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.

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History of the American Santa

Santa Claus, much like Christmas itself, is a symbol of all things sacred and secular related to Christmas. From classic Coca Cola ads from early 20th century print still remembered and revered today to modern Hollywood creations like Bad Santa…
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Christmas for the American Slave

Christmas for the American slave was a time of hope and irony. Slaveholders and white landowners, as many Americans do today, deviated from their routines during the holidays for the celebration of Christmas and the New Year. It was a time…
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The Story of Black Peter

By Mac Carey Before elves and eight tiny reindeer, St. Nicholas had a much more menacing assistant. Named Black Peter, this companion was the physical opposite of St. Nicholas. Tall and gaunt with a dark beard and hair, Black Peter was associated…
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The Christmas Pickle

It is a quaint tradition that nobody wants to claim. And its story would not be the first tradition of Christmas born of a total fabrication. It is the little-known tradition of the Christmas pickle. The Christmas pickle is not really a…
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The Real First Christmas

By Jeff Westover There is a saying common among Christian believers: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience." This saying speaks to the eternal nature of the soul and…
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Christmas in July: A Vaudeville Tradition

By Merry Carey Today, Christmas in July is an occasion to enjoy a taste of the Christmas season in the summertime—or in the wintertime, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s also an occasion for Yule-themed shopping sprees and…
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Kings of Christmas Extravagance

By Jeff Westover The history of Christmas through the ages is written in chapters of contrasting observance. One chapter could speak of the sanctity of the season, observed in hushed commemoration. And yet another chapter could speak of it…
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Christmas Giving: Are you a Spug?

By Merry Carey Are you a Spug? To find out, ask yourself these questions: Do you believe that it is foolish to join in giving Christmas presents to those higher up? Do you believe that it is vulgar to give Christmas presents only because…
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The Halifax Christmas Disaster of 1917

By B. Francis Morlan Editor's Note: Every December the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia sends a Christmas tree to the City of Boston, Massachusetts. This story explains how that came about. December of 1917 was a time when the world was in…
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The Christmas Legend of Abraham Lincoln

By B. Francis Morlan Abraham Lincoln is consistently ranked as the greatest American president. But at the same time his place in history is frequently debated for a variety of contrasting reasons: Constitutional scholars claim that Lincoln’s…
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The True Story of Silent Night

The story has become yet another chapter in the book of Christmas legend. The year was 1914 and soldiers on both sides of the battlefield somewhere in France were enduring a dark and frozen Christmas Eve night. World War I -- the Great War,…
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The Christmas Tree Ship

By B. Francis Morlan The year of 1912 was tough for sailors. Dominating the news was the tragic voyage of the Titanic, which went down in April of that year off the Newfoundland coast. But another maritime tragedy struck in November of 1912.…
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The Evolution of Christmas

By Jeff Westover Which came first: the chicken or the egg? That is the seeming dilemma when discussing how Christmas began. Most define Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ. Historians tie the tradition of a December holiday…

The First Christmas in the Americas

By Max Schilling “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…” – and that is about all historians can really agree upon when it comes to the character of Christopher Columbus. Though memorialized in modern times with the celebration…
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Christmas During the Civil War

By Mary Hansel Christmas is a joyous time. People spend the occasion with family and friends and their celebrations are full of rejoicing, love and jollity. It is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to have Christmas during war time,…