Ellen White's Christmas Counsel
By , Nov.
By the late 1870s, Ellen White had grown deeply uneasy with how her followers celebrated Christmas. She scolded Seventh-day Adventists [SDAs] for spending their hard-earned money on toys, trinkets, and sweets, urging them instead to "honor God" with their gifts. How were they to honor God? By diverting their holiday spending toward SDA publishing houses—or more specifically, toward the books she and husband produced. Thus, what on the surface appeared to be a call for deeper piety may have been prompted by questionable motives.
In 1879, she wrote in the sect's paper:
Here is a large field where money can be safely invested. There are large numbers of little ones who should be supplied with reading. The Sunshine Series, Golden Grains Series, Poems, Sabbath Readings, etc., are all precious books, and may be introduced safely into every family. The many trifles usually spent in candies and useless toys, may be treasured up with which to buy these volumes. ...Let those who wish to make valuable presents to their children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces, procure for them the children’s books mentioned above. For young people, the Life of Joseph Bates is a treasure; also the three volumes of Spirit of Prophecy. These volumes should be placed in every family in the land.1
Here is a summary of Mrs. White's points on Christmas gifts:
- Young children should be given books as Christmas presents—specifically, the "Sunshine Series, Golden Grains Series...Sabbath Readings."
- Money usually spent on "candies" or "toys" would be better spent on these books instead
- Older children should be given Ellen's "Spirit of Prophecy" books
Analysis
The Sunshine Series...Etc.
Mrs. White recommended that parents purchase books from "Sunshine Series, Golden Grains Series...Sabbath Readings" as Christmas presents for children. Interestingly, James and Ellen White were involved in the development and production of these books. The SDA Oakland Publishing company produced nearly a quarter million copies of these books in the late 1870s and 1880s.2 It is unclear how much of the royalties from the sales of these books went into the Whites' pocket. In regard to Sabbath Readings and other books that Mrs. White encouraged her followers to purchase, her close associate D.M. Canright explained the profit motive:
Every one of these books was their own. The money came, and they pocketed it all. I was there, and know.3
Having the faithful spend their Christmas money on the Whites' books sure seems like a clever way for the Whites to turn Christmas into a profitable season for them.
Christmas Candy?
In the 1879 quote from above, Mrs. White encouraged her followers to stop spending their money on Christmas candy, and instead, buy her books. She continued this mantra for decades. In 1888, she wrote:
Every cent expended in candy...is money we shall have to render an account for before God.4
This statement implies that even spending a single cent on candy will get an SDA in hot water with God. In 1908, she wrote:
Our children should be taught to deny themselves of such unnecessary things as candies...that they may put the money saved by their self-denial into the self-denial box...5
Did Ellen teach her children to deny themselves candy? In 1859, she wrote to her son Willie:
In the last box we sent to Battle Creek were some little trinkets for you and a little box of candy.6
As a young mother, she did not seen any great harm in giving Willie some candy, so long as he did not eat it all at once. But then again, this was before she learned about health reform from her mentor, Dr. Jackson. Perhaps she did not yet understand the spiritual danger of wasting her cents. But what about later in life?
Grace Scott was Mrs. White's granddaughter. She was born in 1900 and spent considerable time with Mrs. White at her mansion in Elmshaven. In an interview with Geraldine Hess, Grace described the Christmas celebrations at Elmshaven. Grace described how they indulged in "divinity candy, with a piece of nut in it" at Christmas-time.7 For those unfamiliar with this delicacy, it is also known as "divinity fudge" and it consists primarily of sugar and corn syrup.
It would seem that Ellen had failed to teach her children "to deny themselves of such unnecessary things as candies."
Christmas Toys?
So, the White grandchildren indulged in candy instead of putting the cost of the ingredients into the "self denial box," but what about toys? Did they deny themselves toys so they could buy their grandmother's books? Grace recalls that Willie would dress up like Santa Claus and deliver "toys" to the grandchildren.8 Does not sound like the family was too keen on buying grandma's books with their "self-denial money."
While Willie may have given his children toys, Mrs. White stayed true to her convictions—for once— and gave the grandchildren books. Were they Spirit of Prophecy books? Were they from the Sunshine Series, the Golden Grains Series, or Sabbath Readings? Not exactly. Grace explained...
...she gave books...not her books... She gave us children's books that we would like. "Very practical, lovely lady," "Eloe, the Eagle," "Uncle Ben's Cobblestones."
Once again, Mrs. White's behavior deviated from what she told her followers to do. Her followers were instructed to buy her books so that she could make a profit. But when it came to her own grandchildren, they weren't given the denomination's drab moralistic books that put both parents and children asleep faster than melatonin. They were given non-denominational "books that we would like."
Conclusion
When the evidence is weighed, Ellen White’s Christmas counsel seems less about holiness and more about commerce. She redefined self-denial as a financial opportunity for her publishing business, urging members to buy “safe” SDA books instead of toys or candy. Yet, when it came to her own family, the prophetess dropped the pretense—her home was filled with sweets, toys, and storybooks written by others.
Her hypocrisy is as shocking as her conflict of interest. Those who obeyed her words gave up their simple joys to enrich her, while those who lived with her enjoyed the very pleasures she condemned. If there is a moral to this Christmas story, it is this: Truth and integrity are better gifts than any book she ever sold.