Christmas History
Christmas history is much older than you think. It is older than Santa Claus, Christmas trees or even the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

Christmas history stretches from society to society, from culture to culture. It is amazing to see how many of the icons of the season pop up in the ancient history of civilizations all over the world.

In this merry section of MMC we dive deep into the stories of Christmas and explain how the modern elements of Christmas celebration came to be. Many of these are histories unknown to those who just do things because tradition dictates it.

Santa's List Day
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The History of Santa’s List Day

The legend of Santa Claus has many elements, one of the oldest being a letter or a wish list sent to Santa to share what one wants for Christmas. The idea has ancient roots in the origin story of Saint Nicholas, the benevolent 4th century…
Christmas 1924
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A Glimpse of Christmas 100 Years Ago

The best part of looking back at Christmas 100 years ago is that we see both change and lasting tradition. As with many things, only Christmas gives this unique perspective. In 1924 Calvin Coolidge was president, the average income was about…
Christmas Card Exchange
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How Christmas Cards Have Evolved

The tradition of Christmas cards is a story of constant change and stubborn longevity. For generations experts and the media have predicted Christmas cards would slowly die as a tradition. Instead Christmas cards have persisted as a tradition…
Light and Christmas
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Light and Christmas

Light as a theme of Christmas dates back to the very beginnings of recorded history. As with many elements of Christmas it is a mixture of reverent worship, pagan tradition and spiritual symbolism that give light its lasting impact on Christmas. In…
Not a Happy Christmas
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Not a Happy Christmas

In 1944, Christmas was celebrated for the sixth time since the Second World War had broken out on September 1, 1939. Men who often shared the same religious background fought each other to the death in sharp contrast with the old Christmas…
A Visit from St. Nicholas
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The Story of A Visit from St. Nicholas

A Visit from St. Nicholas is both a story and a poem that has survived nearly two centuries of Christmas celebration. It is arguably the only published work that can even come close to rivaling Dicken's A Christmas Carol in both fame and annual…
Queen Charlotte

Heroes of the 18th Century Christmas

The 18th century Christmas is kind of the ugly step-sister to Christmas of the 19th century. The Victorian Era of Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens and other Christmas superstars seems to hog the holiday limelight. Yet we could not have had the…
Puritan Christmas

Christmas that Came on the Mayflower

The Mayflower came to America 400 years ago. The Mayflower brought pilgrims of a different kind – about 100 people who were committed to living lives of industry and independent thinking. They were mostly Puritans. That made them…
Influencers of Christmas
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The Influencers of Christmas in the 20th Century

Who are the influencers of Christmas? Influencers are people who create a lasting impact. In 21st century terms, influencers are people with a long reach via media that everyone follows what they do. As we go back in history we can see influencers…
Christmas Anniversaries
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Christmas Anniversaries 2020

Every year for Christmas in July we recount the anniversaries of Christmas – literally a history of Christmas history. The amount of Christmas to recount in 2020 is amazing. ~ Christmas 25 Years Ago (1995) ~ One of the amazing things…
Christmas Fireworks
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Thank Christmas for Your 4th of July Fireworks

Fireworks at Christmas are not a thing many people think about. For many folks, Christmas is long associated with snow, stockings and jingle bells. None of that seems to fit with the colorful summer traditions of fireworks. But the truth is…
Christmas Social Media
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A Christmas Social Media Post from 1818

Social media Christmas is a thing. From Twitter to Reddit to Facebook, today’s youth do comment about Christmas. The social media of today is building a wonderful record of their thoughts about Christmas and that record will be available for…
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Introducing The Christmas Hall of Fame

Over the years we have openly mused in dicussion on the Merry Forums -- who would we put in a Christmas Hall of Fame? We no longer need to wonder about that question. We can now do something about it. We can approach all the great debates…
The Christ Child
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The Christ Child

A new minimalist short film has been released depicting the birth of Christ in a more Biblical way. The Nativity story has been so romanticized in film, song and the written word for so long it is refreshing to see the story set back in a more…
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Christmas 1945: The Biggest Celebration of Christmas Ever

As peace broke out in 1945 a literal race began to get the world at war back home for Christmas. Historians have called the Christmas of 1945 the biggest celebration of Christmas ever. In the below edition of the Merry Little Podcast we discuss…