The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Oliver Wendell 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 America’s new constitution. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
It wasn’t 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.
This was a time of class conflict, turmoil, high unemployment and gang rioting especially around Christmas time. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city’s 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 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 Irving’s mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving’s fictitious celebrants enjoyed “ancient customs,” including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving’s book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended—in fact, many historians say that Irving’s account actually “invented” tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.
The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention—and gifts—on their children without appearing to “spoil” them.
As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and the Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. Germans and non-Puritan English revived the custom in America. By the 19th century, gift-giving became prevalent in America. Giving gifts to spouses and to children promoted the American Christmas idea of home and family.
In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving. Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.
In America the Christmas season traditionally starts the day after Thanksgiving. However, many stores start putting their Christmas decorations out in August and September.
This is a time filled with catching up with old friends and family, parties, concerts [including Living Christmas Trees and Passion Plays], as well as shopping, decorating and plenty of baking and cooking for the various celebrations, parties and other events.
Many people decorate the outside, as well as the inside, of their homes with Christmas lights and wreaths in America. However, decorating the outside of your home is unheard of in many other countries. As you drive through many of our towns you will even find that city has put out their Christmas decorations in order to “deck the halls.”
What are your traditions?
Pictures courtesy of MorgueFile
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