Tag Archives: Christmas

Giant Tree

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General Information 

Informant: Gavin Muir 

Place: Hanover, NH 

Date: November 3rd, 2021 

Genre/ Form of Folklore: Customary/Material 

Title: “Giant Tree” 

Informant Data: Gavin Muir, 20, is a member of the class of 2023 at Dartmouth College. Gavin was born and raised in Connecticut with two brothers and a sister where they attended Greenwich High School. Gavin is majoring in economics and is affiliated with the Greek Life system. 

Contextual Data:  

For those who celebrate Christmas, the tree is typically the holiday’s most cherished centerpiece. Decorating a Christmas tree to mark the holiday season is a tradition that dates back to 16th-century Germany with Americans adopting the custom as early as the 1800s. Now, the giant Rockefeller Center tree, laid under 25,000 Christmas lights, is displayed for the entire world to see during the holiday season. For some families, getting a big tree into the house is truly a Christmas miracle. But for others with the space, it’s just a way to set a very merry tone for the holiday. 

Social Data: This item of folklore was collected through a face-to-face interview of the informant just before the beginning of the Christmas season. 

Item: During the holiday season, in the corner of Gavin’s living room sits an eighteen-foot-tall artificial Christmas tree. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “How does you and/or your family go about decorating your house during the Christmas season? What sorts of decorations do you put up every year and what factors do you think influence this decorative style?” 

Informant: “My parents don’t like to decorate too much, but one thing we’ve always had was a huge Christmas tree. We could never find a real one that big, so we got an artificial tree that’s eighteen feet tall. It’s pre-strung with lights and looks like it has snow on some of the branches. It has realistic-looking branches and needles, but it doesn’t smell like a Christmas tree, unfortunately. 

Informant Comment: 

My living room ceiling is probably 25 feet tall, that’s the only area we can fit the tree. The top of the star is just a couple feet from the ceiling.  

Collector Comment: 

Gavin is one of the few, if not the only person I know that has a larger-than-average Christmas tree, ant it sparks curiosity as to the origin of this family tradition. However, knowing Gavin’s background and circumstances enabled me to deduce that his sub-culture has an expressive body of folklore, and the extravagance of his Christmas tree is exemplary of this. 

Collected by: 

Joshua Betts, 21 

Bradenton, FL 

Hanover, NH 

Dartmouth College 

RUSS 013 

Fall 2021 

A Jewish Christmas

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General Information 

Informant: Josh Greene 

Place: Hanover, NH 

Date: October 29, 2021 

Genre/Form of Folklore: Customary/Material 

Title: “A Jewish Christmas” 

Informant Data: Josh Greene, 21, is a current junior at Dartmouth College majoring in Government while serving as the football team’s starting long snapper. Josh was born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, FL where he attended The Benjamin School. Josh lives with his parents and younger sister when he is home on off-terms. He follows a Jewish faith and is also a columnist for The Dartmouth and writes bi-weekly to highlight his journey as a student-athlete.  

Contextual Data: For many Americans, December 25 is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but for those of a Jewish religion it is a time to consider one’s relationship to the wider society. Some Jewish families have chosen to adopt the Yuletide festivities. Some have emphatically rejected the rituals and symbols of Christmas. Still others have sought ways to meld Christmas and Hanukkah. Christmas, in effect, has become a prism through which Jewish individuals can view how living in this land of freedom has shaped their religion, culture, and identity.  

Social Data: For centuries, the Jewish people of Central and Eastern Europe feared Christmastime. At any other time, religious Jewish individuals would be studying Torah in the synagogue, but not on Christmas. Wary of being attacked in the street, they took refuge in their homes, playing cards or chess with their families. The story was different in Western Europe, where, for the Jewish elite, holiday symbols — such as the Christmas tree — signified secular inclusion in society. Today, thousands upon thousands of American Jewish people have become vested in Christmas through Hannukah and mitzvot. Now, Christmas is an occasion for many American Jewish people to proudly affirm their identity as both American and Jewish. This item of folklore was collected through a face-to-face interview of the informant just before the beginning of the Christmas season. 

Item: Decorative menorahs and dreidels hung on the walls with festive lanterns illuminating the house. Instead of green and red décor, blue and white items pervaded the scenery. Additionally, Jewish families typically top their trees with the Star of David rather than an angel/star. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “How does you and/or your family go about decorating your house during the Christmas season? What sorts of decorations do you put up every year and what factors do you think influence this decorative style?” 

