The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an urban legend as "an often lurid story or anecdote that is based on hearsay and widely circulated as true." In the Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand explains that these modern myths are usually bizarre twists on common circumstances, have numerous versions, and are passed both orally and in print form.
The comprehensive urban legend website, snopes.com, states that urban legends often serve as fearful warnings about engaging in perilous behavior and that they can sometimes grow out of a seed of truth.
Cultural holidays are no exception to the shared experiences that can give rise to urban legends. Common sense dictates that Halloween would give rise to the more macabre legends, and this scary holiday is indeed fraught with tales of candy poisonings, murder, and the occult.
It is interesting to note, however, that a seemingly innocuous holiday like Christmas can also claim ownership to a fair share of weird stories about death and danger. Experts on urban legends have often pondered how these myths began and the reason for the cultural need for this juxtaposition between merriment and tragedy.
The Legend of Christmas Suicides
One morbid myth commonly passed among friends and on the Internet states that the suicide rate is dramatically increased during the Christmas season. It centers around the idea that the holidays make sad people terribly depressed by bringing up bittersweet memories of lost loved ones or other tragic events. The legend implies that these people simply cannot cope with the joyfulness surrounding them. This is an example of one of those myths that seems true because it appears to follow a certain logical construct. However, statistical facts directly refute the truth of this story.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that although suicide is considered a serious health problem, the rate of suicides is actually lower in December than any other time of year. A December 17, 2003 WebMd interview of psychologist John McIntosh, Phd. points to a study by Emile Durkheim as far back as the 1800s. Durkheim surmised that the increased social support during the winter months might be responsible for the lower rate.
According to their December 07, 2009 article "Holiday-Suicide Link: The Myth Persists," The Annenberg Public Policy Center has been trying to debunk this myth for years. However, an analysis in 2008 showed that close to half of newspapers articles discussing suicide and the holidays reported the myth as truth. The center continues to track the prevalence of the myth and results vary from year to year.
No one really knows why this myth keeps resurfacing each year. In her November 29, 2009 USA Today article "Why the Holiday Suicide Persists," reporter Kim Painter turns to Paula Clayton, medical director of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention for some possible explanations. Perhaps the confusion stems from reports of real condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder in which sufferers become increasingly depressed as the days become darker. Maybe the idea was derived from the general, short-term stress that people periodically experience during the holidays. Painter also mentions that the classic and frequently aired movie It's a Wonderful Life depicts a character who contemplates suicide and might stick in the minds of those who perpetuate the myth.
The Myth that Poinsettias are Poisonous
According to this urban legend, the popular Christmas plant may be gorgeous, but it is also deadly. Every year, dire warnings primarily concerning pets and children pop up in e-mail feeds and on websites. The story simply says that ingesting even a small bite of a Poinsettia leaf will kill a person.
A collaborative study conducted by the Society of American Florists and Ohio State University on animals found that poinsettias are, in fact, non-toxic. The Ama Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants also says that a few cases of vomiting have been the only reported effects of eating poinsettia leaves. However, given that its bitter leaves can irritate the stomach, it is a bad idea to eat this or any other plant not intended for consumption. Some people also have allergies to poinsettias.
On its Poinsettia Pages of frequently asked questions, the University of Illinois extension cites a true 1919 incident as the probable origin of this myth. A two year old child was reported to have died from eating a poinsettia leaf, but the story was later found to be unsubstantiated. Snopes.com also suggests that the story might have resulted because poinsettias are from the same genus as some plants that actually are toxic. Snopes.com also mentions that some people continue to believe the myth. Here is a clear example of a cautionary legend that capitalizes on our fears about potential childhood dangers.
The Myth of the Father Dying in the Chimney
This macabre story, repeated in the 1984 film Gremlins, tells of a father who has gone away or turns up missing around Christmastime. At some point, the man’s family lights a fire and notices a bad smell emanating from the chimney. When they investigate, they make a gruesome discovery. They realize that their father, dressed as Santa, died in the chimney.
Although this particular story is not known to ever have happened, it is an example of one of those legends that stems from a kernel of truth. Over the years, there have been occasional incidents of thieves becoming lodged in chimneys. Jennifer Sullivan's August 5, 2010 Seattle Times article "Prison, Not North Pole for 'Santa Claus Burglar'" reports that a man was recently sentenced to 17 months in prison for trying to break into a home in this fashion. These types of news stories probably help to revive the urban legend and give it more credence.
Does Instant Social Networking Work to Opposite Ends?
What is most perplexing about these weird urban myths that surround the Christmas holidays is why they persist. Their staying power is amazing considering the fact that they have been repeatedly reported as untrue by trusted authoritative sources. Due to the rapidity with which these Christmas stories can now saturate electronic media, can they be spread simultaneously to and as quickly as the information that debunks them?
Additonal Sources:
American Medical Association. Ama Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. Chicago: AMA Press, 1985.
Brunvand, Jan Harold. Encyclopedia of Urban Legends. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002.
Centers for Disease Control. "Holiday Suicides: Fact or Myth?" Retrieved November 10, 2010.
University of Illinois Extension. "The Poinsettia Pages: Frequently Asked Questions." Retrieved November 10, 2010.
Linda Seddon - Linda Seddon is a freelance writer and an aspiring novelist. She writes on a range of topics. Some of her favorites include literature for ...
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