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?

Available February 2025 Grab this link to preorder.

First Amendment of the Constitution

By Elaine Marie Cooper My recent blog posts for Heroes, Heroines, and History have turned into a series. Why? Because never before in my lifetime, have the Amendments of the United States Constitution been teetering on the precipice of a cliff. It has become both alarming and anti-American. I have covered the passage of the 12th, 13th, and 15th Amendments so far in my previous posts. Today, I’m going back to the First Amendment. Here is what it says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The right to freedom of religion—whether Christianity, Judaism, or any other group—was the whole basis for the founding of this country. When the Pilgrims escaped England in 1620, it’s because they were being persecuted for holding services contrary to the Church of England.

Many of the Pilgrims were members of a Puritan sect known as the Separatists. They believed that membership in the Church of England violated the biblical precepts for true Christians, and they had to break away and form independent congregations that adhered more strictly to divine requirements. This did not sit well with the state religion (Church of England) that considered such “insurrection” as treason. Hence, the Separatists were willing to face a dangerous ocean voyage to start life anew in an unknown land. The Pilgrims followed the Geneva translation of the Bible. They took seriously the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18: (16) And what agrement hathe the Temple of God with idoles? for ye are the Temple of the living God: as God hathe said, I wil dwell among them, and walke there; and I wil be their God, and shalbe my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and separate your selves, faith the Lord: and touche none uncleane thing, & I wil receive you. (18) And I wil be a Father unto you, and ye shalbe my sonnes and daughters, saith the Lord almightie. One does not need to look far in the news to see the horror of persecution based on one’s religious beliefs. The First Amendment was written to protect this God-given right. The Amendment also ensures the right to free speech. This includes speech that may be considered offensive to some, which can include everything from religious sermons to vile programs filled with foul language. It does not, however, protect someone from yelling “Fire!” in a crowd, which could obviously cause pandemonium and even death. Freedom of the press ensures the right to publish and/or proclaim news that some believe but some may not. That is our right. The right to petition government for redress of grievances is the right to make a complaint to, or seek the assistance of one's government, without fear of punishment or reprisals. For example, if a law comes up for a vote, U.S. citizens have the right to call their congress person representing their district to complain about the contents of said legislation.

One may ask why the United States Constitution was drafted in the first place. If you think back to U.S. History classes from long ago, you may remember an event called Shay’s rebellion that occurred in 1786 and 1787. The newly formed United States was reeling from the huge debt incurred by the American Revolution that had ended in 1783. In order to head off a monetary crisis, the state governments raised taxes to the point that many lost their farms and businesses. The rural citizens made efforts to petition their state governments for help but to no avail.

In desperation and anger, the citizens of Massachusetts began attacking government buildings such as courthouses to rebel against these laws. It heated up to a full-blown rebellion in Springfield, MA led by Daniel Shays, the leader of the farmers’ cause. Shays was also a Revolutionary War veteran. Before the smoke cleared, 4 Americans were killed and 20 wounded. These were men who had just a few years before, had fought for this country. The revolutionaries were arrested and two were hanged. Most were eventually pardoned from their crimes. But the threat posed by these events led to the retired General George Washington returning to public service and eventually, he was elected President of the United States. In order to strengthen the federal government, the Constitutional Convention was called in 1787. Their work established the specific powers of the federal government, including the separation of powers into three branches of government.

The Constitution was ratified in 1789 and these became the law of our land ever since. They are as alive today as when they were ratified. You can read this article for more info about Shay’s rebellion: https://www.history.com/news/how-shays-rebellion-changed-america

Elaine Marie Cooper’s novel, Love’s Kindling is the second-place winner in Historical Romance for the 2020 Selah Award contest. Her most recent release is Scarred Vessels, which involves the slave trade in the Northeast during the Revolution. Like many of Cooper’s books, it focuses on the era of the American Revolution. She has authored several historical novels, a non-fiction memoir, and has been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. Although not a current resident of New England, Cooper’s heart for history was birthed there and continues to thrive. You can visit her website at www.elainemariecooper.com

Pressing On: Perseverance, Separatists and Canals

Have you seen books or articles about asking God to help you find the perfect word for the new year? This past year my words found me through the research and Bible verses I used for the theme of my latest historical novella, Pressing On, published by Barbour Publishing in The Erie Canal Brides Collection.

