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200
Eastern Orthodox
Before there was "Christmas" there was the 'Celebration of Epiphany'. People would celebrate the birth of Jesus on January 6th -
336
First Account of Christmas Celebrations
The first time in history that we see a 'Christmas' celebration was 336 C.E. This was only 3 centuries after the time of Jesus. -
Period: 500 to 1500
Medieval Period Christmas Celebration
Christmas lasted for 12 days. They used plants such as holly, ivy, and mistletoe to protect against any evil spirits around this time. The day usually involved going to church, having a large feast, giving people gifts (usually food). Gift giving stemmed from the 'Biblical Magi' who gave gifts to baby Jesus. -
1539
Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is a German tradition that we first saw in 1539, but could have been apart of Christmas celebrations before that. They wouldn't know it but soon all of the world would be following that tradition -
Period: 1558 to
Elizabethan Era
Quite similar to the Medieval period celebrations. Gift-giving, feasts, games were all still apart of the celebration. The 12 day's of Christmas turned into more of a 12 day's till Christmas. During this era more kids were in school so they got to have the 2 weeks off. -
Santa Claus
In the late 18th century, we see Santa Claus introduced into American society through Dutch settlers. America quickly became infatuated with the Santa belief -
Period: to
Victorian Era
Morning church services, feasts, games, gift giving. The Christmas tree was now part of decorations(partly due to Queen Victoria's German husband). Carolling, which had been around for a little while, became very popular during this period. Christmas cards were first introduced as well. -
Advertising
Around the mid 1800's businesses started to understand the influence of Christmas on customers, and used this knowledge to market on people's love for the holiday. Malls also started having Santa Claus meet and greets -
Period: to
Immigration
With an increase of immigration during this time, we see Christmas becoming influenced through the sharing of traditions between different groups of people from all over. German immigrants brought over the Christmas Tree -
National Holiday
On this day, Christmas was announced as a National Holiday in the United States. -
First Christmas Movie
George Albert Smith created the first movie depeciting Christmas. It is a little over a minute long. A Saint Nick goes down a chimney to give gifts to some kids. -
Period: to
Increase in Christmas Movies
During this timespan we saw the creation of many popular films coming to public. Examples, Rudoplh the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) -
Period: to
Decline in Christianity
Starting during the 1990's the popular religion of Christianity starts declining. We see this decline moving even quicker now. This decline has played a part in shaping Christmas into what it is today -
Period: to
Online Shopping
With the start of online retailers such as amazon we saw a new form of shopping being introduced into our lives. By mid-2000's the internet and these online retailers became even more accessible to the public. Not to mention the pandemic, all these factors led to an increase in online shopping and an increase in Cyber Monday popularity