History of Christmas

Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrated around the world commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. In the third century, efforts were made to find out the date of the Nativity, but only in the year 336 A.D. was the date of the Dec. 25 festival set in commemoration of Jesus’ birth. Pope Julius formally selected Dec. 25 as the day of Christmas in 349 A.D.
Roman Catholics, Lutherans, members of the Dutch Reformed and Anglican churches, and those of the German sects were most responsible for establishing Christmas traditions in America. Christmas customs spread with the westward expansion of the United States, and by the late 1800s, it had become firmly entrenched in American society.
Santa Claus made his first foray into American culture in the late 1700s when groups of Dutch families in New York gathered to celebrate and honor St. Nicholas on the anniversary of his death on December 6. The name Santa Claus came from St. Nicholas’ Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, which is short for Sint Nikolaas.
St. Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor. Many stories exist about St. Nicholas’ reputation for secret gift-giving and his kind deeds helping less fortunate people. His feast day became a children’s holiday associated with giving small gifts.
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Christmas Cards Through the Years: The Many Faces of Santa
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1910s
Santa was a formal fellow, driving his reindeer-drawn sleigh in a very traditional way in Hallmark’s early years. -
1920s
His red suit and green belt were hand-colored by Hallmark colorists in the days before affordable color printing. -
1920s
He’s baaaaack… -
1930s
Up on the rooftop Santa and his reindeer are ready to descend the chimney. -
1940s
Longtime Hallmark artist Vivian Smith brought her distinctive, detailed style to the jolly old elf. -
1940s
Who needs reindeer when air travel is available? -
1950s
Santa cautions quiet and promises “somepin'” up his sleeve. -
1950s
Santa’s at the center of it all in this jingle bell wreath design. -
1950s
Baby Boomers were young and Hallmark created fun, child-friendly designs for them. -
1950s
Norman Rockwell, one of the best-known and best-loved artists in midcentury America, lent his talent to Hallmark’s interpretation of Santa. -
1960s
Traditional styles give way to more graphic interpretations in this decade. -
1960s
Another Christmas Eve, another trip down the chimney… -
1960s
Santa’s groovy style takes on stripes. -
1960s
Santa raises a glass and looks a bit tipsy on this fuzzy card. -
1960s
Santa takes on a minimalist look with a bird in his beard. -
1970s
Santa succumbs to black-light mania. -
1970s
Red and green colors are the only traditional things about this Santa image. -
1970s
Santa stuffs the golf bag, not the stocking. -
1980s
More traditional stylings of Santa Claus return. -
1980s
Another traditional view of the jolly old elf. -
1980s
When the Shoebox line appears in this decade, Santa uses the “me and the old bag” line one too many times. -
1980s
Bright primary colors and a graphic style mark this holiday card. -
1990s
Santa’s smartly styled in this graphic interpretation. -
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. -
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. -
2010s
Open this card and Santa becomes a 3-D pop-up to make the holidays merry. -
2010s
Who’s got the most Facebook friends? It’s a pretty sure bet Santa’s at the top of the list!
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