The True History of Christmas

The History of Christmas t ** Che bistory of ehristmas dates back over 4000 years, a time drastically different to the Christmasses we celebrate today. Yet the events that unfolded over the past 4000 years have led to many of the Christmas traditions that we enjoy every year. Average Spend 2009 2012 per person Disney's A Christmas Carol Opening $30m weekend Grossed £500 in Us $138m 2004 The Polar Express Opening weekend $23m Grossed in US $183m TOM HANS THE POLAR EXPRESS 15 billion Christmas cards elf NORAD 2003 2011 TRACKS SANTA Elf lm Opening weekend $31m Grossed in Us $173m Facebook fans 2009 Christmas Under Attack for becoming too Average Spend 009 per person YOUD BETTER WATCH O Commercialised 2008 GRINCH Politically Correct $616 2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas Opening $56m 2004 2003 weekend Grossed in Us $260m 2000 1999 Average Spend The North American Aerospace NORAD starts tracking Santa 1997 Defense Command A SANTA TRACK per person using the Internet $857 Judith 1994 Donath creates the 1992 Scasons Gretmas concept of the The Muppet Christmas Carol ---- ----- Opening e-Card weekend $5m in Us $27m 1992 1990 1981 HOME ALONE2 1990 DR. SEUSS How The GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS Home Alone 2 Opening weekend $31m Grossed in US $174m 1966 1965 1981 Chisin as A Christmas Story 1959 Opening weekend $2m Grossed in US $21m GRISTMAS STORY First published. How The 1951 Written by GRINCH STOLE 1955 The Helider Pi of All Time Culs De Ted Geisel (Dr CHRISTMAS! A Christmas Carol Seuss's real Mastair VW name) Neneocr Chusumes Carol Dr. Seuss 1946 It's a Wonderful Life 1951 The North American Aerospace Defense Command NORAD Bing Crosby's White Christmas 1946 TRACKS SANTA starts tracking Santa using hotlines, radio and newspapers w DREM is released 1942 Coca-Cola 1931 creates their version of Santa Claus for advertising 1923 UNTED STATES OF OKLAHOMA CITY President Calvin Coolidge begins the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 1907 that will be held annually on the White House lawn ORLAHOMA Oklahoma becomes the last State to legalise Christmas Francis P. Church, of the New York Sun answers a young girl's letter which asked if there really is a Santa Claus. The 1897 article says, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." THE NUTCRACKER 1892 ballet with Tchaikovsky's music was performed 1882 The first Christmas lights are invented by Edward H. Johnson (a partner of Thomas Edison) 1881 Merry Old Santa Claus This illustration by Thomas Nast, featured in First Christmas cards printed in America by Louis Prang Harper's Weekly' cemented the popular image of Santa Claus as we think of him today 1875 1870 Christmas is declared a federal'holiday in US 1863 Thomas Nast's earliest published picture of Santa Claus featured in an 1863 HARPERS, WEEKLY URNAL OF CIVILZATIO edition of Harper's Weekly, and showed Santa Claus visiting a The song Jingle Bells' as it is now known Civil War was published by James Lord Pierpont under the title 'One Horse Open Sleigh'. Camp. 1857 1856 President Franklin Pierce is the first U.S. president to bring a Christmas tree into the White House Queen Victoria and Prince Albert display a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle which started the trend in England 1848 1843 AMEREY A RAPPY NEW YEAR John Callcott Horsley, a Londoner, designed the very first Christmas Card Louisiana and Arkansas make Christmas a legal holiday Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OSTATES OF UNITED LITTLE ROCK BATON ROUGE 1838 OUISIANA PKANSAS 1836 Alabama became the first U.S. 1835 state to legalize Christmas Twas the Night Before Christmas Clement Clark Moore wrote "Twas BNITED STATES OF the Night Before Christmas', a poem *- 1822 LITTLE ROCK in which all Santa's KANSAS reindeers are lesie Wilkox Smith named. 1816 The story of E The Nutcracker' by Ernest Theodor First recorded use of the term Amadeus Hoffman "Christmas Tree' {was orignally published under the title The Nutcracker and the 1809 Mouse King The first known mention of hanging of stockings by a fireplace comes from writings of Washington Irving that describe how stockings are miraculously filled in the morning 1773 The Baptist Church of Newport First Santa reference in (Rhode Island) observed 1772 the media - St. a Claus Christmas for the first time. in Riverton Gazetteer This was about 130 years after the founding of the first Baptist church in New England. The hot British drink called a 1700 posset is renamed Egg Nog by being served in a small cup known as a noggin 1660 Ban on Christmas lifted in the UK 1659 Ban on Christmas imposed in the Massachussetts Bay Colony 1647 1644 Parliament banned Christmas and abolished the religious festivals of Christmas, Easter, Whitsun and other Holy