Page 7 - HSLChristmasAnthology

HSL Christmas Anthology Page 7

irresistible to the American liberals, and soon many Unitarians were
actively promoting the Christmas tree as an agent of moral
instruction. Indeed, Coleridge’s description of the Christmas tree
was published first in the Christian Register, the official newspaper
of the American Unitarian Association.

These early proponents of the tree often described it and the
children’s gift giving as an ancient and widespread German folk
custom. It was neither. It seems that what Coleridge observed

might have been a tradition unique to that family, and the use of
Christmas trees in Germany itself was hardly ancient; it was not
well established until the 19 century. But the narrative sold well,
th
and introduced an entire genre of Unitarian Christmas literature,
where, just like the Christmas tree, some aspect of the Christmas
story or Christmas celebration tricks people into expressing
generosities far more profound than that which they originally
planned.

Part Four: An Anthology of Morally Improving Unitarian
Christmas Stories

For Harriet Martineau’s account of the first American adaptation of
the German Christmas tree in the home of Charles Follen comprises
our first anthologized story.

Then, a short story of Christmas and New Year’s visiting by the
Unitarian author Catherine Sedgewick includes a description of a
Christmas tree, and an argument for why it is more spiritually
authentic to stay at home for the holidays than to race around the

streets visiting people and drinking rum punch.

Our third selection is a Christmas story by the Unitarian author
and profoundly committed abolitionist Lydia Marie Child includes
an account of the allegedly widespread German custom of having
children distribute gifts to their parents and siblings. It also
implies that children believed the gifts under the tree were from the
Christ child; and it includes a scene where the Christmas tree is
witness to children forgiving the theft of Christmas money. Also,