The History of Christmas

Introduction

Christmas is a globally recognized holiday. Even in places where it is not celebrated, people have still heard of the traditions many of us celebrate in the winter

Before Jesus

Many of us believe Christmas to have been made to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. While this is true, it is misleading. The Christmas celebrations incorporated pre-existing ceremonies around that time. Many civilizations celebrated the Winter Solstice, as it signaled the end of the cold winter. Those in Europe celebrated with pagan gods and such. Specifically, in England, Father Christmas was a person to be celebrated until he eventually was merged with the idea of Santa Claus. Even so, up to this point, Christmas had been a festival of sorts, rather than the family-oriented celebration we know today.

American Christmas

In the US, many read books such as A Christmas Carol, which emphasized family bonding and kindness. This transformed the holiday from a festival into a special time for family, the Christmas we know today.

A first edition cover of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Books like these would solidify the American public's opinion on how Christmas should be celebrated. Click to read. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Now!

In the United States, people began to see Christmas as a perfect family gathering holiday. They again were influenced by old traditions from Catholics and Episcopalians who had immigrated into the country. While commercialization has somewhat thinned the original meanings of Christmas, the family and kindness still prevails, bringing warmth to the coldest part of the year.

Santa Claus

In Europe, there was Sinterklaas, Saint Nicholas, and Father Christmas. Eventually, these ideas came over the the United States, where they mixed in for a while until forming the modern image of Santa Claus. The most famous propagator of Santa's image is Coca-Cola, who spread the red and white, jolly Santa throughout the nation and the world.

A (somewhat humorous) depiction of different Santas. Image from Coroflot

Christmas Fun Facts!

• Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas were originally different people
• Religion plays quite the role in the formation of Christmas
• Historians and archaeologists believe that Jesus was born in the summertime, but that the celebration of Christmas was merged with pagan celebrations around the same time.
• Yule and other celebrations had some of their traditions absorbed into Christmas, such as a meal or giftgiving
• The birth of Christ is on Christmas, but is known specifically as the Nativity.
• Christmas 1914, during Wold War 1, saw enemy German and British soldiers celebrate Chritmas together, on the land between the trenches. This is known in history today as the Christmas Truce of 1914
• Easter was the main celebration of Christianity before the Church decided to institute the celebration of Chirstmas in the 4th century. Pope Julius I chose December 25 to absorb Roman traditions.
• Before, Christmas included the ideal that it was the time for the rich to give back to society, serving the poor on that day with their best food and drink.

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Humorous Christmas Chart

Name	Reindeer?	The Most Famous Reindeer of All	Reference Image
Dasher	Yes	No
Dancer	Yes	No
Prancer	Yes	No
Vixen	Yes	No
Comet	Yes	No
Cupid	Yes	No
Donner	Yes	No
Blitzen	Yes	No
Rudolph	Yes	Yes