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11 December 2025

America's First Christmas (and Christmas Floral Paintings)

Do You Know the Date of America's First Christmas?

Some historians believe the first Christmas in the United States was celebrated in 1539 by Hernando de Soto, a dozen Catholic priests, and around 600 Spanish explorers. The settlers held a Christmas Mass in Anhaica, an Indigenous village now known as Tallahassee, Florida. Building on this early record, scholars note that other European groups also brought Christmas traditions to North America throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. 

Spanish colonists in what is now the Southwest observed the holiday with processions, feasts, and religious services, while French settlers in areas such as Louisiana and along the St. Lawrence River introduced their own Catholic customs. By the early 1600s, English settlers in Jamestown were also marking Christmas, though their celebrations were more subdued due to harsh conditions. Notably, Christmas was not universally embraced; Puritan leaders in New England later outlawed the holiday for several decades, viewing it as an inappropriate, non-biblical festivity.

Christmas

  • The first clearly recorded Christmas in the South was in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. This is if you exclude a celebration in 1604 by French settlers when they tried to establish a colony on St. Croix Island off the coast of Maine.
  • Some call 1776 the first "American" Christmas because the Declaration of Independence was created the previous summer.
  • Alabama was the first state to officially recognize Christmas as a legal holiday in 1836. Oklahoma was the last state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday in 1907.
  • By 1860, 14 states, including several in New England, had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday.
  • Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston. It wasn't until the 1800s that Americans began to embrace Christmas.
In the United States, Christmas was established as a federal holiday on June 26, 1870.
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Here’s a more detailed but concise century-by-century summary of Christmas history in America after 1539:

  • 1600s (17th century)

    • English colonists in Jamestown observed Christmas with church services and modest feasts.

    • Puritans in New England banned Christmas from 1659–1681, viewing it as unbiblical.

    • Outside Puritan areas, celebrations varied by region, influenced by European traditions (English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish).

  • 1700s (18th century)

    • Christmas gradually became more accepted in the colonies after Puritan influence waned.

    • German immigrants introduced customs like gift-giving, Christmas trees, and festive food traditions.

    • Churches of various denominations began holding Christmas services more widely.

  • 1800s (19th century)

    • Christmas evolved into a family-centered, cultural holiday.

    • The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (1823) helped shape the modern Santa Claus.

    • Christmas became a federal holiday in 1870.

    • Christmas trees and greeting cards grew in popularity.

  • 1900s (20th century)

    • Mass media commercialized Christmas through advertising, movies, and radio.

    • Iconic Santa imagery (e.g., Coca-Cola ads) became widespread.

    • Electric lights, large department-store displays, and community events became traditions.

  • Today (21st century)

    • Christmas is celebrated both religiously and secularly across the U.S.

    • Traditions include home décor, gift exchanges, charitable giving, and diverse cultural festivities.

    • The holiday continues to adapt, blending long-standing customs with modern trends and multicultural influences.

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In the holiday spirit? ~ Lift your spirits!
Floral paintings always lift my spirit.
Adorn any room with these art prints!













REFERENCES:

Contreras, Russell. “Hispanics Led First U.S. Christmas Celebrations.” Axios. Axios, December 21, 2021. https://www.axios.com/2021/12/21/hispanics-first-christmas-celebrations-us.

‌Celebrating Holidays. “History of Christmas in America,” 2023. https://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=1046.

‌billpetro. “History of the First American Christmas: 1776.” Bill Petro. The BPC Group, November 29, 2023. https://billpetro.com/history-of-the-first-american-christmas-1776/.

‌Bhagat, Dhruti. “Boston Public Library.” Bpl.org, December 21, 2018. https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-origins-and-practices-of-holidays-christmas/.

‌HISTORY. “History of Christmas - Origins, Traditions & Facts | HISTORY,” October 27, 2009. https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas.

‌Dallascitynews.net. “Ten Interesting Facts about Christmas - Dallas City News,” 2023. https://www.dallascitynews.net/ten-interesting-facts-about-christmas.

‌Wikipedia Contributors. “Christmas.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 19, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas.


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