The history of Christmas and the many ways and reasons we celebrate

History of Christmas | Hallmark

Christmas feels timeless and unchanging as a season of celebration, sacredness, connection, gratitude and giving.

Yet the way we see and celebrate Christmas today—with lighted trees, gift giving, crafted ornaments, greeting cards, church ceremonies, Christmas carols, holiday decor and a jolly pot-bellied guy called Santa—is relatively new.

Keep reading to explore the history of Christmas and the evolution of the holiday as both a sacred season and a driving force in popular culture. Indeed, there are many different stories to tell about this beloved holiday!

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Why Christmas is on December 25  

The Christian Bible does not mention the exact birthdate of Jesus Christ. The December 25 date was chosen for two reasons:  a mid-winter holiday celebrating life and light would be familiar across many pre-Christian cultures; and some early Church leaders’ understanding that allowing parts of pre-Christian religious practices to be absorbed could help convert people to Christianity.

The idea of a mid-winter holiday celebrating light amid darkness was a common observance among nearly all early cultures—just as it is today. Believe it or not, something about the cold and dark has always inspired human to gather with friends and family. By the early Christian period, Jewish people had already celebrated Hanukkah for centuries.

As Christianity spread around the world, encountering diverse cultures, religions and political systems, some scholars believe the early Church recognized the advantage of adapting existing religious traditions and rituals to coincide with the timing of widely celebrated festivals and customs. For example, if Christmas was celebrated around the same time as the winter solstice, it could be familiar to the devotion of pagans who already celebrated festivals of light, miracles and rebirth.

By the Middle Ages, Christmas had become the primary observance where the Church existed. However, early Christians did not celebrate Jesus’ birth the way many do today. The holy day remained a reverential and minor observance.

Celebrations that share Christmas traditions and icons  

Birthday of the Unconquered Sun

For hundreds of years before Christ, worshippers across ancient Persia, India, Greece and Rome observed the nativity or birth of the Sun God Mithra(s) on December 25. Mithras, who was said to have emerged through a miracle birth and performed many wonders in his lifetime, was heralded as the “the light” and symbolized as a lamb.

Saturnalia

Similarly,  holidays like the Roman Saturnalia—which celebrated Saturn, the god of abundance and freedom—marked the winter solstice with a week-long festival, which ended on December 25. The event occasioned raucous festivities, ritual candle-lighting, plentiful toasts and drunken revelry, over-indulgent feasting, gift-giving, singing and merry-making.

Yule

Yule, a Germanic and Norse tradition observed on December 21—the winter solstice and shortest day of the year—also celebrated the return of the light and was marked by loud celebration, gift-giving, heavy ritualized drinking, and wassailing or singing to drive away evil spirits. At Yule, fathers and their sons brought home large logs and set them on fire. The Yule feast lasted until the log burned out, often for 12 days.

Customs and beliefs surrounding evergreens

In many pre-Christian cultures, evergreen plants and trees like fir, holly and ivy symbolized the victory of the sun and life over winter and death, as well as the ideas of rebirth and everlasting life in many cultures.

In Scandinavia, mistletoe is associated with the Viking goddess Frigg, who turned the plant into a symbol of kissing affection after the resurrection of her son, the god Baldur. And the Celts, particularly the Druids, used it to symbolize fertility, life force and protection from the evils of the winter dark.

How Christmas became a national holiday in the United States  

Colonial times

In early colonial days, European colonists who came from different countries, cultures and religious outlooks had diverse attitudes toward the celebration of Christmas. There was little common understanding of the holiday, no shared observance and no regular celebration.

A few colonists did celebrate with feasts, caroling or wassailing, and drunken parades through the streets. Others took no notice of the day.  Religious groups like the Puritans and Calvinists were committed to a strictly biblical style of worship that forbade the celebration of Christ’s birth because the Bible did not specifically instruct worshippers to celebrate the day.

Believe it or not, in 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony (which included parts of present-day Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut) waged an all-out war on Christmas! The colony officially outlawed all Christmas celebrations and church services, banning any observance for 22 years.

As the nation grew, religious groups who considered themselves “Bible-based” avoided Christmas altogether throughout much of the 1800s. The day was almost exclusively celebrated by just a few denominations, with southern states celebrating more than northern states.

 

Unifying after the Civil War

It was only after the Civil War ended in 1865 and the country sought ways to reunite over the deep chasm that slavery and the war caused that Christmas became a national idea. The horrific aftermath of the fight left the nation refocused on family togetherness after the separations caused by the war, the need for social harmony between North and South, and the economic recovery of the nation.

Christmas became a federal holiday in 1870.But social and economic change brought on by the war, such as mass manufacturing, newly built transnational transportation systems, and the beginnings of mass media, expanded the holiday in new ways. Christmas would take on deepening secular significance that’s helped shape the popular culture of the U.S. ever since.

