The story of Christmas in North America is a tale of contrasts. It was not until the 19th century that Christmas first came to popularity, initially in British Southern America. Christmas was a popular public holiday throughout most of the British South, especially among the planter class and the more affluent. The scions of prominant planter families would eagerly await the arrival of
Father Christmas on that day. Slaves would serve the master's family and guests on that day. The next day,
Boxing Day, it was common practice for slaves to be given their ease, and they would exchange modest gifts that day. Many slaveholders would also give some sentiment to their slaves on this day as well. Later, in the Dominion of Southern America, Boxing Day would go out of favor as it was associated with slavery, but Christmas was embrased all the more.
While Christmas was slower to gain popularity in the United States, it lagged not far behind. Many of the intelligentsia of America feared that if American traditions for the day were not established, then the Christmas of Britain would take hold, a form of cultural invasion. Led by the New York school of writers and artists, Americans took the old traditions of the Dutch and amagated them with those of the English and others to form something new. In the USA, it would be
Santa Claus (or St. Nick) who would children would dream of riding his reindeer drawn sleigh through the snow to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
