The History of Christmas Traditions in America
Christmas in America has a remarkably complicated history — from being actively banned in some colonies to becoming the most commercially significant holiday in the nation's calendar. The story of how Christmas evolved into its modern American form is a fascinating intersection of immigration, commerce, literature, and cultural negotiation.
Early America: The Puritan Opposition
The Puritans of New England weren't simply unenthusiastic about Christmas — they actively prohibited it. In 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony made celebrating Christmas a fineable offense, viewing it as a papist invention with pagan roots and no scriptural basis. This prohibition remained on the books until 1681. Christmas in early New England was often a day of work, not celebration. The holiday's fortunes in America would depend greatly on which cultural traditions incoming waves of immigrants brought with them.
The German and Dutch Influence
German and Dutch immigrants brought many of the traditions now considered quintessentially American. German settlers in Pennsylvania brought the Christmas tree tradition, which had been popularized in Germany at least since Martin Luther's time. The Dutch brought Sinterklaas — the gift-giving saint — who evolved into Santa Claus through the particular alchemy of American cultural mixing. By the early 1800s, these traditions were spreading beyond immigrant communities into the broader American mainstream.
The Literary Revival of the 19th Century
Christmas as we know it was significantly shaped by literature. Washington Irving's stories in "The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" (1820) presented an idealized vision of Christmas celebration that resonated powerfully with an urbanizing, nostalgic American audience. Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823) established the modern image of Santa Claus — jolly, round, and arriving by reindeer sleigh. Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" (1843), though British, was enormously popular in America and helped establish Christmas as a holiday centered on generosity, family, and social conscience.
Christmas Becomes a Federal Holiday
Christmas was declared a federal holiday by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870, reflecting both the holiday's cultural consolidation and the desire to establish national days of unity after the Civil War. By this point, the Christmas tree, Christmas cards, and commercial gift-giving were firmly established in middle-class American culture, and the holiday was growing more elaborate with each passing decade.
The 20th Century and Commercial Christmas
The 20th century saw Christmas transform into America's dominant commercial event. Department store Christmas displays, the Sears Wish Book, the Coca-Cola Santa (which standardized the red-suited image), and the proliferation of Christmas songs through radio and film all contributed to a holiday culture of extraordinary commercial power and cultural ubiquity. The "War on Christmas" debates of the early 21st century are perhaps the latest chapter in a history of Christmas that has always involved negotiation between different communities over what the holiday means and to whom it belongs.
Discover more about how different regions celebrate the season in our guide to regional Christmas traditions, or explore the best Christmas markets in the US.