William Tyler
Christian Traditions: Father Christmas and Santa Claus
Summary
William Tyler discusses the history and folklore of Christmas, how it’s really a merger of two quite separate traditions and how the tradition itself has never remained a constant thing but instead frequently changed and evolved over time.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
I remember when we were growing up in South Africa, celebrate on the 26th, absolutely right. Boxing Day traditionally in England is the day after Christmas, Boxing Day in the Christian calendar, St. Steven’s day. St. Steven has nothing to do with it. Boxing Day was the day you opened boxes in the church, for example, or at home, collecting boxes. You took the money out and you gave it to the poor. You gave Boxing Day gifts to in the… . When I was a charge, you gave it to the baker, to the milkman, to the postman. You gave out and to the dustman, collecting oil rubbish. You gave out Boxing Day gifts. And usually now we give them before Boxing Day. That’s what Boxing Day meant.
Modern working conditions is the answer to that, except in England, because more people have holidays now. Either firms close for a longer period of time or many people take part of their annual holiday to extend Christmas. And we are getting a longer Christmas. As I understand it, that’s quite the reverse of American culture where Christmas is quite tight, ours has become elongated again.
Yes, the poor did celebrate, even if they depended upon the middle classes to come and distribute things. And of course, in Victorian America and Victorian Britain, the divisions in society were horrendous. There’s no getting away from that. But it is not true to say that they would not have celebrated.