The Modern Christmas
In the United States and Canada, many elements of modern Christmas
celebrations did not emerge until the 19th century. Before then Christmas
had been an ordinary workday in many communities, particularly in New
England, where early Puritan objections to Christmas celebrations remained
highly influential. Among some groups, Christmas was an especially
boisterous event, characterized by huge feasts, drunkenness, and raucous
public revelry. In an English tradition that survived in some parts of North
America, Christmas revelers would dress in costume and progress from door to
door to receive gifts of food and drink. Most holiday gifts were limited t
o
small amounts of money and modest presents passed from the wealthy to the
poor and from masters to their servants. Families almost never exchanged
Christmas gifts among themselves.
The rapidly expanding industrial economy of the 19th century not only flooded the market with new goods for sale, but also helped establish a new middle class, one that placed special value on home and family life. Christmas gained increased prominence largely because many people believed it could draw families together and honor children. Giving gifts to children and loved ones eventually replaced the raucous public celebrations of the past, and Christmas became primarily a domestic holiday.
The new custom of Christmas gift giving allowed the marketplace to exert an
unprecedented influence on holiday celebrations. Commercial innovations such
as department stores and mass advertising further expanded the custom of
exchanging Christmas gifts. Seasonal retail sales helped fuel the economy,
causing merchants and advertisers to become some of the season�s most ardent
promoters. Many holiday celebrants regretted these changes, however, and
began voicing the now common lament that Christmas had become too
commercial.
Christmas also gained new importance among urban residents. Cities became crowded with immigrants, who introduced a wide variety of religious and cultural practices to North American life. Celebrating Christmas emerged as a way for people from different parts of the world to create a sense of community in the city. The holiday forged a broad, nondenominational sense of Christian spirit while promoting an idealized sense of communal good will.