Christmas is a holiday steeped in tradition and history. Its development
has left behind a trail of events that help define the holiday and give
the celebration its lore. Here are ten historical facts about Christmas
that might surprise even the most knowledgeable among us. Share over
Christmas dinner or challenge yourself.
1) Which President banned the Christmas Tree from the White House?
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| Theodore Roosevelt finds his children have smuggled a Christmas tree into the White House. |
Theodore Roosevelt, a conservationist,
did not approve of the cutting
down of trees for Christmas decoration. His children, however, had
other ideas, and in December 1903, as the White House Historical
Association notes, they ”surprised the president by hiding a tree in a
sewing room closet.”
2) What Christmas gift did Lincoln receive in 1864?
In late 1864, General W.T. Sherman tore through the South, marching
from Atlanta to Savannah and disrupting civilian and military
populations. He also reclaimed control of portions of Georgia for the
Union. On December 22, he gave one of the largest and most consequential
gifts ever in a letter he wrote to President Abraham Lincoln. “I beg to
present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah…”
3) What did Jacqueline and John Kennedy give as a special
Christmas gift to close friends in 1962, the last Christmas the two
would spend together before the assassination?
 |
| A copy of the first White House guidebook, given as a gift by John and Jacqueline Kennedy for Christmas, 1962. |
In 1962, Jacqueline Kennedy created the first ever White House
guidebook, a massive national undertaking that made a museum of the
Presidential residence. Copies of this book can be purchased today. They
originally published only 100 and sent some of them as Christmas gifts
to their closest friends. A copy of this book was sold in 2013 by my
company, The Raab Collection.
4) What great American war ended on Christmas Eve?
Deemed the “Peace of Christmas Eve,” the Treaty of Ghent ended the
War of 1812 and brought peace between the United States and Great
Britain after years of conflict, which included the burning of the White
House. The Treaty was signed on Christmas Eve, 1814.
5) Who made Christmas a national holiday?
Christmas was not an official federal holiday until an Act of
Congress signed into law by Ulysses S. Grant in June of 1870. Prior to
then, a few state governments celebrated the day. The bill also declared
that New Year’s Day and the 4th of July would be national holidays.
6) Which President brought the first Christmas tree into the White House?
The first White House Christmas tree sat on the second floor of the
White House in 1889 and was decorated by the family of President
Benjamin Harrison with candles and toys.
7) What did Andrew Johnson do on Christmas 1868 that helped heal the nation?
During and after the war, President Abraham Lincoln could give
amnesty to former Confederates who swore an oath and met certain
conditions, a practice continued after his death by then-President
Andrew Johnson. With the war over and Lincoln assassinated, Johnson
continued to do this until 1868, when he issued an unconditional amnesty
to all former Confederates on Christmas Day.
8) Which President held the first Christmas dinner in the White House?
President John Adams hosted the first White House Christmas Party in
honor of their 4-year-old granddaughter, Suzannah. Children of public
officials who were in Washington during the religious celebration were
invited. An article published much later by the New York Advertiser
explains that guests dined on “a splendid haunch of venison, the gift of
Mrs. [Martha] Washington.”
9) Which book did Franklin Roosevelt read to his children every Christmas Eve?
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Interestingly, the introduction of a figure similar to Santa Clause came to America in 1809 in A History of New York, a satire that depicted St. Nicholas flying over roof-tops in a wagon. This book was written by Washington Irving.
10) Which President initiated the practice of lighting the national Christmas Tree?
In 1923, Calvin Coolidge pressed an electric button that enabled him
to light a nearly 50-foot Balsam Fir, referred to as the National
Community Christmas Tree. The exact site of the lighting was chosen by
First Lady Grace Coolidge.
Forbes
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