Happy Winter Solstice 2025! December 21st, is the shortest day and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the start of astronomical winter as Earth's tilt positions us farthest from the Sun, but it also signals the return of longer days, bringing hope and renewal across cultures, with celebrations like Yule, Saturnalia, and Dongzhi honoring the sun's comeback. /

A Hidden History of Christmas

“Hidden History”

Joe Guy

December 25, 1789, was the first Christmas under America's new constitution.  And while some 215 years later our legislators will be spending that time at home with their families, our first Congress was actually in session that late December day.  Christmas was at the time considered to be an “English” holiday, and as such was not officially observed. Christmas would not be declared a federal holiday in America until June 26, 1870.

Earlier still, the celebration of Christmas was often outlawed.  Many of the Puritans believed that the celebrating and decorating were not proper. In Boston in the late 1600’s, any person exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings.  There were some accepted celebrations of the day, such as in Jamestown, that involved a gathering of people and a great feast.

A time of celebrating in late December goes back thousands of years.  Early Europeans believed that as the winter days grew shorter and the nights grew longer, the presence of evil spirits increased with the increased time of darkness.  So they celebrated the Winter solstice to welcome the return of the sun and longer daylight.  The Mesopotamians and Persians also celebrated and worshiped their Gods around this time of the year.  The Yuletide was a Scandinavian celebration of the same type, which involved the ritual burning of the Yule log and feasting until the log was consumed.  There was also the tradition of hanging apples and other dried fruit from a tree to signify the return of spring.

Later, the Romans celebrated what they called Saturnalia, or the festival of their god Saturn, which ran from the middle of December until the New Year.  This involved a great time of feasting, parades, parties, and the giving of “good luck” gifts.  As Christianity spread, the observance of such decadence was frowned upon. In an effort to sway attention away from festivals such as Saturnalia, in 140 AD it was decided to observe the birth of Christ during this time with a solemn day of remembrance.  But the old traditions of feasting and revelry continued until finally accepted around 350 AD, thus placing a more “Christian” label on the events while still keeping many of the traditions.  Still, many Christians chose not keep such a religious holiday.

Christmas traditions continued on and off throughout Western Europe, some years being accepted, and at other times it was condemned.  But traditions of feasting, decorating with greenery, and some kind of celebration were kept throughout the middle ages and into the 1400’s.  But few of these holidays were to remember the Christ-child; to most it was simply a time of revelry.

Such traditions made their way to the new world during the age of discovery, but like the examples of Boston and Jamestown, different groups observed the day in different ways, or not at all.  It had been an overly bawdy 1827 Christmas riot in New York had caused that city to form its first police department.  As late as the early 20^th Century, it was not unusual to celebrate Christmas with fireworks and gunshots, which was especially common in rural areas such as Appalachia.

The writings of Washington Irving are credited with literally creating the holiday that we call Christmas in the early 1800’s.  It was during this time of social class conflict that Irving wrote stories of Christmas being a time of gathering together, of good will toward our fellow man, and of peaceful sharing with others. Irving was writing to change the social consciousness, and his “creation” of a wholesome Christmas holiday is evidence of his success.

The familiar images of Christmas, as it is known today, did not appear until after the Civil War.  Santa Claus began to appear with red suit, beard, and a bag of goodies.  Decorated Christmas trees started as a Victorian era fad that was spread all over the country through pictures in magazines.

It was also during the Victorian age that the American family became less disciplined.  More attention was given to children, and Christmas was the perfect opportunity to provide both a moral story as well as a time of magic for little ones.  Over time, old traditions were unearthed and reworked, and with the support of many churches the season of festivities was given over to the Birth of Christ, while at the same time including Santa Claus, the decorating of trees, sending Christmas cards, and giving gifts.  The family Christmas dinner replaced the often decadent Christmas feast.  By the middle of the 20^th Century, much of the world had adopted America’s version of Christmas.

While it is easy to assume that our current celebration of Christmas is the way it has always been, we are actually celebrating a holiday that has evolved over time, only to be reinvented by the social needs of America.