Visiting Ghosts of Christmases Past: OZY's 100

www.ozy.com [OZY]( OZY A Modern Media Company Share This Sh*t December 24, 2022 Share This Sh*t [The drop]( VISITING GHOSTS OF CHRISTMASES PAST: OZY'S 100 Read the most interesting and intriguing stories from history that unfolded during the holiday season, including some important events that occurred on Christmas Day. Sponsored by [Cariuma]( Surprising Holiday Tales Harper Lee’s Best Christmas Gift In 1956, future To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee was a 30-year-old airline ticket agent, who, like many aspiring writers, had come to New York City to pursue her dream, and failed. Luckily, Lee had made two very good (and wealthy) friends in New York: Michael and Joy Brown, who recognized her talent. So when Lee opened her Christmas present from the couple that year, she found a note that read: “You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.” And Lee delivered one of the most iconic American novels in history. [Read More on OZY]( The Dreidel’s Christmas Roots The dreidel has become the central motif by which American Jews introduce their holiday to the inter-religious world, but the four-sided spinning top game isn’t actually connected to the historical roots of Hanukkah. In fact, some scholars say the dreidel isn’t even of Jewish origin. [Read More on OZY]( Jamaica’s Christmas Uprising As millions of British citizens sat down to enjoy their cakes, tarts, puddings and sweetened tea in the days after Christmas in 1831, one of the primary sources of those sugary delights was burning to the ground. Over the Christmas holiday that year, a resistance movement in Jamaica led by a Baptist preacher named Samuel Sharpe turned violent, and the ensuing destruction and bloodshed helped hasten the end of slavery in the British Empire. [Read More on OZY]( ADVERTISEMENT [GOING, GOING…GONE!]( Walk into a winter wonderland with [Cariuma’s]( OCA Suede sneakers. They’re soft, warm, and sure to make a statement this winter with their exceptionally timeless design. From catching some waves to riding the pipes at the skatepark, cool and sustainable sneaker brand, Cariuma, has your back with this perfect pair. They’re so popular they go fast. In fact, they’ve back after racking up a 77,000+ person waitlist! They’re sustainable and durable, with a premium look and feel. Crafted from high-end, raw materials (shout out to the premium soft suede from LWG-certified tanneries). These sneaks are sure to vamp up your wardrobe this holiday season. We forgot to mention…slip-resistant rubber on the bottom makes them perfect for those frosty days! Hurry and grab a pair before they’re gone! Enter code [OZYDEC]( at checkout for an additional 15% off. [LET’S GO]( Other Events That Happened on Dec. 25 Washington Crosses the Delaware (1776) You’ve likely encountered Emanuel Leutze’s famous 1851 oil painting Washington Crossing the Delaware, but were you aware that the legendary crossing during the American Revolution took place on Christmas night? History has had its fair share of warriors who were willing to put down their weapons in deference to the holy day, but Gen. George Washington was not among them. [Read More on OZY]( The Eggnog Riot of 1826 Cadets at West Point Academy stumbled from their barracks on Christmas morning in 1826 to find broken windows, smashed furniture and chaos. It was the result of a massive on-campus riot fueled by the cadets’ consumption of a home-brewed holiday eggnog spiked with about four gallons of whiskey that future Confederate leader Jefferson Davis and several others had smuggled into the alcohol-free academy. Nineteen cadets, not including Davis (who passed out early in the riot), were eventually expelled. [Read More on OZY]( The Christmas Truce of 1914 Five months after the outbreak of World War I, a miracle occurred on the Western Front when — on Christmas morning, 1914 — British, Belgian and French soldiers emerged from their trenches to peacefully engage with their German adversaries. They exchanged cigarettes and gifts, sang carols and kicked around makeshift soccer balls. Historians are still unsure how the Christmas Truce of 1914 started or spread, but it is believed that around 100,000 troops participated. [Read More on OZY]( Nicolae Ceaușescu Executed (1989) The long, terrible reign of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu was silenced in one quick volley on Christmas Day, 1989. After 24 years in power, Ceaușescu and his wife were arrested in the wake of a bloody rebellion. On Christmas morning, the two were tried for genocide before a tribunal in a cramped room in a cavalry barracks. After two hours of testimony, they were convicted and summarily executed by firing squad in the adjoining courtyard. [Read More on OZY]( ADVERTISEMENT [Our Favorite Collab This Year]( We all know the cool, sustainable sneaker brand, [Cariuma](. But have you met Patone's Color of the Year 🤔 This year, Cariuma has been named Pantone’s official footwear partner (again) for their Viva PANTONE Color of the Year 2023! And they’re bringing the heat with this colorway, available in six of their most recognizable styles. These celeb, skater, and surfer-loved sneaks are helping PANTONE 18-1755 make its debut. 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Snag 15% off with your personalized code, [OZYDEC.]( [LET’S GO SHOPPING]( NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO Santa Stories When Mussolini Banned Santa Claus Italians have been celebrating La Befana aka The Witch — an old flying lady with torn shoes, a crooked nose and a hairy upper lip — since pagan times, but it was only in 1928 that Benito Mussolini established the Epifania (Epiphany) on Jan. 6 as a national holiday linking La Befana’s arrival to that of the three wise men visiting Baby Jesus’ stable to bring him gifts. It was typical of Mussolini to appropriate pagan and Roman myths or symbols, even on Christmas, to glorify his own regime. [Read More on OZY]( Santa and the Search Engine In this digital age, it’s not just “that kid” at school who might ruin Santa for everyone. If you ask parents what they regard as the biggest current threat to the magic of Christmas, it’s not the Grinch. It’s the Google. These days, that three-word inquiry parents have handled for generations with the guile of a seasoned KGB agent gets subjected to a labyrinthine algorithm and a Walmart-sized data server. “Is Santa real?” has an answer. But is it the right one? [Read More on OZY]( A Real-Life Santa Claus Who doesn’t love a nutty, generous millionaire? Back in the 1950s, a Santa Claus look-alike named Louis Marx visited Manhattan’s 21 Club so often that he was awarded his own table, reserved just for him. Marx had deep pockets — but he tended to stuff them with toys instead of money. Loaded with presents aimed to delight, Marx handed out penguins that walked, tiny cars and presidential statuettes to his friends, a group of people “who seem[ed] to include the entire world,” Time magazine wrote in 1955. [Read More on OZY]( COMMUNITY CORNER What is your favorite holiday story from history? Tell us about it. 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