Clement Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" is also represented, said Edgette, by the illustrations of the little children in Who-ville, their stockings hung on the mantle next to the Christmas tree.
"And they are all snuggled down in their beds, in the hopes that Santa will soon be there," Edgette said.
"I think Dr. Seuss incorporated so many of our Christmas symbols so that the story would have a deeper meaning. Adults buy it not only for their children but as presents for their adult friends."
Most of our Christmas customs, he said, are transplanted from European roots.
"All the Christian countries celebrate Christmas, and many different countries contributed to how we celebrate in America today," Edgette said. ''Strictly American contributions include the concept of the reindeer and Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph and, unfortunately, we're the only country that has artificial trees - including those awful pink and silver ones."
Folklores and legends about Christmas go back as far as the fourth century, said Edgette. The stories stayed intact over hundreds of years, he said,
because in the early Church, the legends were taught as doctrine.
"That's why, if you go into most Christian churches around the holidays, you'll see pretty much the same things," Edgette said.
Edgette also teaches courses in storytelling and folklore. He explained some of the more familiar ones:
* The Christmas Tree. Originated with the Germans. In medieval times, pageants based on the Bible were held outdoors, and the tree was symbolic of the Garden of Eden. The story goes that Martin Luther, after attending one of the plays, cut down a little fir tree and put it in his home and decorated it, and that then other German families adopted it as a religious symbol.
