Revisiting history to celebrate spirit of Christmas' past

Many of today's holiday celebrations can be traced back to German practices.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HE VERY WORD CHRISTMAS CONJURES up images of decorated trees, stockings hung by the fireplace and special treats for children.
While the pictures and practices are commonplace, today's celebrations are variations of traditions brought across the ocean by German settlers.
Loghurst, a property of the Western Reserve Historical Society, explained today's practices and their German heritage Saturday with the program "An Olde German Christmas" at the farm museum on Boardman-Canfield Road.
What was featured
The brainchild of operations manager Laura Zeh, "An Olde German Christmas" featured traditional German food, including Brat on a hard roll with mustard or sauerkraut and Black Forest Cake, as well as explanations for Santa Claus, filling stockings and table-top Christmas trees.
Zeh said the program is a natural fit for the area because Canfield was home to many German settlers in the early 1800s.
"And most of our decorating traditions come from the Germans," she said. "We focused on three major time periods -- the days of the early settlers, the 1850s and the Victorian era -- and the traditions associated with those periods."
Julie Berg, an interpreter with the Western Reserve Historical Society, served as a costumed tour guide, leading visitors through the kitchen, formal dining room and parlor, each decorated for the season of a separate era.
Traditions
She filled in visitors with the ties between German traditions and those of today, including:
USANTA CLAUS AND STOCKINGS: The original St. Nicholas came from Germany and was said to have helped two women in their quest for marriage. Legend has it, the women were unable to marry because they had no dowry to offer. The tale says one evening St. Nicholas passed by the home and threw gold coins inside. The coins landed in the women's stockings, which were hung up near the hearth to dry.
U LIGHTING CHRISTMAS TREES: The German custom was to decorate trees with candles, fastening them to the branches using tin clips, which were invented in Germany.
U THE YULE LOG: The custom, particularly in the days of the early settlers, was to bring in a log from your own property and light it with a portion of the log from the previous year. The practice was meant to bring good luck to families.
One of many events
Zeh, who assumed her role of operations manager six months ago, said the event is one of many planned in the coming months at the historic home, one of the oldest remaining log cabins in the country.
"We are initiating many new programs here," she said. "It was my goal when I started here to bring in new events, and this is just the start."
slshaulis@vindy.com