All I Want for Christmas is US History

Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces, who were too drunk/hung over to fight back, at Trenton, NJ. Fröliche Weinachten!

• 1750s

• 1760s

• 1770s

• 1780s

The first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in Captain John Smith’s Jamestown settlement.

• 1600s

• 1620s

• 1630s

• 1670s

German immigrants arrive en masse, bringing with them the practices of candy canes and placing evergreen trees in the home.

• 1810s

• 1820s

• 1830s

• 1840s

American Author Washington Irving publishes a series of stories about Christmas celebrations that influence the way many Americans would celebrate the holiday.

• 1810s

• 1820s

• 1830s

• 1840s

Pueblo Indians adopt luminarias to line the paths from their homes to church to commemorate the birth of Christ.

• 1600s

• 1700s

• 1800s

• 1900s

Gen. William T. Sherman presents the city of Savannah, GA as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln.

• 1860s

• 1870s

• 1880s

• 1890s

English Puritans outlaw Christmas as a sign of decadence and a disgrace to Christianity.

• 1600s

• 1640s

• 1670s

• 1700s

As urban populations grow, and with them poor populations, the Salvation Army Bell Ringers begin soliciting donations in their iconic red kettles.

• 1870s

• 1890s

• 1910s

• 1930s

During World War I, British and German troops observed an unofficial truce and even playing football together on the Western Front.

• 1880s

• 1890s

• 1900s

• 1910s

President Jimmy Carter takes part in the first public Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony of the National Menorah on the White House lawn.

• 1960s

• 1970s

• 1980s

• 1990s