Cool Christmas history

Cool Christmas history with some surprises.

The history of Christmas is a bit more, uh, textured than you might have thought.  Check out the 20 December ‘04 New York Observer article, A ghost of Christmas Past haunts today’s work force by Nicholas Von Hoffman. 

Full of fascinating stuff.  For example, did you know:

In 1659, Massachusetts outlawed Christmas. A five-shilling fine was to be imposed on anybody “found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting or any other way.”

... or that Christmas used to be a destructive yearly riot?  Or that our modern Santa Claus was imported by the founder of the New York Historical Society in an attempt at social engineering?  It’s a fun read - check it out. (A toast of Christmas ‘nog to The Revealer for this one.)

Posted by George on 12/20/04 at 08:09 PM

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