Christmas Celebrations in America

Today, despite the best efforts of modern Grinches, Americans continue to widely celebrate the federal holiday of Christmas. In fact, public support for Christmas celebrations in public schools remains high even though critics repeatedly invoke legal means to silence this festivity.

But support for this holiday was quite mixed in early America. Those associated with High Church denominations (such as Catholics, Anglicans, and Episcopalians, located especially in Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina) observed the Christmas celebrations while those from the Low Church, or dissenting denominations (such as Presbyterians and Congregationalists, found particularly in New England) opposed them. (For more on the two views of Christmas in early America, see WallBuilders' article.)

Here’s a few interesting factoids about the celebration of Christmas in early America:

• Virginia's governor, John Smith, held one of the earliest Christmas celebrations in America. He spoke of feasting on “oysters, fish, flesh, wild fowl, and good bread.”


• William Bradford, governor of Plymouth, noted that on December 25, 1620 they worked on building a common house but made no mention of Christmas, and reported that an attempted 1622 Christmas celebration was stopped.


• Puritans in Massachusetts passed an anti-Christmas law in 1659, enforcing a fine of five shillings against any person observing Christmas. (This law was repealed in 1681.)

By the mid 1800s, Americans had come to embrace the holiday and in June, 1870, a Congressional Act was passed making Christmas a national holiday.

Over the years, WallBuilders has amassed a large collection of original documents, pamphlets, books, and much else, including historic Christmas sermons. Other Christmas items at WallBuilders include Presidential Christmas cards and ornaments.

As we celebrate Christmas, let's remember the true reason for this special season. As President Ronald Reagan reminded the nation:

Some celebrate the day as marking the birth of a great and good man, a wise teacher and prophet, and they do so sincerely. But for many of us it’s also a holy day. The birthday of the Prince of Peace, a day when “God so loved the world that He sent us His only begotten Son” to assure forgiveness of our sins.