When Christmas wasn't legal in America

Did you know America’s earliest settlers didn’t celebrate Christmas? The pilgrims (as history refers to them) may have ushered in the first Thanksgiving, but they were not fans of Christmas. The pilgrims were Separatists. They were much more conservative than the Puritans who want to purify the Anglican Church. Instead, the Separatists desired to start a new church that followed the Lord in a stricter fashion. They shunned anything related to paganism.

Separatist and Puritan ban the celebration
December 25, 1620 found the pilgrims frantically building shelters against the harsh winter. They had only arrived days earlier, resting only on the Sabbath. The following decades showed no inclinations to recognize the day. Both the Separatist and the Puritans who founded Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 banned Christmas celebrations.
Their reasons were both theological and moral. They believed Jesus was born in September rather than December.  Historically, December  25 was  on or near the Roman festival Saturnalia, the celebration of their Sun God, Mithra. Pope Julius I in 350 ADE supposedly chose that day to celebrate Christ’s birth to substitute a pagan ritual with a holy day. Naturally, neither the Separatists nor the Puritans desired to associate the birth of their Savior with the celebration of a pagan god.
Most Christmas celebrations in Europe went beyond a church service. Another thing that bothered our early settlers. There was much drunkenness, partying and debauchery, things they believed drew attention away from holiness, one of the pillars of their faith. Cotton Mathers, a leader of the Puritan church in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, identified those vices as playing games, cards, dancing, gluttony, and other things. That list doesn’t sound dissimilar to how we celebrate today to family game times, entertainment and overeating, except we might add football watching to the mix.

Cotton Mathers Getty Image

Vote out as a National Holiday, banned and fines
Christmas as a celebration was removed as a national holiday in England in 1645 due to a large Puritan influence in Parliament. Although it was unofficially celebrated after the workday was over. And religious services were still observed.
New England colonists banned any form of celebration in the 1600 and 1700s. Fines of five shillings, a hefty amount for most citizens, was levied against anyone who took the day off from work or was discovered feasting. The Puritans continued to ban it well into the 19th century.
Changes came slowly
As our country grew and new colonies formed, immigrants from other countries brought their Christmas traditions with them, both religious and secular. Benjamin Franklin wrote in his Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1739 regarding Christmas: “O blessed Season! Lov’d by Saints and Sinners/ For long devotions and even longer Dinners.”
During the Revolutionary War, Christmas was associated with England’s tyranny by many colonial New Englanders and was treated as any other day. George Washington and his men claimed a decisive victory on December 25, 1776, over the Hessian soldiers who were sleeping off a very drunken Christmas celebration.

 Even after America won their freedom, the Senate assembled on Christmas Day 1797, as did the House in 1802. Again, most of the thirteen colonies still carried on business as usual.

St Nicholas Poem and Alabama
By the mid-1800s celebrating Christmas gained popularity. Clement Clarke Moore’s Poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, published in New York in 1823 to much success shows the shift in acceptance of non-religious celebrations. Alabama was the first state to make Christmas a legal holiday in 1836, other states soon followed.
Massachusetts was the hold out. Businesses and schools stayed open through the 1850s, although the attitude was changing. Finally, President U. S. Grant declared Christmas a national holiday in 1870.
Christmas continued to change.
Along with making Christmas a national holiday came the adoption of many Christmas traditions from other cultures as our country spread from coast to coast. There are still groups today who don’t celebrate Christmas, not all for religious reasons. And unlike those in the past who were judged for celebrating, these groups are given the freedom to ignore the holiday if they desire.
Were you aware of the history behind Christmas as a holiday in America? What’s your favorite part of Christmas?

Cindy Ervin Huff, is a multi-published award-winning author. A 2018 Selah Finalist. She has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.
 

Cherishing Her Heart
Dianna Pilson takes on a new identity as Susan Sullivan after escaping from the asylum her  unsavory ex-husband put her in. She heads west with Fredrick Sullivan, her late father’s valet, pretending to be his daughter. They arrive in the small-town of Cooperville, Kansas where Fredrick has kin.  Becoming a simple woman of a lower class is challenging. She has no domestic skills, but her new Papa and his family are right there to help and keep her safe. Changing herself is much harder than she imagined, but far better than a lifetime in an asylum.
 

Monty Summerfield, a wealthy businessman, moved to Cooperville  to start over after his unscrupulous partner blew up the mine they owned with him in it. Assuming Monty was dead he  stole his identity and even his mail-order bride. After Ernie’s death, Monty has worked hard to regain his good name. Content as a bachelor he focuses on building his business interests and helping the community. Then Susan Sullivan steps off the stagecoach. He’s captivated by her, but can he risk his heart and scale the walls she’s built around hers.
As danger lurks from Susan’s past, and Monty steps up to help, can she trust him? Will their only solution lead to a happily-ever-after or bring on more trouble?

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