Christmas in the 1800s

Until the early 1830s, the strict religious teachings of Massachusetts had not celebrated Christmas as a way of purifying the church. However, around this time Dutch and English began coming over in larger and larger numbers, and bringing with them decadent celebrations with lots of presents, mulled wine, decorations and parties. The Dutch brought with them the tradition of St. Nicholas. While the locals tried to resist, they began to get drawn into these displays. By the 1880s, Massachusetts was pretty wide-spread in its Christmas celebrations.