Christmas history in America

Every month of the year has something special to celebrate in the U.S. Throughout the
years, the U.S.Congress has passed laws declaring special days as official observances known as
federal holidays. Each federal holiday represents a day when federal employees and many other
workers have a paid day off from their jobs. There are some holidays they celebrate that are not
federal holidays but are very popular holidays to celebrate.
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was
celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645,
they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By
popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the
popular holiday.
The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox
in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America.
From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone
exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement,
Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In
fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under Americas new
constitution. Christmas wasnt declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

Washington Irving reinvents Christmas

It wasnt until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans
re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day
of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday?
The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time,
unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the
Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the citys first police force in
response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to
change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey

Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house.
The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast
to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irvings mind,
Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of
wealth or social status.
Irvings fictitious celebrants enjoyed ancient customs, including the crowning of a Lord
of Misrule. Irvings book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended
in fact, many historians say that Irvings account actually invented tradition by implying that it
described the true customs of the season.

Before the Civil War

The North and South were divided on the issue of
Christmas, as well as on the question of slavery. Many Northerners saw sin in the celebration of
Christmas; to these people the celebration of Thanksgiving was more appropriate. But in the
South, Christmas was an important part of the social season. Not surprisingly, the first three
states to make Christmas a legal holiday were in the South: Alabama in 1836, Louisiana and
Arkansas
in
1838.
In the years after the Civil War, Christmas traditions spread across the country. Children's
books played an important role in spreading the customs of celebrating Christmas, especially the
tradition of trimmed trees and gifts delivered by Santa Claus. Sunday school classes encouraged
the celebration of Christmas. Women's magazines were also very important in suggesting ways
to decorate for the holidays, as well as how to make these decorations.
By the last quarter of the nineteenth century, America
eagerly decorated trees, caroled, baked, and shopped for the Christmas season. Since that time,
materialism, media, advertising, and mass marketing has made Christmas what it is today. The
traditions that we enjoy at Christmas today were invented by blending together customs from
many different countries into what is considered by many to be our national holiday.
An overview:
1600's: The Puritans made it illegal to mention St. Nicolas' name.
People were not allowed to exchange gifts, light a candle, or sing
Christmas
carols.
17th century: Dutch immigrants brought with them the legend of
Sinter
Klaas.
1773: Santa first appeared in the media as St. A Claus.
1804: The New York Historical Society was founded with St. Nicolas as its patron saint. Its
members
engaged
in
the
Dutch
practice
of
gift-giving
at
Christmas.
1809: Washington Irving, writing under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, included Saint

Nicolas in his book "A History of New York." Nicolas is described as riding into town on a
horse.
1812: Irving, revised his book to include Nicolas riding over the trees in a wagon.
1821: William Gilley printed a poem about "Santeclaus" who was dressed in fur and drove a
sleigh
drawn
by
a
single
reindeer.
1822: Dentist Clement Clarke Moore is believed by many to have written a poem "An Account
of a Visit from Saint Nicolas," which became better known as "The Night before Christmas."
Santa is portrayed as an elf with a miniature sleigh equipped with eight reindeer which are
named in the poem as Blitzem, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer, and Vixen.
Others attribute the poem to a contemporary, Henry Livingston, Jr. Two have since been renamed
Donner
and
Blitzen.
1841: J.W. Parkinson, a Philadelphia merchant, hired a man to dress up in a "Criscringle" outfit
and
climb
the
chimney
of
his
store.
1863: Illustrator Thomas Nast created images of Santa for the Christmas editions of Harper's
Magazine.
These
continued
through
the
1890's.
1860s: President Abraham Lincoln asked Nast to create a drawing of Santa with some Union
soldiers. This image of Santa supporting the enemy had a demoralizing influence on the
Confederate
army
-an
early
example
of
psychological
warfare.
1897: Francis P Church, Editor of the New York Sun, wrote an editorial in response to a letter
from an eight year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon. She had written the paper asking whether there
really was a Santa Claus. It has become known as the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"
letter.
4
1920's: The image of Santa had been standardized to portray a bearded, over-weight, jolly man
dressed
in
a
red
suit
with
white
trim.
5
1931: Haddon Sundblom, illustrator for The Coca-Cola company drew a series of Santa
images in their Christmas advertisements until 1964. The company holds the trademark for the
Coca-Cola Santa design. Christmas ads including Santa continue to the present day.
1939 Copywriter Robert L. May of the Montgomery Ward Company created a poem about
Rudolph, the ninth reindeer. May had been "often taunted as a child for being shy, small and
slight." He created an ostracized reindeer with a shiny red nose who became a hero one foggy
Christmas eve. Santa was part-way through deliveries when the visibility started to degenerate.
Santa added Rudolph to his team of reindeer to help illuminate the path. A copy of the poem was
given
free
to
Montgomery
Ward
customers.
6
1949: Johnny Marks wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Rudolph was relocated
to the North Pole where he was initially rejected by the other reindeer who wouldn't let him play
in their reindeer games because of his strange looking nose. The song was recorded by Gene
Autry and became his all-time best seller. Next to "White Christmas" it is the most popular song
of
all
time.
1993: An urban folk tale began to circulate about a Japanese department store displaying a lifesized
Santa
Claus
being
crucified
on
a
cross.
It
never
happened.
1997: Artist Robert Cenedella drew a painting of a crucified Santa Claus. It was displayed in the
window of the New York's Art Students League and received intense criticism from some
religious groups. His drawing was a protest. He attempted to show how Santa Claus had replaced
Jesus Christ as the most important personality at Christmas time.

References:
Barbara G. Walker, "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets." Harper & Row,
(1983) Pages 725 to 726
Christmas in America- A History. Penne L. Restad, Oxford University Press, 1995
"St. Nicholas of Bari (Fourth Century)," Catholic Information Network, at:
www.cin.org/nichbari.html
http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-america.html