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14 (KJV)
"But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." Romans 8:25 (NKJV) 

People of the early nineteenth century certainly had to “press on” and persevere!

A couple of years ago I read an interesting article in a secular magazine about building the canal system in the American Midwest, so I suggested a book about romance along the canals to Rebecca Germany of Barbour. She liked the idea and asked me to get together with my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, to form a group of writers to set seven stories along the Erie Canal and parts of Ohio. She also mentioned she would love one of the stories to be set near Zoar, Ohio, where the Separatists settled. So I decided to anchor my story there.

At the wash house in Zoar, where my heroine Amanda spent lots of time!

If you went to school in the 1950s and 1960s like I did, you may remember the song lyrics “I’ve got a mule, and her name is Sal…Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.” This was what most canal boat captains could cover in a day on the water. Canals were built in many locations across the United States as a cheaper, faster means of moving goods from one place to another. The Erie Canal was built near Lake Erie in the state of New York. The building of this canal “from Albany to Buffalo” began in 1817 and finished in 1825, which was very fast considering it covered 363 miles and took literally tons of back-breaking labor, much of it by hand.

Today I want to tell you about a group of people I had never heard of before starting my research for this collection. The German Separatists who settled in Zoar, Ohio, fled the kingdom of Württemberg in southwestern Germany due to religious persecution. Their core beliefs included dedication to a life of moderation and fervent expectation of our Lord’s soon return. They disagreed with the state church over issues such as sacraments and holidays, and they faced imprisonment and the seizure of their property for refusing military service.

The Quakers in America heard about their plight and offered to pay their ship passage from the Old World to the New, and even loaned them money to buy the land in Ohio. They named their new settlement after the Biblical city of Zoar, where Lot landed after he fled Sodom.

When the Separatists came over from Germany, their leaders proposed having everything in common, and the people agreed. In some ways they remind me of the Shakers.

In order to pay off their loan from the Quakers, the Zoar Seperatists contracted to build the canal through their land. They went through a period of years while the canals were being built where the men and women lived in separate housing and were forbidden to marry so the women could labor alongside the men to speed the process. Some of the women developed bald patches on their heads from carrying dirt in heavy baskets.

When they were again allowed to marry within the group, they still had everything in common and still were controlled by the trustees. For their work, they were given food and shelter, although many had to share homes.

The group formed in 1819 and disbanded in 1898 so the movement lasted less than eighty years. The original Separatists emphasized kindness and giving, but they also had strict rules and had to follow the trustees. As they went through the Civil War and as the town built a hotel, people saw how others lived with more freedom and in charge of their own money. The younger people voted to sell the property and divide up the money and land.

An 1829 hotel and tavern built by the Society of Separatists to serve canal travelers

My husband and I traveled to Zoar last year so I could see it for myself and do more research. Descendants of the Separatists still live in Zoar, and we met several of them on our trip. Like their predecessors, they struck me as kind and giving people.

On a side note, a few years ago, a friend asked me to go to Amish country in Ohio with her, and we rode on a canal boat pulled by a horse. We think this was near Coshocton, Ohio. I remember it as a ride that was peaceful and quiet, similar to Zoar. There is also the village of Roscoe nearby, off Highway 83, which is also quaint and quiet.


Pressing On, by Rose McCauley 


As a child, Amanda Mack loved her life in Zoar, Ohio, where she was born to Separatists who had helped build the canal. Now an adult (1857), she starts to chafe at its many restrictions. After meeting riverboat captain Daniel Jeremiah, they both must make decisions about their futures. Would she give up the way of life she grew up loving?


Pressing On is included in:

The Erie Canal Brides Collection

Seven romance stories take you back to the building of the Erie Canal and the opening of the Midwest to greater development.


Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, and soon other states like Ohio created canals linking Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Suddenly the Midwest was open to migration, the harvesting of resources, and even tourism. Join seven couples who live through the rise of the canals and the problems the waterways brought to each community, including land grabs, disease, tourists, racism, and competition. Can these couples hang on to their faith and develop love during times of intense change?

Rose Allen McCauley has been writing since she retired from teaching school and joined American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She is thrilled for this to be her third collection with Barbour and her seventh published work. She and her spouse just celebrated their golden anniversary with their three children and spouses and now six grandchildren! She loves to hear from her readers. Please connect with Rose at:
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