Informant: “Well I think there is this preconceived notion that Christmas and Hannukah are the same holidays, but they’re not. Jews don’t celebrate Christmas quite the same, at least my family. We never really decorated too much… sometimes put up a Christmas tree, maybe a big family Christmas dinner. We always knew it was Christmas, and still recognized what the day was for, but never felt the need to put up a lot of decorations for it. The most I think my parents ever did was hang the Star of David above the front door, and these blue menorah banners that hung in our dining room. Growing up we had a small artificial tree with a menorah top and with blue and white lights, but we haven’t done that in a while.”  

Informant Comment 

Now, I celebrate Christmas with some of my friends and family the same way most people do – but’s usually a pretty small and informal thing. 

Collector Comment 

Historically and culturally, Jewish people haven’t celebrated Christmas because it was once a tragic day – So I understand why Josh and his family don’t celebrate or decorate the way many other non-Jewish American families do. But I was happy to hear that they are being festive by means of Jewish holiday. Josh and his family don’t celebrate Christmas because of the folkloric tradition of recognizing and utilizing the day as a day of rest in preparation for Hannukah. 

Collected by: 

Joshua Betts, 21 

Bradenton, FL 

Hanover, NH 

Dartmouth College 

RUSS 013 

Fall 2021 

The Whole Nine Yards

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General Information 

Informant: Justin Ko 

Place: Hanover, NH 

Date: October 28, 2021 

Genre/ Form of Folklore: Customary/Material 

Title: “The Whole Nine Yards” 

Informant Data: Justin Ko was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA where he attended William Penn Charter School and was the Class VP and Varsity Tennis captain. He is a current student of the Class of 2023 at Dartmouth College studying economics. Justin Ko is a member of a fraternity on campus, and often attends Sheba dance shows and Rockapella performances. Ko has spent several months in New York City during his Winter off-terms working internships and visiting family. 

Contextual Data: Christmas in the Northeast is nothing short of spectacular. With a fast-paced ambience and excessive festivity, a truly “white” Christmas brings the holiday season to a completely different level. Christmas is most proactively celebrated in the Northeast and most recognized. Culturally, Christmas is depicted in cold, snowy weather, under big city lights where neighboring families actively decorate and transform their properties to fit the spirited theme. 

Social Data: Celebrating Christmas in ways that avoid the aspects of religious beginnings show that for many, Christmas is rather a time of sharing love with one another. Families use this time to recognize that simply being with your loved ones brings joy into their lives. As Christmas becomes a growing secular celebration, we see how decoration amid the holiday becomes a means of exercising this belief. Putting up decorations early extends the excitement of the festive season and acts as a pathway to old childhood magical emotions, ultimately making those who do it together happier. This item of folklore was collected through a face-to-face interview of the informant just before the beginning of the Christmas season. 

Item: Christmas, a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus, has evolved into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian and pagan traditions into the festivities – observed primarily on December 25th. Different types of decorations developed across various cultures and local traditions. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “How does you and/or your family go about decorating your house during the Christmas season? What sorts of decorations do you put up every year and what factors do you think influence this decorative style?” 

Informant: “Every year, an entire month before Christmas, my family and I decorate literally the entire house with festive decorations. My mom has furniture and decoration replacements totally designated for Christmas in 5 massive boxes in the attic. My dad and I carry them down and unload them one by one so my mom can set them up where she wants them. There would be lights, ornaments, stockings, a wreath, curtains, pillows, ribbons, candles, and some figurines. After that was all done, we’d set up the tree together as a family and take turns putting up the ornaments. When the inside was done, we’d go outside and put some yard decorations up and finish with the roof lights. We really do the whole nine yards every year. My mom loves it.” 

Informant Comment: 

My family has always been super festive around the holidays. My grandparents follow the same protocol. But most of the decorations we put up aren’t necessarily related to the origins of Christmas, but more whimsical and childish, for lack of a better word.  

Collector Comment: 

For this American family in the Northeast, decorating for Christmas is a ritual that they take pride in and always do together. Regarding their family’s more pagan decorative style, their time living in the Northeast likely heavily influenced this. Because Justin and his family all grew up in the Northeast, where Christmas decoration and celebration is practiced the most, it is probable that the folk custom of pagan-style decorating influences the way they go about decorating for Christmas.  

