Christmas

Christmas was actually illegal to celebrate in England. In the 1640s the Puritan dominated Parliament considered the holiday to be of pagan influence and, in the 1640s, outlawed its celebration. It was rescinded two decades later but Christmas still harbored the stigma of being an unholy holiday.

In the 1620s the Puritan pilgrims who came to America were even more conservative in their beliefs. From 1659 to 1681 you could not celebrate the festive day in Boston. Either that or face a fine of 5 shillings.

It wasn't until renowned 19th century authors reinvented Christmas. At that time, many people were out of jobs and lower class gangs rioted on the streets during the season. This caused some in the upper class to start brainstorming for ways to reduce the violence and more importantly prevent the poorer people from harming them.

So in 1819 Washington Irving wrote a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The tales headlined a squire who invited peasants to his home for the holiday. Unlike what was happening in society, the wealthy squire spent his time joyously with the impoverished peasants. Mind you, the book was created out of Irving's imagination; he didn't pen it based on any festivals he attended. He only implied that the relationship between the rich and poor highlighted in his work was the true meaning of Christmas.

Across the pond 24 years later, Charles Dickens published the classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol. The story's theme of charity and goodwill towards all of humankind resonated well within all classes in the United States and England.

As the celebration of Christmas evolved over the next century, Americans introduced the now common traditions of tree decorating, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving. And even though many of us believe that we are celebrating the way people have always been celebrating for ages, we actually reinvented a holiday given the social milieu of the moment.