This, Thom, is a priceless piece to be kept and shared over however many years I have left. A legacy piece. Thank you so much for doing this. You and Louise help me hold my head together. So grateful. Happy Yule. May it bring bright blessings to your house. With much love to you both, Claire PS I think Cromwell reincarnated as either Steve Miller or Russ Vought. More likely Vought?
A lesson from my childhood which also may apply here: though the days start to get longer, some of the coldest days of winter lie ahead and must be endured. Prepare for them and the Spring to follow.
Thom, Louise, and Company, you try to bring back the light every day. Blessings to you.
Thanks for the history lessons, Professor. They are needed more than ever.
We know we're headed into rough terrain for 2026, but nothing and no one can stop the truth. Just like in the Battle Hymn of the Republic it is "marching on". So Glory Glory---bring it, friends. See you in the streets.
The new awareness of human rights and freedoms come with natural paths of the past like candle magic that many Churches still do along with many other previous practices many with ancient connections of ancient rites. My own view means the Christianizing many of these things or pretending that it is purely Jesus rites many of which came from multiple ancient practices that were put together for a unified understanding of life. Odin is on my spirit team. Hekate has lead my team since I was an infant left at the bottom of the ocean for she took compassion on me when I was around 2 years of age and offered her support. Somehow I put out my hand and she took it when I was drowning. I am not going to ignore these realities to pretend my Christian faith is less for these ancient forces that exist for good. I will take support for wherever it comes from for the support of good in the world. I infuse light into my shadow that only wants my love and it becomes a cape that protects my back and is a superpower. Do only good and you will discern what increases your abilities for it and what only wants to bend you to wrong.
Rick imagined he was at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway. He was seated on stage along with a small group of other people. The Hall was decorated with beautiful, bright yellow desert sunflowers from the United States. There were hundreds of people in the audience. The women were all dressed in gowns, and the men wore tuxedos. Excitement was in the air. The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee was about to present the Nobel Peace Prize. She made her way to the podium and began to speak.
“Your Majesties, your Royal Highnesses, your Excellencies, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen…
It is a fundamental feature of democracies that they depend on a well-informed citizenry to function. In a democracy it is the citizens who hold the power to make the decisions which affect their lives. One of the greatest threats to their ability to make those decisions in our modern era has been the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. The corruption of the truth threatens not only democracies and their citizens, but the very future of humanity itself.
While artificial intelligence has been feared by many, its potential for good has, in some measure, driven its rapid development. A significant aspect of that potential for good has been realized in the application of artificial intelligence as a practical, real-time tool for the identification of misinformation and disinformation.”
The chairman turned to face Rick and continued.
“Mr Ganes, by devising the technology to harness the power of artificial intelligence to discern fact from fiction virtually instantaneously, and in a way that makes its legitimacy unassailable, you have opened up a world of truth, and you have stymied those who would use misinformation and disinformation to deceive and manipulate the masses to advance their own agendas. Thanks to the technology you have devised, radio, television, the internet, and social media now function as fountains of truth, easily and effectively. As a result, the fountains of misinformation and disinformation are no longer gushing. Their flow has been reduced to a trickle. The willfully ignorant are well on their way to becoming rare anachronisms, relics of a dark time.
History will view this as the moment when technology was harnessed to reverse the descent of mankind into a modern Dark Age. History will view this as the moment that the modern-day Age of Enlightenment began.
Thank you, Mr Ganes, on behalf of all humanity. Please now approach the podium to receive your award in the form of a diploma, and a gold medal.”
The crowd leapt to their feet in a standing ovation for Rick, in spite of their gowns and tuxedos. Even her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Mette-Marit couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. She clapped with wild abandon.
This is too much, Rick thought. Let me loosen my tie a little.
He reached for the knot in his tie to give it a tug.
He'd tugged on the shoulder strap of his seatbelt. In an instant he was back in his car, aware that he’d drifted off into a daydream.
Why Dec 25th, You hit on it, but the whole story goes back to our agrarian past, in the northern hemisphere.
After the autumnal equinox, from the perspective of our ancestors, the sun began to die, it started its slow descent into the underworld,and the days kept getting shorter.
