America's Christmas treasures: Post-war consumerism, Jewish identity, and the secular Christmas song

Abstract

This thesis explores the origins of secular Christmas music in the United States and discusses how America in World War II America and through the early 1950s embraced new characters and traditions through songs. It gives a brief introduction to the historical record of Christmas, the traditions that were incorporated into colonial American life, and the changes that were made to accommodate the varied backgrounds of people in the United States. It presents a background of marketing's impact on the holiday and how folklore and nostalgia played a role in making Christmas America's biggest economic time. There is an examination of the songs's composers, especially on how Jewish composers used a secularized Christmas in song to help them become "Americanized." The thesis closes with a review of the popular tunes that have stayed in the American Christmas songbook.