As we all know, Christmas is a major commercial American holiday. In the early history of the European occupation of this continent, Christmas wasn’t really a major holiday at all. In 1659, for example, the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law against celebrating Christmas. They felt that this holiday was a popish import and so they outlawed it so that the evils of the Roman Catholics atheists (yes, they called Catholics atheists) would not taint the land they had stolen from the Indians.
It wasn’t really until after the Civil War that Christmas began to become a real American holiday. At this time retailers began experimenting with some special Christmas sales. They soon discovered the immense commercial potential of the holiday and by 1870 December had became the largest retail sales month of the year.
Newspapers, as the major advertising vehicle in the nineteenth century, readily embraced and promoted the idea of Christmas as a major holiday. While newspaper stories, editorial, and columns reinforce the holiday, Christmas advertising provided newspapers with a major revenue stream. In the twentieth century, the new electronic media of radio and television followed suit.
At the present time, the Christmas season, which begins in November, is the peak selling season for many retailers. It is estimated that one-fourth of all personal spending in the U.S. takes place at this time.
Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour. This is an open thread. Feel free to rant about Christmas, its commercialization, or the so-called War on Christmas, or to bring up any other topic that is grabbing your interest.