultimately, much of the American Christmas experience is very similar across the country. Many informants referenced things such as a tree or Santa Claus or a large dinner that they assumed to be common knowledge. Even the timing of when to open gifts seemed to be widely understood. However, within each over-arching activity, it was interesting to see sub-groups of folk, whether that’s a family or cultural group, put their own twists on these pieces of folklore, eventually making new and more intricate folklore items.
Santa Figurine Gifts (Julia Cross)
General Information about Item:
- Material Lore, customary
- Language: English
- State of Origin: Massachusetts, USA
- Informant: S.M.
- Date Collected: November 10, 2021
Informant Data:
S.M. is a ‘24 at Dartmouth college, born and raised just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. His family has lived there for awhile and both he and his sister attend schools in New England. He actively enjoys Christmas, but gift-giving is a stressful thing for him because he often doesn’t know what to get for the recipient.
Contextual Data:
Social Context: This interview was planned and the informant knew the theme was Christmas beforehand. Spencer became aware of this piece of folklore when he was much younger. This practice is done by the women in his family and exclusively around Christmas time. The social function of this practice is that the figures represent an aspect of the past year whether its a travel destination or a global pandemic and is another way for the family to share in each other’s experiences
Cultural Context: One of the most widely adopted pieces of American Christmas lore is the idea of Santa Claus bringing gifts to children. He is believed to ride in a sleigh and deliver gifts over the night of the 24th by entering the house through the chimney. However, many families only put effort into perpetuating the myth for younger children (as in trying to convince them Santa is real). When children get older, the myth of Santa is understood to be a myth and so Santa’s role takes a backseat.
Item:
The item of folklore is the exchange of Santa-themed figurines. This exchange is currently done by S.M.’s grandmother, mother and has now been passed on to his sister as well, so I expect it to evolve into an ongoing practice. The Santa figurines are collected from a variety of sources, from stores while on vacation or even made by his sister herself. They often have themes, for example last year he mentioned his sister made a Santa statue with the theme of the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
“My mom, grandma and now my sister, they all exchange a Santa every year. It’s like a little statue of a santa and it’s kind of a spoof on whatever they want. So a lot of times it’s from travelling um and so my mom will find some variety of santa and will gift it to some member of the family. My sister has gotten really hands-on with it and made a Covid santa.”
Collector’s Comments:
Why does this count as folklore? At the moment, I think it’s on the border of counting. While it is something that has been passed down from generation to generation, and the time of origin is unknown, the inventor is known to be his grandmother. However, I included this because I believe this is a folkloric seed for a future practice for generations of S.M.’s family. Additionally, the figurines are rooted in the folkloric belief of Santa. It is a fun interpretation of the idea of Santa in that instead of being the giver, he becomes the gift.
Collector’s Name: Julia Cross
Dartmouth College
RUSS13
Fall 2021
Christmas tree decorating technique (Julia Cross)
General Information about Item:
- Customary lore
- Language: English
- State of Origin: Kansas, USA
- Informant: B.F.
- Date Collected: Nov. 6, 2021
Informant Data:
B.F., now 24, was born and raised in Kansas until attending university at Stanford, where he now pursues his PhD. Religion, specifically Christianity, used to play a large part in Billy’s family, but has since taken a more minor role. B.F.’s parents and grandparents also come from the Midwest, and a lot of his Christmas traditions are specific to his family and extend back for generations.
Contextual Data:
Cultural: As far as American Christmas traditions go, the practice of decorating a tree is among the most widely adopted. The tree is usually a pine, and gifts are placed under them prior to being opened. The tradition of decorating a tree, with lights and ornaments, has an unknown origin but is one that many families participate in.
Social: This lore was collected in a casual conversation, and I unfortunately forgot to record it. The topic of Christmas came up and I asked further questions about the informant’s tree-decorating routine. The informant first learned this when he was little, he doesn’t remember when. The act of decorating a tree for this purpose only happens around the 25th of December (it can be up to a few weeks prior, but the reason it is decorated is for Christmas gifts). The specific technique of applying lights to the tree seems to be specific to B.F.’s family.
