History Of Christmas In America

H ave you ever wondered about the history of Christmas in America? One day last December, I sat in my living room watching a beautiful, gentle snowfall. I was thinking about the holidays, recalling our family Thanksgiving and comparing it to the Pilgrims’ first feast in America. Then, a question popped into my mind. How did the Pilgrims celebrate Christmas? So, off to the library I went. I was particularly interested to learn which Christmas carols the pilgrims sang.

I was stunned to discover that the first Pilgrims never celebrated Christmas. In fact, for a number of years it was a crime to celebrate Christmas in the northern colonies! In this they were going along with the Puritans back in England, where Oliver Cromwell, the Head Of State for England, had declared Christmas celebrations to be a criminal offense.

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