Southern states were first to declare Christmas a holiday

The history of Christmas and the traditions that many practice today can trace their origins to the 19th century in America.

In the early half of the 19th century, the Northern states, having Puritan backgrounds, viewed celebrating Christmas as sinful and frivolous. But in Southern states, Christmas was an important part of the social season. The first three states to make Christmas a legal holiday were in the South. Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas all declared Christmas a legal holiday during the 1830s. It would not be until 40 years later, on June 26, 1870, that Christmas was declared a federal holiday under President Ulysses S. Grant. The last state to introduce Christmas as a holiday was Oklahoma in 1907.

Florida legislation did not declare Christmas a legal holiday until 1881. Throughout the 19th century, Floridians celebrated the Christmas holidays in many different ways. This lasted up until the 20th century when better communication and transportation decreased the state’s isolation and saw it enter into mainstream American life.

In many rural areas of Florida, it was quite common for gifts to be handmade; many families received fruit, cakes and nuts as their only presents. Decorations were homemade and often of natural ornaments such as palmetto frond, magnolia branches, citrus fruits and paper and popcorn chains.

In the early half of the 19th century, many Americans did not exchange Christmas gifts, as they were believed to be given to someone not in the same social class as you. By the turn of the 20th century, this view changed. Children often received homemade wooden toys, books, popcorn balls, candy, firecrackers, guns and horns. Adults received books, notepaper, pens, perfumes and soaps.

Store-bought gifts were rare during the 19th century but became the norm during the 20th century. Gifts generally started out small enough so they would fit in stockings or be tied to tree branches following the German tradition. As time went on, gifts grew larger in size and eventually were displayed under the Christmas tree.

While the Christmas tree was used by many German-Americans, it did not grow in popularity until the 1850s when the image of Queen Victoria and her family with a Christmas tree was featured in the popular 19th century catalog, Godey’s Lady’s Book. Christmas decorations of the period were often minimal, and not placed until Christmas Eve, after the children went to bed. Garlands, holly, evergreen boughs, as well as fruits, bayberry, mistletoe, magnolias and pine cones were all common decorations and would cover mantels, pictures, chandeliers and door and window frames.

Christmas trees were decorated with lit candles instead of electric lights. Because of a risk of fire, electric lights were invented in 1882 by Edward H. Johnson, though they would not become widely accepted until 1895 when President Grover Cleveland used them in the White House. Many families, such as the Stephens family whose 1912 farmhouse is now in the Manatee Village Historical Park, didn’t use electrical Christmas lights because of the expense. In 1903, it would have cost $2,000 in today’s dollars to light up a Christmas tree, and it would only be seen at high-society holiday parties. Not until 1917 were electric Christmas lights affordable to the masses.

Christmas in the Southern United States was a joyous occasion to celebrate. It was traditional for Southerners to extend celebrations until New Year’s Day, though some even celebrated until Epiphany on Jan. 6.

To learn more about traditional Christmas celebrations in Manatee County, visit the Manatee Village Historical Park, 1404 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton, and visit the Stephens House, a 1912 Florida Cracker home decorated for Christmas. Please call 941-741-4075 or visit www.manateevillage.org for holiday hours of operation.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Southern states were first to declare Christmas a holiday."