Item:
The item is firstly the practice of decorating a tree under which gifts are placed. This is a general practice adopted by many American families during Christmas time. This informant’s family has a very specific decoration technique in which colourful lights are added to the tree. This technique’s origin is unknown, but it has been used in the family ever since string lights were commercially available. The lights themselves need to be small, but colourful. Starting at the base of the tree, the lights are first wrapped around the base of the branch counterclockwise then worked up the branch. The wrapping of lights goes around the entire branch and then up the tree.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
“How we put the lights on the tree is a big deal. It needs to be done just right, otherwise the whole tree is out of balance. I’m not sure when this method started, probably ages ago. Maybe even when our family started getting string lights. Basically you start at the bottom of the tree, pick a branch and then wrap it like crazy. The first wrap on the branch is counter clockwise, but the direction changes depending on the branch, sometimes the branch splits and you have to wrap each split individually. Basically, the whole thing takes ages, and usually involves the whole family because you get tired really easily. We usually go for a nice big bushy tree, so it can take up to 3 hours. At the end, though, it is so beautiful and bright.”
Informant Comments:
“This is a picture of my very bad attempt, but I was away from home and my mom wasn’t there to walk me through it, I’m a little ashamed that this is the only photo I have”
Collector’s Comments:
The photo seems misleading because although he said he usually uses big bushy trees, the one in the photo is quite sparse, probably a consequence of having Christmas in a dry area such as California. Even still, you can see how the lights extend to the base of each branch. Given more time, I would see if I could get a photo from their home where the lights are done properly. This also could fall under the category of decoration, but I figured since the tree is an integral part of American Christmas gift-giving, I thought I would include it. The question then is does a technique count as folklore? I would argue yes. The origin is unknown, it’s been passed down in a folk group for generations and it is only used under a specific context. It is both material and customary.
Collector’s Name: Julia Cross
Dartmouth College
RUSS13
Fall 2021
Coal for Christmas (Julia Cross)
General Information about Item:
- Material Lore, (with accompanying belief)
- Language: English
- State of Origin: Texas, USA
- Informant: A.K.
- Date Collected: Nov. 10, 2021
Informant Data:
A.K. is a Dartmouth Sophomore in the class of 2024. She grew up in a lot of states as she and her mother moved around, but now resides mostly in Texas, and part-time in New Hampshire. She is not outwardly religious and her Christmas experience is one that is informed by a variety of traditions throughout her up-bringing.
Contextual Data:
Cultural Context: This informant is American and grew up primarily in New England and in the south. While it is unknown if the informant is religious, the topic of religious or religious icons did not come up in the interview. Gifts are an important part of American Christmas, especially for children. They are often something to be looked forward to as a reward for good behaviour. There is a belief that Santa keeps a list of well-behaved children called the ‘Nice List’ and a list of poorly-behaved children called the ‘Naughty List’. Coal is believed to be the punishment for naughty children on the latter list.
Social Context: The informant initially learned this lore in her childhood. Coal for Christmas if one is naughty is a wide-spread belief across America, although it is rare for someone to actually get coal. As the informant mentioned in the interview, it is usually just an empty threat to children to encourage good behaviour. In the case of this informant however, giving coal for Christmas was used in a humorous setting as a prank instead of an empty threat.
Item:
The item is receiving coal for Christmas. While receiving coal itself is not folklore, the accompanying belief in Santa and the ‘naughty list’ makes it folkloric. Coal is usually not given, although many American families are familiar with the superstitious idea that if one is bad, they will only receive a lump of coal instead of a gift. In the case of this informant, coal is actually given to their brother, but in the context of a joke or a prank.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
“stockings..I feel like my sister and I always got stuff and my brother would get coal every year”
“I think [the idea of getting coal on Christmas] is a thing parents would put in place before Christmas, like ‘if you’re bad then you’re going to get coal’ “
Collector’s Comments:
The belief in Santa wasn’t very important in my household so although I was aware of the idea of receiving coal, it never occurred to me that this was something that was done. I was interested in this interview because I learned how it was used not just as a warning to children, but as a prank gift.
Collector’s Name: Julia Cross
Dartmouth College
RUSS13
Fall 2021
Snail Shell Ornaments (Julia Cross)
Title: Snail-shell Ornaments
General Information about Item:
- Material Lore
- Language: English
- State of Origin: Vermont, USA
- Informant: O.C.
- Date Collected: Nov. 14, 2021
Informant Data:
O.C. is a Dartmouth student in the class of 2024. This informant is unique in that they and their family are Jewish. Part of the family lives in Vermont, while part lives in Paris and all around Europe. O.C. occasionally spends Christmas in Europe, or their European relatives spend Christmas in America. O.C.’s Christmas experience is very much shaped by European practices.
