Gold-ribboned wreaths on windows, bustling markets selling hot cocoa, and children waiting in line to see Santa Claus announce the return of the Christmas season in the United States (US). However, Christmas was not always a celebrated federal holiday, according to time.com. In fact, it was the Dutch influence in New Amsterdam, now New York City (NYC), that first established Christmas traditions in the US, according to newyorkalmanack.com. To this day, NYC remains a hotspot for holiday festivities, according to ny1.com.
Scholars speculate that the first celebration of Christmas dates back to December 25, 336 AD, in Rome, Italy. Although some Christians began to celebrate the birth of Christ in fourth-century Europe, it was originally not a widely-accepted holiday, according to time.com. As a result, over a thousand years later, some of America’s first settlers, the Puritans, banned its celebration altogether in 1659. Leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony believed that Christmas distracted individuals from religious discipline, and they created a five-shilling fine for anyone who celebrated, according to time.com. However, in other British colonies, the merry-making began to grow. As such, the Puritans lifted their ban on the holiday in 1681. Still, the implementation of Christmas as a federal holiday did not happen until the US Congress enacted this designation in 1870, according to time.com.
Today, some scholars believe that Congress did not enact this law to make Christmas a legal day off but rather to unite the North and South after the Civil War. Throughout the US, widespread appeal for its joyful events grew through traditions such as writing Christmas cards and decorating trees with ornaments, according to time.com.
Many of the Christmas traditions Americans practice today derive from the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The figure of Santa Claus with a white beard and belly who leaves presents for small children in stockings hung by the fire was actually the Dutch image of Saint Nicholas. However, the Coca-Cola company created the modern version of the American Santa figure. Additionally, the names of two of Santa’s Reindeer derive from Dutch words, “Donder,” meaning “thunder,” and “Blitzen,” meaning “lightning.” Also, in the 1600s, many Dutch families adorned evergreen trees with lit candles, nuts, and fruits to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas December 6, according to newyorkalmanac.com.
As a result, Christmas became a celebrated holiday in NYC as early as the 17th century, even as the Puritans banned it. Tracing all the way back to the historical foundation of Christmas, the holiday’s festivities lie on the shores and streets of NYC. Over time, the city has become a symbol of Christmas, according to ny1.com.
In 1809, Mr. Washington Irving, a renowned American author, wrote A History of New York. In his book, he discussed St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York, who rode on horseback over rooftops, distributing gifts. Mr. Irving’s writings spread the tradition of St. Nicholas across the US. In 1823, Mr. Clement Clarke Moore published his poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” or “Twas’ the Night Before Christmas.” This poem linked the tradition of St. Nicholas to Christmas, rather than the Feast of St. Nicholas, according to newyorkalmanac.com.
As Christmas festivities grew in the US, particularly in NYC, large department stores began to acknowledge the opportunity for sales. Since 1874, Macy’s department store on 34th Street has decorated its windows as a way to lure customers into buying merchandise. Stores around Manhattan continue to put up Christmas displays, such as the well-known windows on 5th Avenue, as a way to increase sales, according to ny1.com.
Ultimately, the establishment of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition secured NYC’s role as the pinnacle of the quintessential Christmas experience. In 1931, during the Great Depression, workers pooled their money together to buy a 20-foot-tall evergreen tree. They adorned the tree with homemade garlands, bringing light to NYC in a time of dark financial circumstances. Since 1933, NYC has held annual lighting of the tree, even opening an ice skating rink on the Rockefeller Plaza, according to rockefellercenter.com.
Mr. Bing Crosby summarizes the spirit of Christmas in NYC in his seasonal hit “Silver Bells.” He sings, “city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style, in the air there’s a feeling of Christmas.”
Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25