Merry Christmas… In Patches
Posted in Patch Collecting by John E. Pannell on December 26th, 2008 at 6:05 am 
Tsoiotsi Tsogalii 70 S5
Many lodges traditionally hold year-end functions around Christmastime. Some of these have included a specific reference to Christmas in the event name. A small group of lodges have used a Christmas theme on their patches for events not otherwise connected to this holiday, like the S5 from Tsoiotsi Tsogalii pictured here.
First up are some event patches. Most of these are for the various lodges’ “Christmas Banquet”.
Mowogo 243 eX1981-4
The event patch listings for Mowogo 243 in Blue Book and my site are obviously very incomplete. I have images for patches that were never listed in Blue Book. I also have pricing data for several more items that I do not yet have images for. Mowogo lodge has been issuing patches for their Christmas Banquet since at least 1981.
Tomo Chi-Chi 119 1981 Christmas Banquet
Tomo Chi-Chi lodge has also held a Christmas banquet. However I only know of patches being issued for this event in 1972, 1978, and 1981. If the lodge held this event in any other years, I do not know of any patches issued for it.
Blue Heron 349 eR1975-2a
Blue Heron 349 issued their first Christmas banquet in 1975. They would continue to issue patches intermittently for this until 1998. I do not know if the lodge has had a Christmas banquet since or issued any patches for it.
Kecoughtan 463 issued a leather neckerchief slide as its first Christmas banquet issue in 1967. I do not yet have an image of this piece. Patches would continue to be issued until the lodge’s merger
Chanco 483 started issuing Christmas Banquet patches in 1974. Like Blue Heron lodge, these patches appear to have been issued intermittently. As with Kecoughtan, this would continue until 1995 when the lodge was merged.
Wahunsenakah 333 eR1997-4
Wahunsenakah 333 followed the tradition of its predecessor lodges and held a Christmas Banquet in 1996 and 1997. Since 1998, the lodge has taken a more inclusive stance and called this event their Holiday Banquet.
Tutelo 161 eX1992-9
The brothers of Tutelo 161 have followed in the footsteps of their fellow Virginians. This lodge has issued patches for a Christmas banquet from 1986 until at least 2004, the last event patches for this lodge listed in Blue Book. I don’t have images for many of these items and would be appreciative if someone can fill in these gaps.
The eX1992-9 pictured here should also be included on the list of turkey patches I wrote about last Thanksgiving.
Shenandoah 258 eR1977
It would appear that Christmas banquet patches are a firmly ingrained tradition in Virginia. Shenandoah 258 issued their first patch for this event in 1977. These would continue until 1995. Starting in 1996, the event was renamed the Holiday Banquet.
Shenshawpotoo 276 eX1985-3
Shenshawpotoo 276 was not a lodge to ignore the traditions of their fellow Virginians. However, this lodge seems to have been a bit more active. Instead of a banquet they held a “Christmas Hi Jinx”. Many of the earlier items explicitly referenced Christmas while others did not. In later years, this event would be called “Hi Jinx”, better reflecting the non-sectarian nature of the Boy Scouts of America.
Tom Kita Chara 96 would issue patches for a Christmas Banquet in 1983 and 1988. In 1990 and 1991 the event would be called a Holiday Banquet, instead.
Yah-Tah-Hey-Si-Kess 66 eX1973
Yah-Tah-Hey-Si-Kess 66 issued a patch in 1973 for the
“Christmas Reunion Banquet”. This event was tied in with the lodge’s 40th anniversary celebration. In later years the lodge would issue patches for its “Banquet”, “Annual Banquet”, and “Lodge Banquet”.
The oldest “Christmas patch” was issued by Checaugau chapter of Owasippe 7. It is listed in Blue Book as the chapter’s eW1950-3. I do not yet have an image of this piece.
Mide 15 eL1958-2
Mide 15 issued a leather neckerchief slide, listed in Blue Book as eL1958-2, for their 1958 Christmas Banquet. This piece is one of several neckerchief slides that have been included in the Blue Book.
Ag-Im 156 eR1974
Ag-Im 156 held a “Christmas Conference”. The first item issued for this was a neckerchief listed as eN1962-2. The 1974 patch, eR1974 (pictured), is notable for being a sateeen.
Starting in the late 1970s this event would be renamed the “Winter Conference”. The “Christmas Conference” moniker was last used in 1983. Starting in 1980, the patches for this event would be part of the lodge’s annual “puzzle patch”.
Hytone 416 held a Christmas Banquet in 1991, listed as eR1991-4. That is the only “Christmas” patch that I know of from this lodge.
Waguli 318 held a Christmas Banquet in 1993 and issued their eR1993-2 for that event. it is possible the 1995 Father/Son Banquet, eX1995-2, was a successor to the Christmas banquet. In later years several patches would be issued for a Winter Banquet.
Sipp-O 377 adapted the National OA logo of that time for their 1978 Christmas Banquet patch, eR1978. A second Christmas Banquet patch was issued in 1979, eR1979-2. The events listings for this lodge appear to be sparse, so I do not know if there are others yet to be listed.
Agaming 257 eN1953
Agaming 257 apparenly liked to issue neckerchiefs for their lodge events in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953 and 1956 they issued neckerchiefs for a “Christmas Convention”. In 1957 this was simply a “Convention”. In later years neckerchiefs and then patches would be issued for a “Winter Convention”. While Owasippe 7 has the oldest listed “Christmas” item with its Checaugau chapter piece, this lodge’s eN1953 is the oldest lodge issue issued for a Christmas event of which I am aware.
These are all the lodges that I know to have issued lodge events that included “Christmas” in the names.
In the southeast it is practice for lodges to adopt a theme for their section conclave delegations. These are usually chosen to build “spirit” among the delegation and are often of a light-hearted or silly nature. Three lodges from the Carolinas used “Christmas” as a conclave theme.
The first Christmas conclave theme patch was issued by my own lodge, Tsoiotsi Tsogalii 70. This is the lodge’s S5 and is pictured at the head of this post. The lodge’s red-tailed hawk, as pictured on the S1, is dressed in a Santa Claus hat. His perch is bedecked in Christmas lights and snow covers the scene behind him. Santa Claus on his sleigh can be seen in the background.
The next two issues raised a few eyebrows. In 2004 there was talk that various South Carolina lodges and councils would merge. Some of the talk revolved around a potential merger between the councils of Santee 116 and Unali’yi 236. Nothing was to come of this, but it was interesting that the two lodges both chose “Christmas” for their 2004 Dixie Fellowship themes!
Santee 116 X6
Santee 116 issued an odd-shaped patch for this conclave, celebrating “Christmas In Dixie”. The patch, as you can see, is in the shape of a sleigh loaded down with gifts. The Carolina Parakeet, the lodge’s totem, is on the side of the sleigh.
Unali'yi 236 S53
Unali’yi 236 celebrated “Christmas At Dixie” (emphasis added) with their 2004 Dixie Fellowship delegate flap, listed as their S53. This flap depicts a very unlikely scene. Santa is seen on his sleigh, pulled by a lone reindeer. Both are bedecked in Ordeal sashes. A palmetto is strung with Christmas lights. Snow covers the ground on the flap, which would be an unusual event at Christmastime in this part of South Carolina!
If you know of any other Christmas patches, please feel free to add them in your comments!
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re: “Sipp-O 377 adapted the National OA logo of that time…”
would I think be more accurately rendered as “Sipp-O 377 ordered a stock patch design from National Supply, featuring the National OA logo of that time…”. There are a fair number of issues floating around which are identical to that one save for the lettering.