Many holiday specials contain some elements of educational content, especially those aimed at kids. A lot of times, the message is that Christmas means more than just a bunch of new toys. The various adaptions and variations on A Christmas Carol aim that message squarely at adults. Some specials are explicitly religious, explaining that Jesus is the reason for the season. But of course, most specials aren't concerned with the trappings of Christmas. What, exactly, does an evergreen tree have to do with the birth of the Christ child, in a part of the world where pines and firs aren't exactly common? How exactly did a jolly fat man with a bunch of reindeer come to supplant Jesus as the icon of the season in many people's minds?
In 1997 and again in 2010, The History Channel (which is now known as simply History, though I'm pretty sure most people still use the word "Channel" when discussing it) took a break from its programs about Hitler and aliens building the pyramids to present documentaries answering those questions and many more about the season. While written, produced, directed, and hosted by different production teams, Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas and The Real Story of Christmas both follow similar scripts in explaining just how the holiday has evolved into its current state. While both are interesting, I did wonder as to why there needed to be a second documentary covering almost the exact same material. After all, it's not like much changed in the history in the 13 years between the two specials' creations.
Both specials discuss how the organs of Christmas lie in ancient European celebrations involving the winter solstice, as well as in celebrations involving Rome. Both discuss how Christmas, at least in England, had become such a bacchanal that Puritans ended up banning the entire celebration for a time. Both discussed the holiday's more prim revival during the Victorian era, including showing how the same woodcut of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert gathered around a Christmas tree (a tradition he had brought from Germany) helped popularize trees in both England and the United States. Both delved into the concept of Santa, discussing how Clement Moore's "A Visit From Saint Nicolas" had helped define many of the Santa traditions, and how cartoonist Thomas Nast created the modern look of Santa, as well as how, almost from the beginning, Santa has been co-opted by big business to be a spokesman for them. They both also cover the creation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by a copywriter for Montgomery Ward. They also both ultimately come to the conclusion that the idea that Christmas should be either all secular or all religious to be a false notion, as both embrace the idea that the holiday should be a mix of the sacred and profane
There were a few differences between the two. Christmas Unwrapped was hosted and narrated by Harry Smith, then of CBS News, while Real Story was narrated offscreen Phil Crowley, who, even if you don't recognize his name, you would undoubtedly recognize his voice. While both specials have talking head segments, Christmas Unwrapped talks mostly to professors, while Real Story talks mostly with authors of books about Christmas. Unwrapped also talks to Jean Shepard, of A Christmas Story fame, while Real Story has a conversation with Lee Mendelson, the executive producer of numerous Peanuts specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown. Indeed, the major difference between the two is that Real Story explores the pop culture aspects of the holiday in far more detail, discussing the rise of Christmas carols and (a topic near and dear to my heart) the creation of the Christmas special.
I found both specials to be quite interesting, even if they ended up covering mostly the same ground. I'm still not certain why both exist, but if you're looking for a solid one-hour look at the reasons behind many of our cherished holiday traditions, you can't go wrong with either Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas or The Real Story of Christmas.
Next time: For her, Christmas is a very good thing.
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