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1761 Christmas in Virginia - Hopes for Hymnals for the Slaves
Reverend John Wright was a Presbyterian minister active in Cumberland County, Virginia, during the 1760s. On the Feast of the Epiphany, 1761, he wrote to several benefactors in England describing the...
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Christmas With George Washington
1772 George Washington (1732-1799) by Charles Willson Peale detailGeorge Washington's letters record the giving of gifts to children in the colonial South. George's Christmas list for his stepchildren...
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1755 Marylanders read of a new London school theater for Christmas Plays
1733 The Laughing Audience from an etching by William Hogarth (1697-1764) detail adapted by Edward Matthew Ward (1816-1879)British American colonists were at least aware of the English tradition of...
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1742 Christmas Games in Georgia followed by a few Glasses of Wine
In the colony of Georgia, the Christmas holidays were celebrated with the playing of games & a bit of evening drinking. William Stephens (1671-1753) described the holidays in Savannah in 1742. He...
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1791 Diversity of Christmas celebrations in Philadelphia
Quaker (Philadelphia Society of Friends) Caleb Cresson (1742-1816), wrote in his journal of a diversity of Christmas celebrations in Philadelphia in 1791-1792 "1st Day, 25th.—This being accounted the...
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1749 Christmas in Philadelphia
Peter Kalm 1716-1779 signed J. G. Geitel, c. 1764In the Middle colonies, some celebrated Christmas, while others did not, depending on their religious affiliation. Peter Kalm, a Finnish-Swedish...
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1739 Christmas in Virginia - a "Mixture of Piety & Licentiousness"
In December 1739, the Virginia Gazette briefly recounted a history of the holiday, noting that some Christians"celebrate this Season in a Mixture of Piety and Licentiousness in a pious Way only "behave...
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Virginian William Byrd eats his way through Christmas
William Byrd II (1674–1744) by Sir Godfrey KnellerOn December 25, 1739, Virginian William Byrd II wrote in his diary that “I ate boiled Turkey and oysters.” William Byrd celebrated Twelfth Night. On...
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1702 Christmas Pranks at School in Virginia
Rev James Blair (ca. 1655–1743) probably painted by Charles BridgesBy 1702, Christmas pranking had become popular in Virginia. The Reverend James Blair, founder of the College of William and Mary, was...
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Thomas Jefferson celebrates Christmas at Monticello
John Trumbull (American painter, 1756-1843) Portrait of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) 1788Thomas Jefferson was not always jolly at Christmas. Jefferson wrote to John Page on December 25, 1762, "This...
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1781 The 1st recorded illuminated Christmas tree in North America
Frederika Charlotte Louise von Massow, Barroness von RiedeseLots of folks use the day after Thanksgiving to begin to gather together their Christmas decorations. The earliest evidence of an...
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US Slaves during the 18C & 19C Christmas Holidays
The Slave Experience of the HolidaysFrom Documenting the American South. University Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.American slaves experienced the Christmas holidays in many...
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Saint Nicholas - Sinter Klass comes to NYC in 1773
Icon of Nicholas of MyraThe legend of Santa Claus goes back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in...
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Christmas 1765 - John Adams'"most remarkable Year of my Life" - The Diary,...
John Adams by John Trumbull, 1792–93John Adams ponderous Christmas of 1765December 1765Braintree Decr. 18th. 1765. Wednesday....The Year 1765 has been the most remarkable Year of my Life. That enormous...
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The Christmas Tree comes to the USA
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16C, when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood & decorated them...
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Advent Traditions - England Medieval "Dolls" or perhaps puppets as Baby Jesus...
Roman du bon roi Alexandre Manuscript by Jehan de Grise, France 1344.In medieval & pre-medieval times, in parts of England, there were early forms of Nativity scenes called "advent images" or...
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Advent Traditions - Italy
Christmas time begins on the 1st Sunday of Advent in Italy, which comes 4 weekends before Christmas. This period is called "Novena." Children during this time go out singing Christmas carols &...
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Christmas Wassailing as Social Protest in England & her North American Colonies
Not so innocent Wassailing from house to house1860 Wassail Bowl Sir John GilbertBy about 1600, it had become a custom for commoners to take a wassail bowl about the streets and probably from house to...
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Christmas Wassail as a Punch - From England to her Colonies
The word Wassail expanded from being a greeting to be a term used to refer to the punch drink related to the toast. The punch which was usually spiced ale or a form of mulled wine made throughout the...
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The Washingtons celebrate Christmas at Mount Vernon
Christmas often was primarily a religious holiday in 18C Virginia. It was also, however, a festive occasion marked by visits between friends & relatives, celebratory parties, & public...
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