Throw A Christmas Party That Celebrates The History Of Christmas Through The Ages
Posted on: 30 March 2020
When you are planning your next Christmas party, you might decide to do a party based on the history of Christmas itself. There are a lot of cool things you could add to your celebration to show the history of this beloved holiday.
Hire a Santa Through the Ages
Modern Santa has a red suit and a beard, but Santa changed a lot through the centuries. You can have several different versions of old Saint Nick to show the evolution of Santa Claus. For example, consider having:
- A Santa who wears the saintly garb of the original Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a real saint who was considered the protector of children, sailors, and even prostitutes. He gave gifts and left candy in shoes. You could have each guest bring a shoe to be filled by this early Santa character.
- Sinterklaas. This early Dutch version of Santa Claus still left candy for kids, but he would have a beard (so make sure you hire a real beard Santa) and would dress up in furs to keep warm. He still had saintly origins, wearing a tall red hat and white robes under his furs.
- Early Santa Claus. Before Santa became jolly and old, he had just one reindeer and could even fly. You might try and bring a real reindeer. Santa was not yet wearing his velvet suit. Some red 19th century period clothing might be good enough for this Santa, although he should still have a beard. This Santa cared especially about whether children had been good and bad, so you might make sure he has a long naughty and nice list to check on guests during your party.
- The Santa of the early 20th century. This is the Santa as most people know him. Santa should wear red and he might have a pipe and a beard with a mustache. Children and adults can see through a fake beard, which wouldn't have been available during this time. This Santa has the elves, the full sleigh, all the reindeer, and the North Pole. You might set up this Santa as the endpoint in your journey through history.
Santa is one of the most important parts of the celebration of Christmas for many people. Why not explore all the aspects of Santa during your party?
Influences From Other Religions
Saturn was a Roman god who also influenced St. Nick's eventual rise to Christmas stardom. Saturnalia was a festival celebrated on December 17. Over time, the desire to make certain traditions more palatable required the renaming and blending of these traditions with more modern Christian sentiments. Other religions, including Mithraism and the ancient Greek religion, also had festivals at this time of year. The combination of all these influences helped to define Christmas as the day it is today.
Giving gifts was a defining feature of Saturnalia, and still persists as the most defining aspect of the Christmas season. You could incorporate some Saturnalia festivity by hiding money in people's bread for them to find, giving small gifts between guests (maybe have them draw names ahead of time), and providing Mediterranean feast food and wine.
Decorations Through the Ages
Finally, show your love of Christmas by incorporating decor from different periods. You might have a table with red and green candles because these were used before electric lights. You might also do some gingerbread sculptures, which were popular during Christmas in Germany. Celebrate early American decor with popcorn garlands and cranberries. You can recruit children at the party to decorate a large tree with old-fashioned decorations, which included nuts, berries, and even apples.
A historical Christmas party with different Santas and different traditions will surely go down in history in the minds of your guests.
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