Christmas became a federal holiday in the US in 1968, recognized as the only religious holiday. It was initially limited to federal employees in DC until the Monday Holiday Law extended it nationwide. Celebrating Christmas was once illegal in Boston from 1659 to 1681.
Christmas officially became a federal holiday in the United States in 1968 and is the only religious holiday recognized by the US government. In 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant named Christmas one of the first federal holidays as a way to reduce absenteeism. However, federal vacations extended only to federal employees working in the District of Columbia during that time. It wasn’t until the Monday Holiday Law was passed by Congress in 1968 during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson that Christmas was made a federal holiday, in which all federal employees nationwide were given the day off on December 25 of each year.
Read more about the history of Christmas in the United States:
Christmas was once illegal in the United States: from 1659 to 1681, celebrating the holiday was against the law in Boston under Puritan rules, which considered it a pagan holiday.
Approximately 35 million Christmas trees are sold in the United States each year, and the average tree grows for 15 years before being harvested for the holidays.
The Salvation Army’s tradition of ringing Santa’s bells to solicit charitable donations dates back to the 1890s.
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