THERE are parts of the razzmatazz of the modern Christmas that I dislike profoundly.
Most of all perhaps, the sheer commercial cheapening of a great event which occurred more than 2000 years ago and which, whichever way you look at it, changed markedly the course of human history.
It may be that the materialism which now dominates our lives so, was not really a telling factor in memories of my own childhood.
I have only fragmentary memories of pre-war Christmases, so inevitably the wartime ones are clearer in my mind.
That of course, was a time when there was little place for materialism; rather was survival the order of the day... and frugal living!
But before I am accused of adopting a Scrooge-like attitude of "Bah, Humbug", let me assure you that there are still many aspects of Christmas that still warm the cockles of my heart.
I adore traditional Christmas music and by that I don’t necessarily mean, "I’m dreaming of a White Christmas"! But it is the connections that are renewed by the cards that I write and receive – those re-connection with old friends and new that bring news, sadly not always good, but which certainly stir memories, that are most certainly a source of great warmth.
There’s nothing to beat the sheer joy on a child’s face when presents are at last opened. And of course, the turkey, the Christmas pudding and the mince pies, not to mention all those other goodies that are so much a part of the festivities, are also inevitably among my own favourite facets of a family orientated Christmas!
These days we are deluged with the relatively recent traditions of Christmas trees and holly (and the ivy of course), both now a source of much trading, but which are perhaps rather resonant of our pagan past.
These evergreens, together with the likes of rowans were regarded as the best means of warding off evil spirits, the same reason incidentally, you will find yew trees planted in graveyards or indeed beside houses. I have incidentally, an ancient yew close to my own front door!
However, it is perhaps the Christmas cards that prove to be a particular highlight. They were of course, an invention of Victorian times, initially designed as Valentine messages but then soon seen perhaps as a symbolic and indeed, vaguely commercial aspect of a new kind of Christmas.
What we now regard as the “traditional Christmas” without doubt emerged during the age of Victoria, its introduction in particular, much influenced by her Consort, Albert.
It does seem that the celebration of Christmas was much more universal and indeed profoundly more colourful, in Continental Europe than it was here in Britain until the Consort’s influence began to tell.
Perhaps the Puritans here looked upon such Christmas festivities as if they were some kind of bawdy festival and thus, far, far beneath their dignity. It may also be the case of course, that historically, such celebration of Christmas had previously been reserved more exclusively for the nobility, rather than for the peasantry!
Whilst the first Valentines and indeed the first Christmas cards, unsurprisingly featured flowers (universal tokens of love), as most of them were initially exchanged between lovers or would-be lovers, it wasn’t long before the exchange of Christmas cards became more universal. Gradually, other images became fashionable and most noticeably, robin redbreast became a particularly popular subject on them.
By which time, postal services had begun and the first postmen employed. Coincidentally, their uniform included a vermilion coloured waistcoat and it wasn’t long before they became known as ‘robins’, a sobriquet, which inevitably connected to images of robins carrying Christmas cards in their beaks.
More images that connected with those first “traditional” Christmases slowly emerged too, with for instance, portraits of jolly, top-hatted gentlemen and crinolined ladies leaning out from heaving horse-drawn carriages as they approached a well lit hostelry... inevitably through a snow ridden landscape, among them.
But the robin remained and still remains dominant. Indeed, the rob, rob, robin just keeps bob, bob, bobbing along! And as far as I can see, this year, the robin has once more staked his claim as one of the more popular Christmas card images.
In that respect, the everlasting robin proves to be amazingly resilient even in the face of more modern images including what I am inclined to call “the stand up” funny’ (or sometimes decidedly unfunny!) cards, the “glamour” cards and a whole host of other, modern designs.
Imagery
Is the robin’s paramount place in the imagery of Christmas deserved? Well yes I think it is, for pretty much alone amongst our garden birds, the redbreast still provides us with fragments of deliciously sweet music, even on the shortest and darkest of winter days.
However, even in that fact is perhaps betrayed something of the nature of the bird, for those short phrases of bell-like notes offer more than a hint of the real nature of this garden favourite. For cock robin, the holding of territory, be it breeding territory or just winter feeding territory, is absolutely elementary.
Those fragments of song are indeed a message, not so much of goodwill, but a proclamation of territorial integrity. Indeed, they also advertise availability in the spring of the year. And ... they also issue a warning and at times a veritable battle cry to other cock robins that tells them that to challenge for this territory will inevitably culminate in conflict. And boy, when robins set about the defence of their realms they do so with every fibre of their bodies.
And yet, the robin remains the favourite of so many. Gardeners love them because as they dig, they expose all sorts of invertebrate goodies, which are immediately eagerly seized upon by redbreasts.
Perhaps it is this intimacy that adds to the appeal of the robin, with its baby-like, large, dark eyes and colourfully blazing red breast.
Indeed, here we also enter the world of legend for tradition has it that a robin attended Jesus upon the Cross, plucking a thorn from His brow, the red breast testament to the drops of blood that were duly shed.
There are tales too of a pet robin, which belonged to St Kentigern, the Scottish bishop who founded Glasgow’s cathedral. Because, as a student, he was much favoured by his tutor, St Serf, his fellow students became jealous of him and killed the robin.
However St Kentigern restored the wee bird to life. This touching story lives on through the City’s coat of arms, which features a “robin proper”!
William Wordsworth was another great fan of the robin, which he always called redbreast. The bird features in no fewer than 14 of his poems. Indeed in a note to his poem, “The Redbreasts”, he tells of a time when his sister Dorothy was ill and a redbreast took up residence in her sickroom.
He further relates that as well as singing to her, the bird periodically fanned her face with its wings ... “in a manner most touching”.
Tradition
Presumably, the poet was unaware of another tradition, which foretells that the appearance of a robin to a sick person might well presage their death!
If in essence, this is the stuff of legends, then the robin is nevertheless the most readily recognised of our birds, is certainly one of the key symbols of Christmas.
According to one seventeenth century poet, “The Redbreast teacheth charity”. As Christmas is surely all about charity ... giving, what better vehicle is there than the robin redbreast, to wish you all, “A Very Happy Christmas”.
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