I am willing to bet that you are one of those rare individuals who normally think out side the box. Allow me to ask you a quick question Have you ever wondered about the history of Christmas? Have you wondered what it was like? Have you ever wondered how the happy holiday came about? Well no need to wonder my friend I am about to reveal a little fact that will knock your socks off.
I wish that I could share the entire history of Christmas with you from beginning to end right now. In order to do that I would need to write a book. I will however give you some facts that will knock your socks off, or at the very least surprise you.
Lets take a little trip to what I like to call Christmas past. We will travel all the way back to the early 17th century. Im talking about a time when a wave of religious change, the holiday known, as Christmas would be forever changed in the land of Europe. When a guy by the name of Oliver Cromwell and his puritan followers invaded England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence, which lead to the cancellation of Christmas. Eventually Charles II was restored to the throne, so was Christmas.
Stay with me Things are just starting to get good!
The group of pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. This meant that Christmas was not a holiday in the early days of America. In fact from 1659 to 1681, the act of celebrating Christmas was actually illegal in Boston. If you were caught celebrating the Christmas holiday in any way shape or form you were fined five shillings. In contrast, during the Jamestown settlement, a guy by the name Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
As I sit here writing this article I cannot help but let my mind wonder a bit. I keep imagining living in a time where leaders who refused to celebrate Christmas controlled you. Did you know that with a stroke of a pen Christmas could be canceled again?
So I have digressed Allow me to continue. After the American Revolution when English customs began to fall out of favor, this included Christmas. Get this " Congress was actually in session on December 25, 1789, which was the first Christmas under Americas new constitution. Christmas wasnt declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
I hope that you have enjoyed this article. Please do a search or check back for the rest of my Christmas fact articles. If you are a parent and or teacher visit my library of free Christmas coloring pages " you will find the link below. While you are there take the time to look at the other categories of free stuff for your kids.
I wish that I could share the entire history of Christmas with you from beginning to end right now. In order to do that I would need to write a book. I will however give you some facts that will knock your socks off, or at the very least surprise you.
Lets take a little trip to what I like to call Christmas past. We will travel all the way back to the early 17th century. Im talking about a time when a wave of religious change, the holiday known, as Christmas would be forever changed in the land of Europe. When a guy by the name of Oliver Cromwell and his puritan followers invaded England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence, which lead to the cancellation of Christmas. Eventually Charles II was restored to the throne, so was Christmas.
Stay with me Things are just starting to get good!
The group of pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. This meant that Christmas was not a holiday in the early days of America. In fact from 1659 to 1681, the act of celebrating Christmas was actually illegal in Boston. If you were caught celebrating the Christmas holiday in any way shape or form you were fined five shillings. In contrast, during the Jamestown settlement, a guy by the name Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
As I sit here writing this article I cannot help but let my mind wonder a bit. I keep imagining living in a time where leaders who refused to celebrate Christmas controlled you. Did you know that with a stroke of a pen Christmas could be canceled again?
So I have digressed Allow me to continue. After the American Revolution when English customs began to fall out of favor, this included Christmas. Get this " Congress was actually in session on December 25, 1789, which was the first Christmas under Americas new constitution. Christmas wasnt declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
I hope that you have enjoyed this article. Please do a search or check back for the rest of my Christmas fact articles. If you are a parent and or teacher visit my library of free Christmas coloring pages " you will find the link below. While you are there take the time to look at the other categories of free stuff for your kids.
About the Author:
This is the first in a series of Christmas history articles brought to you by Tim Beachum. You can also download Free Christmas Coloring Pages Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
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