1810
AD
St. Nicholas is introduced to and celebrated by the
New York Historical Society by John Pintard, but not for any association
with Christmas but as the mostly forgotten mythic patron saint of
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1820
AD
By this time Christmas misrule becomes a serious
social & financial threat to respectable New York. Gangs roamed
the streets "mummied"
up terrorizing the wealthy neighborhoods and displaying horrid acts
of drunkenness and rage.
John Pintard, a prominent New York City merchant and civic leader,
a firm believer in ceremonies and rituals and a major force in establishing
Washington's birthday, Columbus Day and the Fourth of July as national
holidays had been working for nearly 20 years to nullify the christmas
holiday scare the lower classes were putting upon the upper class.
No Christmas rituals existed that were acceptable to the upper class
so Pintard worked to self-consciously invent a tradition.
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1821
AD
"Santeclaus" a poem printed by a New York
printer Wm Gilley, has santa dressed all in fur and drove a sleigh
pulled by a reindeer.
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1822
AD
Clement C. Moore writes "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
better known as "The Night Before Christmas". This bares
a slight resemblance to the 1662 ditty of doom by Wigglesworth however,
"A Visit" was for fun and about dreaming of all the good
things, not eternal damnation. see pix
So, this happy little poem Mr Moore wrote for his darling daughter
makes a major contribution to the invention of a socially acceptable
contrived Santa Claus embedded Christmas.
Mr Moore was a frightened major Manhattan land owner who successfully
protected his holdings from the encroaching lower classes by reforming
the city landscape through clever real estate deals.
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1823
AD
"A Visit from St. Nicholas" is first published
in the Troy Sentinel,Troy, New York. |
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1824
AD
Mr Moore's poem published in at least four different
Philadelphia almanacs.
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1825
ish AD
The first usage of Santa Claus as an enticement to
sell goods. It was a published verse by a New York jewelry shop
to sell "The choices gems to buy..."
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1828
AD
The popular Poulson's Daily Advertiser printed "A
Visit from St. Nicholas".
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1829
AD
A New York paper and latter Poulson's reprinted the
same article detailing the Santa Claus ritual.
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1830-31
AD
A National Gazette editorial explains the "inner
meaning" of the new Christmas.
The popularity of "A Visit form St. Nikolas" assisted
Pintard in turning the scary outside Misrule "for all"
debauch into an inside "invitation only" celebration with
the children of a household replacing the larger group of the poor
and powerless.
With the attempt to promote December 6th long forgotten Pintard
proclaimed the new rituals of Christmas were "ancient usage"
and that
"St Claas is too firmly riveted on this city ever to be forgotten"
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1836
AD
Alabama is the first state to declare Christmas December
25th. The first published Christmas tree.
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1841
AD
A Philadelphia merchant, hired a man to dress in "Criscringle"
attire and climb the chimney outside his shop to attract customers.
Another version has the same merchant using a life size model that
managed to "attract thousands of children to his shop".
The local paper reported " no lad who see
it, will ever after accuse pa or ma of being the Kriss-Kringle who
filled his stocking. That such a person exists will be most indelibly
fixed upon their memory"
From the start, it has been difficult to convince
( flat out lie ) to children that Santa brings the gifts when in
fact the gifts are from family.
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1842
AD
The first commercial publication of the image of Santa
Claus for an advertisement for Pease's Great Variety Store, Albany,
NY.
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1843
AD
Charles Dickens writes "A Christmas Carol".
First Christmas Cars. |
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1845
AD
"original advertisement appeared in the New York Journal
or General Advertiser, 1768"
According to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas written by
Himself circa 1845, " It was deemed a disgrace not to get drunk at
Christmas; and he [ a slave ] was regarded as lazy indeed, who had
not provided himself with the necessary means, during the year, to
get whisky enough to last him through Christmas …These holidays serve
as conductors, or safety-valves, to carry off the rebellious spirit
of enslaved humanity…the slaveholders not only like to see the slave
drink of his own accord, but will adopt various plans to make him
drunk… …the holidays are part and parcel of the gross fraud… So, when
the holidays ended, we staggered up from the filth of our wallowing,
took a long breath, and marched to the field, - feeling, upon the
whole, rather glad to go, from what our master had deceived us into
a belief was freedom, back to the arms of slavery…
"When I read this, it changed my life. What
was written in 1845 seemed so familiar and I couldn't help but notice
things haven't changed". Note written by B |
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1848
AD
The first long version of "Visit From Saint Nicholas"
published. |
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1860
AD
The parlor song "Jolly Old St. Nicholas"
is the first Christmas song.1848
AD
The first long version of "Visit From Saint Nicholas"
published. |
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