Collected by: 

Joshua Betts, 21 

Bradenton, FL 

Hanover, NH 

Dartmouth College 

RUSS 013 

Fall 2021

A Christian Christmas

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General Information 

Informant: Ethan Davis 

Place: Hanover, NH 

Date: October 28, 2021 

Genre/Form of Folklore: Customary/Material 

Title: “A Christain Christmas” 

Informant Data: Ethan Davis is a 29-year-old former U.S. Marine and current student of Dartmouth College where he is pursuing a medical degree. As a member of the Class of 2022, Ethan is avidly involved in outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting and serves as a member on the board of a wildlife conservation club here in Hanover. Ethan was born in Boston, Massachusetts but lived much of his life in Andover. Ethan Davis is a registered EMT and leads a Sunday service group at his local church, while also engaging in community service events and helping non-profit organizations with their various goals. 

Contextual Data: At its roots, Christmas is a religious holiday, with its purpose being to observe and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ of the Christain religion. During this holiday, folk of the Christain religion use this time to express their gratitude to God and memorialize his exceptionality. Many rituals and decorations are utilized to express this, and members of the folk have found differing cultural methodologies for doing so.  

Social Data: When the Christmas season comes around every year, members of a Christain religion come closer together to celebrate what they all share, their faith. As a holiday that stems from this religion, this time of year brings commonality amongst family and friends, regardless of external factors. Christmas is a time of happiness and celebration and allows families to recognize the reasons they believe they are able to enjoy their lives. This item of folklore was collected through a face-to-face interview of the informant just before the beginning of the Christmas season. 

Item: Christmas, a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus, has evolved into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian and pagan traditions into the festivities – observed primarily on December 25th. Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets. 

Transcript: 

Collector: “How does you and/or your family go about decorating your house during the Christmas season? What sorts of decorations do you put up every year and what factors do you think influence this decorative style?” 

Informant: “My family has always kind of looked at Christmas as a fairly religious holiday. Rather than your typical green and white decorations, my mom usually decorates the house with a lot of white décors. Things like pillows with Christmas carols on them, signs with “joy”, “hope”, and “peace” on them, and small nativity sets and figurines. In our front yard is usually an inflatable nativity set with a cross and even the lights around the house would be little angles rather than Christmas-colored bulbs. I think one of the biggest things I have noticed about our decoration is the angel on top of our Christmas tree, rather than a star or other symbol.” 

Informant Comment:  

Christmas has always seemed controversial in my opinion. It feels like it’s meant to be celebrated religiously, but it feels so culturally separated that it’s sort of ambiguous now. 

Collector Comment:  

Hearing about Ethan’s Christmas decorating customs and formalities was intriguing and somewhat relatable. Ethan and his family celebrate Christmas in a way so many others do, but even more are unfamiliar with. His family follows a strict narrative in recognizing the holiday and using a unique decorative style to express this. The holiday is recognized by Ethan and his family at its roots, rather than its cultural alternatives, which I believe emphasizes the aspect of folklore in this collection. 

Collected by: 

Joshua Betts, 21 

Bradenton, FL 

Hanover, NH 

Dartmouth College 

RUSS 013 

Fall 2021

Wreath Making

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General Information Data:

Material Folklore, Decoration

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States

Informant: AJ

Date Collected: 11/15/2021

Informant Data:

AJ is a Dartmouth ’23 originally from Potomac, Maryland. At Dartmouth, AJ is a member of the Men’s lacrosse team. Outside of athletics, AJ enjoys spending time with his friends while engaging in outdoor activities around the Upper Valley. A History major, he enjoys his studies but is unsure what he wants to do after college.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Data: Many Americans follow the tradition of decorating their homes around the holiday season. Christmas decorations include trees, ornaments, nativity sets, and images of Christmas characters such as Santa or Reindeer. It is common for Americans to hang a wreath on their Front Door.

Social Data: AJs family enjoys sharing in holiday traditions by decorating the house together. Generally, decorations consist of a Christmas Tree adorned with ornaments and pictures carrying holiday messages such as “Merry Christmas.” As a part of this tradition, AJs family goes to a tree lot every year to pick a tree

Item:

Every year, while the informants family is picking their tree, they gather extra pine branches to make a wreath at home. This wreath is adorned with fall foliage such as flowers, and pinecones. The family does this every year as a tradition passed down from AJ’s grandparents. It is a form of collaboration around the holiday season.

