Bet You Didn't Know: Christmas | History

decorating trees exchanging gifts and singing songs about Santa Claus it's what most people think of when they think of Christmas but for Christians December 25th has a more important significance the holiday honors the birth of Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago but we bet you didn't know that in the early years of Christianity Christians didn't celebrate Christmas at all in fact there is no mention of December 25th in the Bible early Christians couldn't even agree on which date Jesus was actually born it was only in the 3rd Century that December 25th became the official celebration

of the birth of Jesus most likely because it coincided with already existing Pagan festivals by the end of the 8th Century Christmas was widely celebrated across Europe but it Pagan Roots died hard and for many centuries people marked the holiday with wild parties similar to Marty gr celebrations this would lead some religious purists such as the Puritan Settlers of colonial America to oppose Christmas celebrations in 1644 the Massachusetts legislature find anyone who observed Christmas 5 Shillings which was a lot of money at the time in fact Christmas as we know it didn't really begin until

the 1800s that's when Germany's Prince Albert brought his country's longtime tradition of decor decorating evergreen trees to England after his marriage to Queen Victoria when an image of the royal family next to their 40ft Christmas tree was published in American magazines in 1848 the custom caught on in the United States as well the tradition of sending Christmas cards also started in England around the same time giving gifts is a relatively old Christmas tradition with roots going back many centuries at first gift giving had religious significance to remind people of the gifts brought to baby Jesus

by the three kings but the Industrial Revolution and the rise of advertising in the 19th and 20th centuries made Christmas the commercial holiday it is today even as it continues to have religious meaning for Christians what about the most famous of all Christmas characters Santa Claus he's actually based on St Nicholas of Meera a Dutch Saint famous for giving gifts who is known as CER Claus in early incarnations Santa Claus wore many different colors but after a Coca-Cola ad in the 1930s showed him wearing red and white the image stuck from the date of the

holiday itself to the Traditions associated with it Christmas has a long and colorful history we bet you didn't know [Music]