How Christmas became a pop culture celebration  

While the religious meanings of Christmas varied by denomination, common secular understandings were emerging, in part due to two European influences: the cultural contributions of immigrants like Germans and an American fascination with the culture of England. 

Immigrant influences

Some of the earliest immigrants to colonial America, German immigrants imported their native Christmas traditions. In the 1800s, newly arriving immigrants brought with them Christmas carols like “O Christmas Tree” and “Silent Night” (“O Tannenbaum” and “Stille Nacht” in German), live decorated candle-lit fir trees, Christmas markets, gingerbread houses, and candy canes, among other things.

British influences

British literature and culture helped give American Christmas a new sense of spirit. In 1843, British author Charles Dickens published “A Christmas Carol,” a story of how charity, compassion, goodwill to others and alleviating human suffering is what matters most about Christmas. The novel gave Christmas a new emotional and culture-changing aspect. That message would go on to resonate deeply with post-Civil War Americans who felt a profound sense of disconnection from each other.

The history of Santa  

A disclaimer for any young folks reading: What follows is information about how cultural ideas about Santa have changed through different cultures and time. But rest assured—as sure as love, family and joy are real in all their different forms, Santa is real, too.

The new sentimental spirit inspired by Dickens would become personified in the figure of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus. Traditions of St. Nicholas came to the continent with both German and Dutch immigrants. The Dutch called him “Sinter Klaas.” (They also introduced the tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney in hopes of treats.)

According to historians, the idea of Santa Claus began with Saint Nicolas of Myra, in Turkey around 300 A.D. He was known for his deep Christian faith and extraordinary compassion. As Christianity spread across Europe, the stories of his charity and compassion sparked new traditions.

In some European countries, children would leave their shoes out hoping for chocolate or fruit from the kindly saint. In Germany, St. Nicholas traveled with Krampus, a scary demon figure. Nicolas would reward “good” children and turn “bad” children over to Krampus for punishment.

In 1823, in the United States, a recurring piece in the New York Sentinel by writer Clement Clarke Moore called “A Visit From St. Nick” transformed Saint Nicholas—the tall and thin Christian saint—into “Jolly Old Saint Nick,” a round and pleasant elf who arrived on American rooftops in a sleigh with eight reindeer and gifts for the entire family. The serialized poem came to be known as the cherished classic, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

But it was Thomas Nast—the Civil War political cartoonist who gave us some of our most enduring American symbols like Uncle Sam and the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey—who created the modern image of Santa Claus we know today. Nast reimagined the jolly, red-fur clad, pink-cheeked, white bearded, potbellied, cookie-hungry fellow who flies in a sleigh with eight hooved reindeer and comes down chimneys with bags of presents for good children.

In Nast’s showing, Santa didn’t just bring presents. He brought kindness, happiness, goodwill and hope to all who were good, a goal that everyone in American society was encouraged to share.

In 1897, one of the most famous newspaper editorials ever written was “Yes, Virginia. There IS a Santa Claus.” Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon had posed the question to the well-respected and widely read New York Sun. Children all over the country anticipated the answer as the editor replied, “Yes, Virginia. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist.”

 

Santa in movies and television

Following 50 years later, the blockbusting, Oscar-winning Hollywood movie “Miracle on 34th Street” asked the question, “Is Santa real?” The final and decided answer was “Yes, kids! There is a Santa Claus! And he’s got lots of goodies for you.”

A new medium called television brought programs featuring Santa, Christmas choirs and concerts, Yuletide-themed variety shows, and the holiday ballet “The Nutcracker” to millions of viewers. And children’s programming like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” turned Christmas into a magical season for kids.

How consumerism changed Christmas  

While many people responded to changing meanings of Christmas with zeal, other Americans—religious and non-religious alike—became concerned that too many people were confusing happiness with gifts, material things and overconsumption.

When Santa emerged in American culture as a symbol of generosity and happy gift-giving, it was to the delight of many late 19th century and 20th century retailers, who soon discovered his vast selling power.  By the 20th century, Santa had become a central fixture of American department stores like Macy’s and Gimbel’s at Christmas and grabbed the public’s imagination.

The commercialization of Christmas through Santa and children’s programs (that were usually attached to toys to be sold) worried those who didn’t want Americans to believe that happiness equaled materialism and consumption and concerned religious leaders and parents who fretted that children might confuse Santa and Jesus. Or love Santa more than the Savior.

But, for many, religious and secular Christmas could co-exist and even overlap because of the different ways to give meaning to and take meaning from Christmas. Many treated the holiday as an opportunity to connect with one another in genuine ways.

And even though, to this day, tensions remain over gift giving, which started with small handmade novelties during the Civil War and turned to mass-produced gifts and conspicuous consumption by the 20th century, the desire for more thoughtful means of giving persists. Many choose to spend the season helping to feed others, building homes for the unhoused and clothing those in need.

For others, the season is a time to be intentional and thoughtful about how they connect with the ones they love.