Associated File:

Holiday Wreath Making Workshop (Sold Out) - Queens Botanical Garden

Transcript:

“Each year we choose go to the lot to choose our tree, we always make sure to pick one with extra branches at the bottom so. When we trim the tree, we keep the extra branches for the wreath. We dry the branches out for a few days before making the it. My mom and sister usually make the wreath, but I help out decorate it with colorful branches and pinecones. It’s a pretty cool process to see. They’re better at making it than I am, but its a good tradition”

Informant Comments:

“I think my mom learned how to do this when she was a kid”

Collectors Comments:

AJ’s wreath making tradition is an interesting family event. I have personally never seen someone make a homemade wreath, but it sounds like a rewarding process. This tradition of making a wreath appears to be folkloric. It is a collective event which features multiple existence, because every year the wreath is new. Furthermore, the skill of making a wreath is passed down through generations in AJ’s family through oral and visual means. This certainly appears to be a folklore tradition.

Collector’s Name:

Jackson McGinley

Stocking Hanging

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General Information About Item:

  • Material Lore, Item
  • Customary Lore, Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: L. J.
  • Date Collected: 11-10-2021

Informant Data:

  • L.J. is a senior at Harvard University who grew up in Utah, but moved to Boston when he was a boy. He has a twin sister whom he shares many things in common with. He is a member of the Christain faith, but noted that his family’s Christmas traditions revolve more around being in the presence of each other rather than anything religious.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The superstition originated as a means for the children to get to bed at a reasonable time on the night before Christmas. In addition, it’s interesting to note that the tradition started by the children being coerced by their parents in fear that they wouldn’t receive gifts from Santa, but L.J. and his sister have adopted this tradition themselves.
  • Social Context: Socially speaking, this superstition only involved L.J’s immediate family. While many other family traditions include members of the extended family it was interesting to see how L.J’s favorite tradition was specific to just his sister, his parents, and him.

Item:

  • L.J’s family tradition started when his sister and he were young children, when their parents told them that if they did not hang up their stockings at exactly 9:45 on the night of Christmas Eve, they would not receive any presents the next day. As the years have passed and the children have moved on from the lore of Santa, his family has continued this tradition to represent health and happiness moving forward throughout the holiday season and into the new years.

Transcript:

  • “Ever since my sister and I were young children, we’ve had a tradition of hanging our stockings up on the fireplace at exactly 9:45 PM in hopes that Santa would bring us gifts the following morning. My parents enforced this superstition one may call it, by saying that if we hung them up a minute early or a minute late, Santa might be unhappy with how we prepared for his arrival: he wanted it to be right on time. As we grew older and realized that Santa was not real, my sister and I took agency in this tradition and decided to keep it going to represent our familial health and wellness moving into the new year. It has turned into a superstition for my family that we do each and every year, and up until this point, it has not let us down so we will continue to do it!”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “I recall one year hanging my stocking up a few minutes after 9:45 and being worried that I would not receive any gifts the following day.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • L.J’s family tradition of hanging stockings at exactly 9:45 PM on Christmas Eve is the first superstitious tradition which I encountered in my interviews. It was interesting to hear how superstition adapted as the children grew older and learned that Santa is not real. L.J. mentioned that his parents worried that the tradition would fade away when the children reached a certain age, but it has truly developed into their family’s Christmas folklore.

Collected By:

Daniel Hincks

Boston, MA

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS013

Fall 2021

Family Tales

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General Information About Item:

  • Customary Lore,  Celebration
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: D.G.
  • Date Collected: 11-11-2021

Informant Data:

  • D.G. is a recent college graduate who grew up in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. He now works in Atlanta, Georgia but makes his way home every year during the Christmas season to spend time with his family. The oldest of his siblings, he has two younger sisters and a younger brother.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of D.G’s family gathering is to share stories of their family lineage and especially to explain to the younger generations within his family how they came to the United States.
  • Social Context: The social context of D.G’s family gathering is that it is a means for his extended family to catch up and share stories of the past.

Item:

  • D.G’s family has an annual tradition of gathering in their household and telling stories about their family’s immigration from Ireland. When possible, his cousin, aunts, and uncles also come to share stories over a nice meal with loved ones. D.G. recalled that stories range from his great grandparents first stepping foot in the United States to funny memories of Christmas parties in the past.