Finally on Dec 21st, the winter solstice, the sun stopped it's movement and lay three days in the grave, then on Dec 25th, praise ye ya (eleliuia to the Greeks, halleluyah to the Jews, the son rose from the grave and once again as the son also rises, there is the promise of everlasting life on earth.
Deember 25th should mark the resurrection, but the fathers of the Cult of Rome, needed something to replace the orgy of the Bacchanalia, the Dionysia in Greece. So they chose Dec 25th as the birth of their Yahooshu/Joshua (Savior), that left the fertility rites of spring, the goddess of fertility Eostre (Ostara) the Germanic goddess of spring, dawn, and fertility to mark the crucifixion and resurrection.
To defeat the Bacchanalian, the church reversed the two (fictional) events. The Christian Christmas should be Easter and vice versa.
Oh, and the festival of lights goes back at least as far as Babylon, maybe even earlier
AI: "Christmas Saturnia" is a common way of referring to Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival that is widely considered a major influence on many modern Christmas traditions. The festival honored Saturn, the god of agriculture, and was celebrated in mid-December around the time of the winter solstice.
Yule (a Norse/Germanic festival) and the Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun).
Yule (Jól)
Yule was a major midwinter festival celebrated by the Germanic and Norse peoples of Northern Europe, many of its customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations as the region Christianized.
Timing: Yule was traditionally celebrated around the winter solstice, lasting for twelve days, which may be the origin of the "Twelve Days of Christmas".
Traditions and Influences:
Yule Log: The custom of burning a large log (often oak or ash) for the duration of the festival to symbolize the return of the sun and bring good luck is a precursor to the modern Christmas log, whether for a fireplace or a dessert.
Evergreen Decorations: Decorating homes and a "Yule tree" with evergreen plants like holly, ivy, and mistletoe to symbolize life and renewal during the winter also stems from Yule traditions.
The Wild Hunt and Odin: Some scholars link Yule to the Wild Hunt led by the god Odin, who rode an eight-legged horse, potentially an early inspiration for certain aspects of Santa Claus's legend (e.g., a figure flying through the winter sky leaving gifts).
Feasting and Wassailing: Large feasts with roast meats and wassailing (a custom of toasting to health with spiced ale) were common.
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
This Roman festival means "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" and honored the sun god Sol Invictus on December 25.
Timing: This date was significant as it marked the point when the days began to lengthen after the winter solstice, symbolizing the "rebirth" of the sun.
Influence on Date: The Christian Church in the 4th century formally placed Christmas on December 25, in part to provide a Christian alternative to existing popular pagan celebrations like Sol Invictus and Saturnalia, making conversion easier for Roman citizens.
Other Influences
Mistletoe: The Celtic Druids and Norse people revered mistletoe, associating it with healing powers, peace, and fertility, which gives us the modern custom of kissing under it.
Wassailing and Caroling: The tradition of going door-to-door singing Christmas carols is thought to have roots in the Anglo-Saxon wassailing tradition, where people would sing to their neighbors and wish them good health in exchange for food and drink.
The Saturnalia and the Bacchanalia were two different holidays, The Saturnalia took place in Dec, the Bacchanalia on Dec 25th, it was a cultish celebration marked by drunkeness, rioting and debauchery and caused much headache to the cult of Rome, so they replaced it with Xmas.
Indeed, we must hold each other close. I will not the MAGA destroy Christmas and ther holidays for me and those close to me. At 81 I despair that I won't live to see the light return. I still do what I can to send out a message of hope. BTW: I used AI for two of the illustrations on my Christmas Substack, one a burning Christmas tree, "A Christmas message from the Pope, a N. Hollywood pastor, and me. There's no on/off switch for empathy." Here>>> https://halbrown.substack.com/p/a-christmas-message-from-the-pope
This, Thom, is a priceless piece to be kept and shared over however many years I have left. A legacy piece. Thank you so much for doing this. You and Louise help me hold my head together. So grateful. Happy Yule. May it bring bright blessings to your house. With much love to you both, Claire PS I think Cromwell reincarnated as either Steve Miller or Russ Vought. More likely Vought?
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each Lame Duck, accursed Trumpo
The cannon thundered in Mar a Lago
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.’
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, adapted
A lesson from my childhood which also may apply here: though the days start to get longer, some of the coldest days of winter lie ahead and must be endured. Prepare for them and the Spring to follow.
