Writer of Pop Culture

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This Day in Pop Culture for December 25

On this day in pop culture history, early Christians began celebrating Christmas and George Washington crossed the Delaware River.

December 25, 2020

2–3 minutes

336 AD: The First Christmas Celebrations

While Jesus’ birth is recorded in the Bible, the good book doesn’t give many clues what time of the year Jesus was born. Some historians think that since the Bible mentions the presence of shepherds tending their flocks that Jesus must have been born sometime in the spring since that is peak lambing season. Others have taken the date of Jesus’ death and worked backwards.

Perhaps a more popular theory is that Christians began to celebrate the holiday on December 25th because that was a Roman feast day celebrating the birth of Sol Invictus, the sun god. By doing so, it might help spread Christianity to the Romans. It is believed that Christians began to celebrate Christmas as early as 312 A.D. after Constantine, the Roman Emperor converted to the faith. However, the first recorded mention of the celebration was in 336 A.D.

Many years later in the United States, President Ulysses S. Grant made Christmas a national holiday on June 26, 1870. (Image: Pixabay)

1776: George Washington Crosses the Delaware River

George Washington crossed the Delaware River on the night of Christmas in 1776 as part of a sneak attack against the troops of Johann Rall quartered in Trenton, New Jersey. Commanders John Sullivan, Nathaneal Green, John Glover and Henry Knox joined Washington with the crossing alone with 2,400 troops, 18 cannons, baggage, and about 50-75 horses.

The weather was dreadful and the ice on the river prevented them from arriving until 3:00 a.m. the next morning. Of the actual attack, only three Americans were killed and six were wounded. However, 22 Hessians were killed, 98 were wounded and 1,000 prisoners were captured.