Frontier Christmas Celebrations
Great Plains Settlers Had to Make-Do When Celebrating Christmas
Dec 16, 2007
By the early and mid-1800s, Christmas had evolved from a minor holiday to the one we would recognize today. In European and American countries, it had become a day of feasting, church going, and gift exchanging (albeit without the commercialization). However, for many pioneers living on the edge of civilization in the Great Plains the celebration of the day was more difficult, due to isolation and the lack of resources around them.
A Pioneer's Christmas
Unless someone lived near a grove of pine or fir trees, something rare in the then nearly treeless plains, a true Christmas tree was virtually unknown. Instead, settlers, using frontier enterprise, would choose any type of young sapling to bring home and decorate. Tinsel was white tissue paper, threaded popcorn and/or cranberries tied together. Ornaments were usually homemade cookies, apples and pieces of stick candy. Frequently, people would use personal items, such as a pocket watch or some piece of jewelry, as ornaments. The tree would be topped with a star cut from a tin can or other metal.
Sometimes “artificial” Christmas trees were created. When the immigrant citizens of a small Nebraska town said that they missed the large community trees of their native lands, a group of young men hauled a nearby windmill tower to the center of the main street. There they decorated it with pine limbs and lanterns and citizens hung presents from the “branches.” Later, these presents were handed out by Santa Claus to the town’s children.
Frontier Christmas Gifts
Christmas cards were still in their infancy and virtually unheard of on the frontier, but people still anxiously awaited any “Christmas mail” from relatives far away. Buying presents was often impossible. Some settlers just did not have the money. For others, there was no town near enough or large enough to have a variety of goods. Instead, presents were often hand crafted. A small girl might receive a doll made of corn husks, horse hair, and cloth. A boy might receive a hand carved whistle or animal. A parent might receive something as simple as a handmade drawing or picture. In some cases, no presents at all were given, often with the promise that the next year would bring gifts.
Frontier Celebrations
Frontier life could be cruel, but Christmas was a time of joy for many of the settlers. Often faced with loneliness and despair, the holiday gave an opportunity for companionship. Many families were fortunate enough to have neighbors, a town, or a military fort nearby where Christmas was often celebrated with feasting and dancing. At such events, the women of the area would prepare a meal in the early evening and after it was finished the dance would begin. This ball, interrupted only by midnight refreshments, would often last until the next morning when breakfast would be served. Afterwards, people would stay a few more hours – the women and men engaging in idle talk and the children playing – before heading home, tired but happy.