Transcript:

  • “Every year my family gathers at my house in the Boston area to share each-other’s company. The centerpiece of this party is when we sit down for dinner, instead of saying grace we share stories of our family heritage which date back to our first descendents in the United States. It sounds like something a family would typically do for Thanksgiving but it’s ultimately a great way for us to be thankful for what brought us all together. It’s probably the only time of year when my entire extended family is able to gather, as we are spread across the United States just about as much as a family could be. One distinct memory I have about a particularly impactful story was when my great uncle shared the story of my great-great grandfather officially changing our last name on Ellis Island to escape persecution.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “I think the tradition is particularly impactful due to the fact that all the stories are things which my family can individually relate to. For example, if you came to the party, you may find it to be a bit boring as you would have no grounds for relating to these stories, but I and I know my family finds it especially rewarding.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • D.G’s family tradition is the most traditionally folkloric of the people I had interviewed. It was interesting to hear his take on how the tradition has evolved and how special it is to his family, especially due to the fact that I had not mentioned to him prior to the interview that this class was on folklore itself. His family, while geographically dispersed across the country, remains extremely close in part due to traditions like this one which shares his lineage from generation to generation.

Collected By:

Daniel Hincks

Boston, MA

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS013

Fall 2021

Hockey Tournament

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General Information About Item:

  • Material Lore, Hockey
  • Customary Lore, Family tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: A.M.
  • Date Collected: 11-10-2021

Informant Data:

  • A.M. is a senior at Middlebury College located in Middlebury, Vermont. He was one brother and a mom, and has a large extended family all of whom live in the area surrounding him. He was born in Sherborn Massachusetts, and has lived there his whole life. He grew up in a Catholic family and noted that Christmas is his favorite holiday of the year.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of A.M’s family hockey tournament relates back to his family’s heritage in Canada. His grandparents Immigrated from Canada in the 1940s to start a family in the Boston area. Hockey is the national sport of Canada in the winter so it makes sense as to why the Marinello family honors this tradition every year.
  • Social Context: This tournament is a means for his family to gather as they don’t see each other nearly as much as they used to. Now that A.M. and his brother are in college, this tournament is one of the few times each year that they come together as an extended family.

Item:

  • Every year, A.M’s family gathers at a local pond to play Hockey. Initially it started as a family tradition where his brother and he would go practice for their upcoming tournaments, but ever since it has been a way for their extended family to come together and catch up. Hockey is something which has always been a common denominator between his family- all of his cousins grew up playing from a young age and get competitive about it.

Transcript:

  • “You know how much my family loves hockey. While we go to church the day of Christmas, the hockey tournament which my family hosts is the centerpiece to our Christmas spirit. To me, Christmas is about coming together with your loved ones and spending time with them. While there are many settings in which this can be accomplished, something which connects my family with our heritage is the game of hockey. It’s something which I look forward to every year and am devastated when we can’t play. When the weather is too warm for the ice to melt on the local pond, we try our best to recreate this environment but it truly doesn’t compare. Everyone wears some sort of Christmas attire- last year I dressed as Santa and Michael(his brother) dressed as an elf. I guess in this way we relate it back to the westernization of Christmas, but this tradition doesn’t revolve around the religious aspects of Christmas much.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “As much as my family is Catholic- and we do practice our religion on a regular basis. I don’t think that people can come around to Catholicism during the holiday season and claim to be truly dedicated to Catholicism. So I’d say we don’t focus much more on our religion during the holiday season any more than we would in June. The hockey tournament is more about family than religion.

Collector’s Comments:

  • A.M. had interesting insight into the Christmas season. He explained that what makes the Christmas season special is not the gift giving or the hanging of the ornaments on the Christmas tree. It’s the traditions and folklore like his family hockey tournament which are specific to his family that make it special. It’s because they take ownership over the holiday that makes it truly special.

Collected By:

Daniel Hincks

Boston, MA

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS013

Fall 2021

Nativity Scene

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General Information About Item:

  • Customary Lore, Religious Tradition
  • Material Lore, Nativity Scene
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: B.L.
  • Date Collected: 11-08-2021

Informant Data:

  • B.L. is a senior at Tulane University. An avid reader and one who enjoys the arts, these parts about him were borne about as a result of his family. He grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and has one brother. B.L. was brought up in a devout Catholic family.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The nativity scene is the portrayal of the birth of Jesus Chirst. It is something which is celebrated by the Christian faith especially during the Christmas season. It represents the birth of the Lord and Savior, Jesus, and the gifts which he was brought as a young boy which represent the power and authority he had since birth.
  • Social Context: B.L’s family commemorates this event each year through acting out the nativity scene. This scene is sometimes represented in Church, with children playing the majority of the roles, but B.L’s family has adopted this tradition and continues to do it to this day as adults.

