The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 2 (TMF:SE22)

Thursday, December 14, 2017
Peace to Live By: The Rise of the Celebration of Christmas, Part 2 (TMF:SE22) - Daniel Litton
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       Present giving really wasn’t present during Washington’s time, nor was the celebration of Christmas in the form of any special meals or food, yet Christmas had made its way into church hymnals during his time (Nissenbaum, pp. 30, 31, 33). Of important note, though, is that late December during the time of the latter 1700s was one of rest and making special foods anyway, as many were resting from their harvest work that had just taken place a short period of time earlier. So, while some were if fact taking time off of work, it wasn’t for Christmas. And while some special foods were made in regard to the season, like mince pies, these foods would have been made anyway due to the fact of what time of year it was. But, we do, on the other hand, see that Christmas hymns had been added to church hymnals in the Colonies by the 1750s. So, it is clear that at least some churches celebrated Christmas by singing hymns to some extent. One minister, in his diary in 1749, actually expressed that he wished people took greater notice of Christmas—that people would care to celebrate it more (Nissenbaum, p. 37).

Reference
Nissenbaum, Stephen. (1996). The Battle for Christmas. New York: Vintage Books.