An Intriguing Christmas Fact ” Free Christmas Coloring Pages

By Tim Beachum | January 22, 2009

I am willing to bet that you are one of those rare individuals who normally think out side the box. Allow me to ask you a quick question Have you ever wondered about the history of Christmas? Have you wondered what it was like? Have you ever wondered how the happy holiday came about? Well no need to wonder my friend I am about to reveal a little fact that will knock your socks off.

It would be virtually impossible for me to tell the whole story in one article. However I will give you a few facts that most human beings do not know. At your next family gathering you are sure to be the hit of the party (or maybe not).

This little Christmas fact began back in the early 17th century. Due to a wave of religious transformation Christmas would be forever changed in Europe. A guy by the name of Oliver Cromwell and Puritan forces took over England in 1645. Oliver and his Puritans vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, canceled Christmas. Once Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday that we know as Christmas.

Waite There is more!

In 1620 came the arrival of a group of pilgrims, English separatists to America. These pilgrims were even more orthodox in their puritan beliefs than Oliver Cromwell. Because of there strange beliefs Christmas was not a holiday in the early days of America. As promised things are about to get even more unbelievable ” from 1659 to 1681, the act of celebrating Christmas was actually illegal in Boston. If you were caught celebrating the Christmas holiday in any way you were fined five shillings.

As I sit here writing this article I cannot help but let my mind wonder a bit. I keep imagining living in a time where leaders who refused to celebrate Christmas controlled you. Did you know that with a stroke of a pen Christmas could be canceled again?

Any way this nonsense continued until after the American Revolution when English customs began to fall out of favor, this included Christmas. Another thing that is a little hard to believe is that Congress was actually in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under Americas new constitution. The fact of the matter is Christmas wasnt declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

Well my friend those are the facts as they happened. If you found this article to be interesting please do a search on this site for my other Christmas fact articles. Also check out the link below for a complete listing of my free coloring pages, for parents, teachers, and other educators.

This is the first in a series of Xmas history related articles brought to you by Tim Beachum. You can also download Free Xmas Coloring Pages

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