Contextual Data:
Cultural: Decorating a tree is a very common practice in most Christmas traditions, including American traditions. The tree plays a central role in gift-giving traditions because not only are gifts stored under it, but it has the function of being an object that the family gathers around to practice their gift-giving traditions. Ornaments are often spherical and made of a shiny metallic material, or includes glitter. O.C.’s grandparents used to follow different religions, their grandfather was Jewish while their grandmother was Christian. Not wanting to let his wife down on their first Christmas in France, their grandfather collected snail shells as makeshift tree ornaments, so she would have something to decorate the tree with.
Social: This lore was collected in a casual interview. I had informed O.C. that I will collect folklore on Christmas, but little detail beyond that. I recorded this interview. This piece of material folklore is only used during Christmas to decorate the tree, and is symbolic of the diversity of Christmas participants. The creation of these ornaments also has a social function in that the family will remember notably nice shells and discuss them. Children are included in the painting of them and it is a fun activity to bring the family together.
Item:
The item on a larger scale is the use of ornaments to decorate the tree, which is a common practice across America and across the world. O.C.’s family, being Jewish and historically not active participants of Christmas, uses an unusual home-made ornament to decorate the tree: snail shells painted with nail polish. The shells are then put on a string then strung around the tree.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
Paraphrased from audio recording
“We have accumulated many many strings of snail shells painted, now we use nail polish. We go to the supermarket to buy the snail shells. The shells have different dates from when they were painted, some of the strings are gross yard wire and some are nice red ribbon.”
Collector’s Comments:
Since there is a known collector, this may or may not qualify as folklore, however over time as the family passes on this tradition (and the origin story morphs) it will be folklore. Perhaps the origin story may even become a family legend.
Collector’s Name: Julia Cross
Dartmouth College
RUSS13
Fall 2021
Stockings (Julia Cross)
General Information about Item:
- Material Lore
- Language: English
- State of Origin: California, USA
- Informant: T.M.
- Date Collected: Nov. 5, 2021
Informant Data:
T.M. is a Dartmouth Student in the class of 2024. He was born and raised just outside of Los Angeles, California, and has lived there his whole life until coming to Dartmouth. He and his family love the holidays and have many family traditions to bring the family together.
Contextual Data:
Cultural Context: The informant is American and not religious. While this may seem confusing, as Christmas is a Christian holiday, American Christmas traditions are often only loosely related to its original religious roots. Gifts, the purchasing, wrapping and giving of them, is a very important part of an American Christmas. The presentation of these gifts are equally as important to uphold other Christmas lore, such as the belief in Santa Claus.
Social Context: This folklore was collected in a planned interview, the informant knew the subject was going to be on Christmas beforehand. Before I decided I wanted to focus on gifts, I asked a wide variety of questions and decided the relevant bit of folklore was the use of stockings. The folklore was originally learned when the informant was a child, and since the practice stockings has been in the family for awhile, the first family member to use them is unknown. The social function of stockings, and the gifts that come inside them, for this informant is primarily humour.
Item:
Although the interview covered much more than just stockings, I will only focus on this one item for this post because many of the things mentioned were lovely family traditions, but I couldn’t make a strong case for them being ‘folklore’. Stockings are large sock-shaped bags in which smaller presents are placed into. The original inventor or location is unknown, but many families across America use stockings for storing gifts in addition to putting gifts under the tree. While gifts under the tree may be more ‘intimate’ and a lot of thought goes into them, gifts in stockings tend to be more light-hearted, and in this case, humorous.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
Please listen to the audio recording for more detail, but here is a relevant paraphrasing about stockings:
“Stocking gifts are usually smaller and more funny than intimate…there’s usually some sort of nude calendar for some member of the family”
Collector’s Comments:
I’m not American, but I also use stockings with my family, although our stocking gifts aren’t humorous. They are more trinket-like, for instance I used to get little candies or fun-shaped erasers. I think stockings count as material lore because they are “things people make with their hands” (Wilson) for a specific occasion, for entertainment. Although they aren’t commonly made by hand anymore, they still exist as a folkloric relic of that era.
Collector’s Name: Julia Cross
Dartmouth College
RUSS13
Fall 2021