Jason

Christmas celebrations changed during the time when Queen Victoria ruled Britain. During this time in North America, factories began making things that made life easier, and people started earning more money. Christmas celebrations grew as people had the time and money to celebrate and buy gifts but not for the children. Until the early 1800s, parents believed that children would become spoiled if they got too much love and attention. Queen Victoria changed this by giving a lot of love and attention to there children during Christmas time. Newspapers and magazines showed pictures of the royal family celebrating Christmas (as seen bellow). When parents in America saw this soon the were giving there children gifts and extra attention to there children. **//__ Northeast __//** Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont In the northeast Christmas was not a happy time actually Christmas was considered the worse time of the year you got snow, you got the cold, and you have no hope. Christmas was not a time to send gifts, it was a time of getting gifts people on Christmas would wait out side on there door step waiting for the mail man with there gifts but mainly there was no hope or gifts. **//__ Southeast __//** Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia In the southeast things were greatly influenced by the European culture of nighttime Christmas, mainly in the area of Mississippi where people use to put candles or any kind of lighting they could find and put it on the Mississippi river. They called this Christmas on the river and people would get on boats to celebrate this occasion in hopes the papa noel or Santa clause would see it and come in there direction. **//__ Great Lakes __//** Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin In the great lakes region there was a saying the more the trees the better and that is how it is people would go out and buy one, two, three, or even four trees it is almost in possible to have Christmas without more than one tree. This tradition was stopped because so many trees were being toured down that they were destroying the whole forest. **//__ Plains States __//** Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota The plains states were considered the young state because they were one of the first states besides the northeast to adapt the celebration of Christmas. Since it snow a lot people did not go out side but instead stayed inside and ate a very big Christmas dinner. **//__ Southwest __//** Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas The southwest was mainly influenced by the spanish. One of there rituals was Called El Camino Real or The Royal Road Which was like a parade of people walking around town and people would light fires and candles and kids would go to houses and churches asking for candy and treats. Children would also dress up like angles to represent the angles of Christmas. Imagine it it was like having Christmas and Halloween together. **//__ Mountain States __//** Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, California, Oregon, Washington In the mountain States it was verry difrent people would eat a big christmas breakfast and then later go on hourse rides but it got dark quickly so they had to do things fast and for a shourt period of time and they would not realy have a dinner more like a snack or lunch. **//__ Pacific States __//** Alaska, Hawaii Christmas in the pacific states was very different, children though that Santa road a boat to the islands so they wrote things in the sand and left treats. But santa never came at night he came in the day. It all started on December 1778 by captain cook he came in a boat with presents for many of the children so ever since they kept the tradition. **//__ Christmas at the __//** **//__ White House __//** Christmas in the white house was very quiet because of mixed feelings about celebrating Christmas. But on Christmas Day President Jefferson left his office in the White House to choose the goose for his Christmas dinner. In the White House Christmas dinners have as many as twenty nine courses. Trees in the White House have to be decorated with 5000 ornaments on 50 trees that’s a lot of work. **//__ The Perfect Tree __//** The most important Christmas Decoration in the house was the tree. Families searched for the perfect tree, cut it down, and placed it on a small table. No you did not read wrong families would actually look for a small tree and put it on a table. Do you ever get cobwebs in your tree well back then when a tree had cob webs they would leave it on there because they believed that was angel hair. **//__ Ornaments __//** Back by the 1800s families would find any thing they could to put on trees like *      Toys , Toy animals , Candy, popcorn , Small nuts, cookies , Berries, angels , candles , Toy furniture, fans , books , Toy musical   instruments, purses , Small doll houses **//__ Toys __//** All I want for Christmas is: Windup toys Board games Dolls Rocking horses Sleds Dollhouses Little toy animals **// __So many Santa’s__   //** There were many theories of Santa in America. Like the theory of a Santa that would whip children if they misbehave. A Santa that robed presents and trees. A Santa that rode a horse. A Santa that was a troll. A Santa that gave out eggs. A santa that was a deer. A snow Santa And a Santa that rode a goat. With so many Santa’s people did not know what to believe so people started to celebrate there own way's.   **//__ Quick Facts __//** Did you know that christmas was considerd the time of love. Did you know that some ournaments were dried up pieces of food. Did you know that christmas was celebrated on the 12th day of december. Did you know that some kids expected candy and crakers for christmas. Did you know that peoplle use to have pinanas for christmas. Did you know that people use to tell scary stories for christmas.