Item:

  • Every year on the night before Christmas, B.L’s extended family partakes in a nativity play which represents the birth of Jesus Chirst. Each member of his extended family, cousins and all, dress up as a different role and act out this scene in front of his grandparents. Each member of the family has their own unique part to play and plays the same role every year. B.L. noted that from a young age he was chosen to play the role of Jesus, something which he looks forward to every year.

Transcript:

  • “I don’t completely remember how far this tradition goes back but I think that says something in itself- we’ve been doing this since I can remember. As you know, my family is quite religious and sees Christmas as an opportunity to remember the life of Jesus Christ and all that he sacrificed for us. At times during the year I forget just how involved I am and should be with my religion, and this is a means of connecting back with that part of myself and my culture. Since a young age, I have played the role of Jesus, and while it surely used to be a lot cuter with all the young cousins doing their best to act out the nativity scene, it’s still something we all take very seriously. I’d also say it’s a great way for my family to connect during the Christmas season and spend quality time together. I don’t get to see my brother and my parents nearly as much as I’d like to these days and the nativity scene is something which connects my family.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “Acting out the birth of Jesus is a great way to connect with my religious background. In this way I am both actively able to commemorate his life, and also teach myself a bit about how to be more like him each and every day.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This interview was definitely different from a few of my others, but I knew coming in that B.L’s catholic background would provide some religious traditions. While this event is rooted in religion which is shared, the event of acting out the nativity scene is somewhat specific to B.L’s family- he is the only one of my five interviewee’s whose family participates in an event like this. I would argue that this in fact makes it a piece of folklore due to the fact that it is a tradition specific to his family.

Collected By:

Daniel Hincks

Boston, MA

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS013

Fall 2021

Christmas Tree Hunting

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General Information About Item:

  • Customary Lore, Family Trip
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: B.G.
  • Date Collected: 11-10-2021

Informant Data:

  • B.G. is a senior at Bates College in Lewiston Maine. He grew up in Westwood Massachusetts in a rather large family with two brothers and a sister. B.G. is a member of the Bates College baseball team and was brought up in a catholic household.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The tree is vital to the celebration of Christmas. Decorations and gift giving are both heavily intertwined with it. However, few people truly know the importance of the Christmas tree and why people bring one into their homes each year. It is a representation that spring is just around the corner and that the darkest days of winter are fleeting.
  • Social Context: This practice annually taken part in by B.G’s family is one which originated in their household when he was a child. While it has developed over the years, the reason behind doing it- to spend time with each other over the holiday season has remained the same.

Item:

  • Every year, B.G’s family makes a trip out to rural Western Massachusetts to find their own Christmas tree. When B.G. was a young boy, his parents decided that this would be a great facet for their family to spend time together outside the home. It has turned into an annual tradition and they have even gathered extended family and friends to join into this tradition in recent years.

Transcript:

  • “Every year since I was a boy, my family and I have hopped in a car and headed out to the plains of Williamstown. While its quite a far trip and I must admit something which I have at times dreaded, the overarching theme of the ride is one which I am very thankful for. Aside from of course getting the tree which can be a very fun search, I get to spend time with my loved ones- something which comes fewer and more far between as the days pass. Since I’ve been in college, I haven’t spent nearly as much time with my family for obvious reasons and this is a great way to come together during the holiday season. While it started off as something which was specific to my family, we have brought along family friends as well as extended family into this tradition.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “It’s become something which I look forward to and quite special due to the fact that it is specific to my family- at least it was before we invited others to join along. I would say that it still remains something which all of my siblings and I take agency in and find something which kicks off the Christmas season the right way.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • It is important to recognize that while B.G’s family is catholic and does participate in many of the religious aspects surrounding the Christmas season, this was the most important topic which he wanted to discuss surrounding his family’s traditions. I think this points strongly to a resounding theme amongst my interviews that what makes Christmas special is not necessarily the substance of the holiday, rather the individual traditions and folklore which are heavily intertwined with it.

Collected By:

Daniel Hincks

Boston, MA

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS013

Fall 2021