Days In England, Parliament discouraged Christmas feasting due to its heathen origin Christmas cake and Christmas traditions spread to Martin Luther's Protestants during the Reformation pudding evolves from 1600 a plum pottage King Richard II The first recorded Nativity scene was created by St. Francis of Assisi 1377 hosted a Christmas feast 1222 1220 A student or a beggar was crowned annually as the Lord of Misrule' entitling the poor to go to the rich and demand their finest food and drink 'Cristes Maesse' 1038 First reference to Christmas in Old English During the 10th Century, Christianity and Christmas spread to Russia and merged with the Slavic winter celebrations that honoured the spirits of 1000 ASIAE NOVA DESCRIPTIQ 900 their forbears. Pope Gregory I wrote to Mellitus, his missionary in 601 England, telling him 'not to stop such ancient Pagan festivities', but to 'adapt The Council of Tours prodaimed the 12 days from onsén Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred and festive season them to the rites of the Church, only changing the reason of them from a heathen to a Christian 567 impulse 430 encouraged fellow vbelievers not to celebrate December 25th as the Catholic Saint Augustine 4th Century pagans did in honour of the sun. Christmas began Christianity being celebrated as became the official Christ's Birthday. religion of the Roman Empire 'The Feast of the Nativity was celebrated in Egypt 400 Only a handful of Osiris worshipers are hiding on the island of Philae, where pagan temples still remain The Catholic writer and leader, Irenaeus, made no mention of Christmas in his lists of 390 Christian celebrations. 350 In the 1st Council of 325 Nicaea, Roman Emperor AB religions, even Christianity were legalised in Roman territory Constantine standardised 313 Christian beliefs. 300 275 Early Catholic Church Fathers banned the use of mistletoe in Christmas celebrations due to their Pagan origin. Emperor Aurelian promoted Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun' across the Empire 222 Roman Emperor Elagabalus introduced the holiday of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, that would be celebrated on December 25th. Christ crucified A.D. 30 in Jerusalem 3 B.E. Christ born in Bethlehem Julius Caeser introduced the Julian Deity Similarities 45 moral people will have eternal life Calender that made virgin birth December 25th the son of a god resurrection 'winter solstice and the Jesus shortest day Dionysus Osiris * 150 In pre-Christian Rome, Pagans celebrated the holiday of Saturnalia from 17th to 25th Early European peoples celebrated the winter solstice, when they could look forward to longer days and the return of spring. December. The holiday was in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture and marked by the consuming of human-shaped biscuits, human sacrifice, singing, nakedness, The Christmas tradition of burning the Yule Log descends from Pagans who worshipped 500 lawlessness and drunkeness trees in the forest and who would bring them indoors and decorate them Celtic druids used 'magical mistletoe during the Winter Solstice celebration. Present day Carolling evolved from groups of people wassailing door to door to drive away evil spirits 1500 The Ancient Egyptians of Abydos created the first 'Jesus' character by worshipping Osiris, the god of the Afterlife, The Mycenean Greeks worshipped Dionysus, the god of resurrection 2055 The green of his face symbolised resurrection Sources tp/www.history.com/topics/christmas http://en.wkipedia.org/wikesus_in_comparative_mythologyscite_note-19 http://wwwtelegraph.couk/culture/tvandradio/B816675/Christmas-remove d-from Thomas-the Tank-Engine-to-be-politically-correcthtml http://www.businessinsidercom/what-americans-spend-on-christmas-2011-12 http://www.expressandstarcom/news/uk-news/2012/10/29/christmas-spending-plans-static/ http://enwikipedia org/wiki%27s a Wonderful Life http://www.cracked.com/artide_15719 pagan-orgies-to-human-sacrifice-bizare-origins-christmas.html http://wwwlfespurpose.net/Chap11/Christmas_timelnepdf http://wwwlastim/musicVarious-Artist/24famous+Christmas+Songs http://wwwfamilyfunshop.com/christmastimelinehtm http://wwwgalup.com/poll/144506/november-christmas-spending-estimate-outpaces-2009anpx http://wwwfamilyfunshop.com/christmastraditions.htminativity http://www.billkcasselman.com/wintergram archive/nast santahtm http://en wikipedia org/wiki/Santa Claus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DionysustParalels_with_Christianity http://wwwlasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract3.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki NORAD_Tracks Santa http://en wikipedia.org/wikiE-card http://en wikipedia.org/wik/Osiris Hayes reaches animated TV series was aired animated TV series was aired AMERICA AMERICA