The Colors of Christmas: ‘White Christmas’

Why does everyone dream of a white Christmas?

Dickens popularized the idea that the ideal Christmas should be white, and since then snowy landscapes have inspired all types of products related to Christmas (from postcards to cookie tins). The fact is that the first eight Christmas days that Dickens spent in the early years of his childhood were celebrated in snowy weather. Recalling his white Christmas holidays, Dickens wrote his famous story A Christmas Carol published in December1843. A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale which tells the story of an old and bitter miser called Scrooge who realizes that, if he doesn’t change his ways, he will end up like his friend and business partner Jacob Marley, walking the Earth forever as a lonely ghost. The book rapidly became a bestseller and those who read it noticed people’s feelings changed due to the magic transformation exercised by Christmas. Thanks to the impact of Dickens’s book, human beings began to show more tender feelings and to behave in a more compassionate way towards others during the Christmas season.

Photo by photos_martha

Exactly a century after Dickens wrote his famous tale, Hollywood released a movie starring Bing Cosby and Fred Astaire called Holiday Inn, whose song White Christmas won an Academy Award. The song’s notable success was due to the fact that it was released during the Second World War at a time when the Christmas spirit urged for world peace. In 1954 Hollywood produced a remake called White Christmas in which Cosby again sang his famous song. During the 20th century, however, there were only two snowy Christmas days in England in 1938 and 1970.

Photo by jigpu

The tradition of the white Christmas even prevails in Latin America, where Christmas is celebrated on extremely hot days. Many Christmas trees, for example, are either snow-covered or replete with white branches. Shopping-centres offer their main attraction: a real Santa, dressed in heavy clothes and boots, who reads letters from anxious children while sitting comfortably by the glowing warmth of the fireside. The food which is served at Christmas dinner is rich in calories and is thus more in keeping with the one served on cold winter days. The summer frugality gives way to Dickens’ dream of a white Christmas and, without offering resistance, succumbs to its fascination.

Photo by tawalker

This guest post was written by speakin_colors.

White Christmas Inspiration from the CL Library