An American holiday

Our national history of Christmas

By Derek Yee
From the December 2005 Print Edition

With the beginning of the month of December, the Christmas spirit is in the air. It is a season for trimming the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, preparing hearty Christmas meals, and attending church services with friends and family. The development of an American Christmas has a rich history that spans the course of two centuries. Its celebration has become an integral part of the American culture. While you peruse this holiday’s history, keep in mind how many different peoples contributed to what we now see as a homogenous holiday, and how Christmas became a true representation of many different peoples and faiths that molded our national identity.

The name “Christmas” is derived from the old English “Christes maesse,” according to Penne Restad’s Christmas in America: A History. Christmas marked the birth of Jesus Christ as was accounted in the Gospels. The date of the Christmas celebration varied depending on the church’s tradition. Some churches designated December 25 as Christmas while others celebrated on January 6. Our Anglican forefathers observed Christmas as “O Sapentia,” a festival of twelve days leading up to the Epiphany on January 6. While the intent of the holiday was to honor Christ, many spent their “O Sapentia” indulging in decadent revelry. As a result, the Puritan churches declared that they would no longer observe Christmas.

Colonial America was comprised of people from various religious backgrounds, as many had fled their home country due to religious persecution. Anglicans, Calvinists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Quakers all came to this country with their own conceptions of the celebration of Christmas. In the New England colonies, which were largely Calvinist, Christmas was observed with great solemnity or not at all. The Pennsylvania Quakers also denounced the celebration of Christmas day. The southern colonies, which were predominantly Anglican, heartily celebrated Christmas as they would have back home in England.

From the time America declared its independence in 1776 through the first half of the nineteenth century, the celebration of Christmas became more widespread. It was popular for couples to join in matrimony on Christmas Day. The once-austere Calvinist sects of New England became more receptive to the idea of celebrating the birth of the “Saviour.” Magazines such as Harper’s Monthly made references to Christmas and published poems, hymns and various articles relating to the season. Christmas soon became an important celebration in homes and churches across America, and in 1837 Louisiana became the first state to declare it a legal holiday. Other states followed suit, and under the administration of President Ulysses Grant, Congress declared December 25 a federal holiday on June 26, 1870.

And thus, a national culture was cemented. Christmas had evolved across culture to the point that all Americans had come together to celebrate it as one. It was now a national holiday representing the combined cultures of millions of people.

Many of the Christmas traditions that are still practiced in America developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century — Christmas carols, for example. Some of the carols were borrowed from the British and German traditions, but many clergymen and hymn composers began creating distinctly American classics with religious themes such as “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” A tradition borrowed from Germany was the display of an evergreen Christmas tree decorated with bright, festive ornaments. The idea of celebrating Christmas day with a baked ham came from the Scandinavian celebration of Yuletide with a roasted pig. The practices of exchanging gifts and greeting cards also turned out to be quite popular. Santa Claus, the bearer of gifts, filled children’s stockings with rare treats such as fruits, candy, and pocket change. Americans had adapted from many different cultures their own unique version of the Christmas celebration.

The twentieth century ushered in a new, very public celebration of Christmas. President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree on the front lawn of the White House in 1923. Large Christmas displays became commonplace in storefront windows across America. These stores were filled with an array of gifts, decorations and other Christmas sundries that had previously been homemade. Motion pictures such as the Miracle on 34th Street and musicals like Irving Berlin’s White Christmas became perennial favorites. The Coca-Cola Company began advertising during Christmas in 1933 with their now well-known renditions of Santa Claus. Christian and non-Christian alike joined in the celebration of this national holiday.

Throughout much of the 20th century, Christmas maintained its importance as a religious holiday. In recent years, it has become highly secularized and commercialized. The classic Christmas of yesteryear is no more. Secular Christmas songs about bells and snow have replaced traditional Christmas carols that honored the Holy Nativity. Fancy toys have replaced the simple confectionaries in the children’s stockings. In the present day, it is becoming more and more difficult to even mention the word “Christmas,” as many have sadly succumbed to the evils of political correctness. It has suddenly become more important to embrace diversity and observe Hanukkah, Eid-al-Fitr, and Kwanzaa, and put Christmas, a holiday that our nation has officially celebrated for 135 years, on the backburner. It’s time to bring it back out front. After all, it’s who we are.

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