In my location, February is the worst month of winter.
Thom, Louise, and Company, you try to bring back the light every day. Blessings to you.
Thanks for the history lessons, Professor. They are needed more than ever.
We know we're headed into rough terrain for 2026, but nothing and no one can stop the truth. Just like in the Battle Hymn of the Republic it is "marching on". So Glory Glory---bring it, friends. See you in the streets.
The new awareness of human rights and freedoms come with natural paths of the past like candle magic that many Churches still do along with many other previous practices many with ancient connections of ancient rites. My own view means the Christianizing many of these things or pretending that it is purely Jesus rites many of which came from multiple ancient practices that were put together for a unified understanding of life. Odin is on my spirit team. Hekate has lead my team since I was an infant left at the bottom of the ocean for she took compassion on me when I was around 2 years of age and offered her support. Somehow I put out my hand and she took it when I was drowning. I am not going to ignore these realities to pretend my Christian faith is less for these ancient forces that exist for good. I will take support for wherever it comes from for the support of good in the world. I infuse light into my shadow that only wants my love and it becomes a cape that protects my back and is a superpower. Do only good and you will discern what increases your abilities for it and what only wants to bend you to wrong.
Thanks, Mr. H, for being, along with Olivia T. and Miles T. et al., one of the brightest lanterns we've got. And . . .
May everyone's jollification today and throughout 2026, include the Big V, i.e., VOTE.
Thank you for this really nice story about the evolution of Christmas. I'm sharing it with family and friends.
Out of the darkness and into the light...
Rick imagined he was at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway. He was seated on stage along with a small group of other people. The Hall was decorated with beautiful, bright yellow desert sunflowers from the United States. There were hundreds of people in the audience. The women were all dressed in gowns, and the men wore tuxedos. Excitement was in the air. The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee was about to present the Nobel Peace Prize. She made her way to the podium and began to speak.
“Your Majesties, your Royal Highnesses, your Excellencies, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen…
It is a fundamental feature of democracies that they depend on a well-informed citizenry to function. In a democracy it is the citizens who hold the power to make the decisions which affect their lives. One of the greatest threats to their ability to make those decisions in our modern era has been the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. The corruption of the truth threatens not only democracies and their citizens, but the very future of humanity itself.
While artificial intelligence has been feared by many, its potential for good has, in some measure, driven its rapid development. A significant aspect of that potential for good has been realized in the application of artificial intelligence as a practical, real-time tool for the identification of misinformation and disinformation.”
The chairman turned to face Rick and continued.
“Mr Ganes, by devising the technology to harness the power of artificial intelligence to discern fact from fiction virtually instantaneously, and in a way that makes its legitimacy unassailable, you have opened up a world of truth, and you have stymied those who would use misinformation and disinformation to deceive and manipulate the masses to advance their own agendas. Thanks to the technology you have devised, radio, television, the internet, and social media now function as fountains of truth, easily and effectively. As a result, the fountains of misinformation and disinformation are no longer gushing. Their flow has been reduced to a trickle. The willfully ignorant are well on their way to becoming rare anachronisms, relics of a dark time.
History will view this as the moment when technology was harnessed to reverse the descent of mankind into a modern Dark Age. History will view this as the moment that the modern-day Age of Enlightenment began.
Thank you, Mr Ganes, on behalf of all humanity. Please now approach the podium to receive your award in the form of a diploma, and a gold medal.”
The crowd leapt to their feet in a standing ovation for Rick, in spite of their gowns and tuxedos. Even her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Mette-Marit couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. She clapped with wild abandon.
This is too much, Rick thought. Let me loosen my tie a little.
He reached for the knot in his tie to give it a tug.
He'd tugged on the shoulder strap of his seatbelt. In an instant he was back in his car, aware that he’d drifted off into a daydream.
wow, i love this story. I'm from scandanavian peoples, and i enjoy reading about the background of our modern holidays and stories. thank you
Merry X-mas to both you and Louise, and thank you both for your tireless dedication to this daily report.
lovely tribute to Winter Solstice, which I celebrate every year with a pagan drum circle.
nice to have some history thanks Tom and Louise best year ahead to all of us
Why Dec 25th, You hit on it, but the whole story goes back to our agrarian past, in the northern hemisphere.
