A short history of Christmas

Christmas has been a worldwide holiday for over two thousand years. Its a day that celebrates
the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas became a federal holiday for the United States in 1870 and
has been one ever since. Traditions on this day include attending religious activities, spending
time with family and friends, exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, and putting Christmas
lights up, but how did it all start?
December 25 was chosen to the be the day of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The exact
day of Jesus birth is unknown but early Christians picked this day to correspond with the day
exactly nine months after they believed he was conceived. The fifteenth century was the first time
it was recorded that people put up decorations to celebrate the holiday. There in London at the
time they decorated homes and churches with bays, ivy, and holly. The ivy was heart shaped and
was said to symbolize Jesus coming to earth. The holly was seen as a protection against witches
and pagans. The berries and thorns on it represented the crown of thorns worn during the
crucifixion.
The Christmas tree tradition began in Christmas celebrations in Renaissance-era guilds in
Northern Germany and Livonia. In these guilds in Germany the trees were decorated with treats
for the children and apprentices. In Livonia they were decorated with such things as dates, nuts,
and apples. In the 18th century Christmas trees began being lit with candles, now Christmas
trees are decorated with candy canes and other festive ordainments. In 1870 putting up a
Christmas tree became a common thing in our country. It became popular after a woodcut had
been published showing the British royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor castle. In the
early twentieth century it became common for department stores and cities to begun displaying
Christmas trees. The national Christmas tree in the white house lawn began being lit in 1923.
Other popular places for Christmas trees include Rockefeller Center in New York and the Macys
great tree in Atlanta.
The tradition of Santa Clause began with a Christian bishop named Saint Nicholas who was a gift
giver. Santa Clause became a national icon in the United States in the 19th century. In 1823
Clement Clarke Moores poem A Visit from St. Nicholas brought popularity to Santa Clause
after an illustration was drawn of him by Thomas Nast that was published with the poem. Since
then this image has become the modern day image of Santa. Gift giving is believed to have

begun with the celebration Saturnalia by the Romans which was an ancient festival that took
place in late December. This is what is said to have started the influence of Christmas customs.
In the 1900s gift giving became a big thing for the United States stores and has now become
considered to be the most profitable time of the year for retailers. Christmas has indeed grown
over the thousands of years since the date of its inception. Christmas has become about doing
nice things for people, giving to the unfortunate, spending time with those you love, giving gifts,
and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.