The history of Christmas cards and gift wrap  

While the Chinese celebrated the New Year with handmade messages of goodwill to one another 3,500 years ago, and ancient Egyptians used papyrus to exchange cultural greetings as well, the first commercial greeting cards were made and produced in England in the 19th century.

The occasion? Christmas!

Sir Henry Cole hired his friend John Callcott Horsley, a painter and illustrator, to design the card featuring a sumptuous gathering but also images of the more fortunate helping the poor. Queen Victoria sent it as her official Christmas card, giving card sending an air of prestige. Factory manufacturing then made a thousand copies available for purchase to the Queen’s adoring public.

Greeting cards made their way across the ocean and soon became a favored way of sending season’s greetings for Christmas and connecting people near and far for many holidays and everyday occasions.

In 1915, two American brothers, Joyce and Rollie Hall, created their own Christmas cards with mailing envelopes that offered the public privacy for their messages and the pleasure of opening an envelope from a loved one.

The Hall brothers recognized the growing demand for personalized greeting cards and the public’s need to stay connected to loved ones, especially after the outbreak of World War I increased the need for families to send love and encouragement to soldiers at home and abroad. Greeting cards increased in popularity, and the act of card sending became a part of families’ Christmas traditions.

Two years later, in 1917, the Hall brothers invented modern gift-wrapping paper, which allowed the public to make the presentation of gifts more beautiful, thoughtful and special at Christmastime. Gift paper turned the act of receiving and unwrapping a gift itself into a caring experience between gift giver and recipient.

  • 1910s
    Santa was a formal fellow, driving his reindeer-drawn sleigh in a very traditional way in Hallmark’s early years.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1910s
  • 1920s
    His red suit and green belt were hand-colored by Hallmark colorists in the days before affordable color printing.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1920s
  • 1920s
    He’s baaaaack…
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1920s
  • 1930s
    Up on the rooftop Santa and his reindeer are ready to descend the chimney.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1930s
  • 1940s
    Longtime Hallmark artist Vivian Smith brought her distinctive, detailed style to the jolly old elf.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1940s
  • 1940s
    Who needs reindeer when air travel is available?
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1940s
  • 1950s
    Santa cautions quiet and promises “somepin'” up his sleeve.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1950s
  • 1950s
    Santa’s at the center of it all in this jingle bell wreath design.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1950s
  • 1950s
    Baby Boomers were young and Hallmark created fun, child-friendly designs for them.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1950s
  • 1950s
    Norman Rockwell, one of the best-known and best-loved artists in midcentury America, lent his talent to Hallmark’s interpretation of Santa.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1950s
  • 1960s
    Traditional styles give way to more graphic interpretations in this decade.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1960s
  • 1960s
    Another Christmas Eve, another trip down the chimney…
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1960s
  • 1960s
    Santa’s groovy style takes on stripes.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1960s
  • 1960s
    Santa raises a glass and looks a bit tipsy on this fuzzy card.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1960s
  • 1960s
    Santa takes on a minimalist look with a bird in his beard.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1960s
  • 1970s
    Santa succumbs to black-light mania.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1970s
  • 1970s
    Red and green colors are the only traditional things about this Santa image.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1970s
  • 1970s
    Santa stuffs the golf bag, not the stocking.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1970s
  • 1980s
    More traditional stylings of Santa Claus return.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1980s
  • 1980s
    Another traditional view of the jolly old elf.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1980s
  • 1980s
    When the Shoebox line appears in this decade, Santa uses the “me and the old bag” line one too many times.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1980s
  • 1980s
    Bright primary colors and a graphic style mark this holiday card.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1980s
  • 1990s
    Santa’s smartly styled in this graphic interpretation.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 1990s
  • 2000s
    “Sure hope you enjoyed a year of naughtiness,” read the caption for a picture of a lump of coal on the inside of this card.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 2000s
  • 2010s
    hoops&yoyo deliver the gifts and the fun in a webcam greeting that comes to life using augmented reality, a sure sign it’s not the 20th Century any more.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 2010s
  • 2010s
    Open this card and Santa becomes a 3-D pop-up to make the holidays merry.
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 2010s
  • 2010s
    Who’s got the most Facebook friends? It’s a pretty sure bet Santa’s at the top of the list!
    Hallmark Christmas cards through the years: 2010s

Christmas now  

Over decades and into the 21st century, whether religious, secular or someplace in between, today’s Christmas allows families to build traditions that feel personal and authentic to them, mark family togetherness as emotionally and spiritually meaningful, make memories together, and pass along their values.

Families—born and chosen—from many different ethnic and racial backgrounds and national origins, and different religious and denominational backgrounds find Christmas meaningful in different ways.

We hope this article helps you understand the fascinating history of Christmas and appreciate its beauty and opportunities for making treasured memories and traditions even more as you celebrate with everyone you love.

We wish you a Merry and joyous Christmas season!