| There's no doubt that Christmas is one of
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| | Christmas day during December. Christmas
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| the most celebrated holidays in America.
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| | celebrations were "strongly prohibited"
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| But how did the Christmas celebration
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| | and in 1652 fines were imposed on
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| begin? This look at Christmas from it's
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| | businesses that decorated or closed in
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| origins to the celebrations of today
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| | observance of the holiday. There was some
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| reveals an informative and eye-opening
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| | resistance to the law but the largess of
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| look at this popular holiday.
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| | previous celebrations was drastically
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| Like many American traditions, the
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| | reduced to small reverend observances.
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| Christmas holiday can be traced back to
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| | It was within this turbulent era that
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| Europe. During the fourth century, Romans
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| | English Christmas customs entered early
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| celebrated a "Feast of the Nativity" held
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| | Virginia and New England. Though most
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| on December 17th. This celebration was
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| | settlers observed the holiday, the types
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| based on the Christian observance of the
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| | of celebrations varied throughout the
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| birth of Jesus. Pagan feasts and rituals
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| | regions. Some celebrated it as a feast
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| were also popular during this time
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| | and some as a purely religious holiday.
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| period. Many Romans paid homage to their
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| | While most observed Christmas there were
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| deities during a week's long celebration
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| | some that didn't such as the Puritans of
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| held from December 17 through January
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| | Massachusetts Bay Colony. And in some
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| 1st.
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| | areas the hardships and challenges of the
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| Concerned by the increasing popularity of
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| | land did not permit the settler's free
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| pagan worship and the annual pagan
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| | time for celebrations of any kind.
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| festival, the Roman Church changed the
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| | The observance of Christmas was recorded
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| official date of the Nativity Feast to
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| | in non-English settlements as being more
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| December 25th in an effort to curtail
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| | religious in nature. The French settlers
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| rampant pagan celebrations.
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| | of St Croix Island off the coast of Maine
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| Over the next thousand years, the
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| | held religious observances and spent the
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| observance of Christmas followed the
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| | remainder of the day playing games.
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| expanding community of Christianity. The
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| | As the first settlements grew into more
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| spreading Christian community took the
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| | established colonies patterns of
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| holiday far Northward into England. From
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| | Christmas observances began to form that
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| the 13th century on, nearly all of Europe
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| | were unique to the geographic area. The
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| observed Christmas.
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| | distance from European homelands, the
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| These Christmas celebrations involved
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| | disparate religious and ethnic groups and
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| heathen indulgences that were discouraged
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| | the hardship of the new beginnings
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| the rest of the year. The annual
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| | disrupted old habits and holiday
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| celebration included over-eating,
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| | traditions.
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| dancing, singing, card playing and
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| | Pennsylvania was home to a large group of
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| gambling; pleasures which escalated to
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| | Quakers who, like the Puritans, were
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| magnificent proportions over the years.
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| | against observance of the holiday. They
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| In 1607, King James I insisted that a
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| | believed that most Christmas revelers
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| play be acted on Christmas night along
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| | spent the day in riot and drunkenness.
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| with the playing of Christmas games. In
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| | Though Quaker areas did not celebrate
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| another account of the secular nature of
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| | Christmas, the Moravians, Dutch Reformers
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| the holiday a feast noted 16 different
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| | and Anglicans all held observances in
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| dishes for the first course. In 1626, the
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| | their own way. By and large, most
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| Duke of Buckingham charged the entire
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| | settlers in the New World welcomed
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| crew of three ships, including the ship's
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| | Christmas as a day of respite from the
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| captains, with abandoning their service
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| | routines of work and hardship that came
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| in favor of Christmas revels, leaving
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| | with establishing new lands.
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| their vessels preys to any enemy.
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| | The disparate Christmas observances
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| As the magnitude of the Christmas
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| | continued until the American Revolution.
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| celebration grew, religious institutions
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| | The next hundred years following the
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| of the day struggled to gain control of
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| | Revolution shaped the way Americans
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| the holiday. However, it continued to be
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| | celebrated the holiday. During the 1800's
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| a religious event celebrated through the
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| | as areas grew in population and
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| pleasures and indulgences that went
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| | prosperity Christmas observances began to
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| against the holy teachings of the day.
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| | resemble the Christmas celebrations as we
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| During the 1600 and 1700's Puritan
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| | know them.
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| Reformers took aim at changing the lack
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| | Today it is observed as a family centered
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| of religious activities of the Christmas
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| | celebration complete with traditional
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| celebration. They declared it a day of
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| | foods, Christmas tree, decorations,
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| mourning rather than a day of rejoicing.
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| | parties and gift-giving. Many celebrate
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| This along with the economic and social
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| | by attending religious ceremonies and
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| upheavals of the day began to alter
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| | participating in religious practices.
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| English life and the way Christmas was
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| | Much like its origins, today's Christmas
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| celebrated. The spread of the Puritan
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| | celebrations remains to be an observance
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| Reformers movement took hold and its
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| | of a religious event with much festivity
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| policies continued to chip away at the
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| | and merriment. As America's most popular
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| pagan nature of the celebrations. In
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| | holiday, it is celebrated as a season of
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| 1642, Parliament outlawed seasonal plays
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| | joy, peace and hope for humankind.
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| and ordered monthly fasts which fell on
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