After the autumnal equinox, from the perspective of our ancestors, the sun began to die, it started its slow descent into the underworld,and the days kept getting shorter.
Finally on Dec 21st, the winter solstice, the sun stopped it's movement and lay three days in the grave, then on Dec 25th, praise ye ya (eleliuia to the Greeks, halleluyah to the Jews, the son rose from the grave and once again as the son also rises, there is the promise of everlasting life on earth.
Deember 25th should mark the resurrection, but the fathers of the Cult of Rome, needed something to replace the orgy of the Bacchanalia, the Dionysia in Greece. So they chose Dec 25th as the birth of their Yahooshu/Joshua (Savior), that left the fertility rites of spring, the goddess of fertility Eostre (Ostara) the Germanic goddess of spring, dawn, and fertility to mark the crucifixion and resurrection.
To defeat the Bacchanalian, the church reversed the two (fictional) events. The Christian Christmas should be Easter and vice versa.
Oh, and the festival of lights goes back at least as far as Babylon, maybe even earlier
Most of it is "Saturnia".
AI: "Christmas Saturnia" is a common way of referring to Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival that is widely considered a major influence on many modern Christmas traditions. The festival honored Saturn, the god of agriculture, and was celebrated in mid-December around the time of the winter solstice.
Yule (a Norse/Germanic festival) and the Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun).
Yule (Jól)
Yule was a major midwinter festival celebrated by the Germanic and Norse peoples of Northern Europe, many of its customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations as the region Christianized.
Timing: Yule was traditionally celebrated around the winter solstice, lasting for twelve days, which may be the origin of the "Twelve Days of Christmas".
Traditions and Influences:
Yule Log: The custom of burning a large log (often oak or ash) for the duration of the festival to symbolize the return of the sun and bring good luck is a precursor to the modern Christmas log, whether for a fireplace or a dessert.
Evergreen Decorations: Decorating homes and a "Yule tree" with evergreen plants like holly, ivy, and mistletoe to symbolize life and renewal during the winter also stems from Yule traditions.
The Wild Hunt and Odin: Some scholars link Yule to the Wild Hunt led by the god Odin, who rode an eight-legged horse, potentially an early inspiration for certain aspects of Santa Claus's legend (e.g., a figure flying through the winter sky leaving gifts).
Feasting and Wassailing: Large feasts with roast meats and wassailing (a custom of toasting to health with spiced ale) were common.
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
This Roman festival means "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" and honored the sun god Sol Invictus on December 25.
Timing: This date was significant as it marked the point when the days began to lengthen after the winter solstice, symbolizing the "rebirth" of the sun.
Influence on Date: The Christian Church in the 4th century formally placed Christmas on December 25, in part to provide a Christian alternative to existing popular pagan celebrations like Sol Invictus and Saturnalia, making conversion easier for Roman citizens.
Other Influences
Mistletoe: The Celtic Druids and Norse people revered mistletoe, associating it with healing powers, peace, and fertility, which gives us the modern custom of kissing under it.
Wassailing and Caroling: The tradition of going door-to-door singing Christmas carols is thought to have roots in the Anglo-Saxon wassailing tradition, where people would sing to their neighbors and wish them good health in exchange for food and drink.
Google AI again, eh Daniel.
The Saturnalia and the Bacchanalia were two different holidays, The Saturnalia took place in Dec, the Bacchanalia on Dec 25th, it was a cultish celebration marked by drunkeness, rioting and debauchery and caused much headache to the cult of Rome, so they replaced it with Xmas.
Your historic exposition is absolutely dynamic and sincerely appreciated by us, your faithful followers! Many Christmas 🎄🙏🏽💙 Blessings!
Absolutely fascinating! Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Indeed, we must hold each other close. I will not the MAGA destroy Christmas and ther holidays for me and those close to me. At 81 I despair that I won't live to see the light return. I still do what I can to send out a message of hope. BTW: I used AI for two of the illustrations on my Christmas Substack, one a burning Christmas tree, "A Christmas message from the Pope, a N. Hollywood pastor, and me. There's no on/off switch for empathy." Here>>> https://halbrown.substack.com/p/a-christmas-message-from-the-pope