A 150 year old message for today

Santa Claus distributes gifts to Union troops. Thomas Nast for Harper’s Weekly, 1863

Ulysses Grant became President of the United States in 1869 and signed a Proclamation making Christmas a National Holiday in 1870.

The day was widely celebrated prior to his Proclamation, but it wasn’t a national holiday. So why make it an official holiday in 1870 you might ask? What prompted Grant to take action?

When Grant took office, Reconstruction was unraveling. There remained a great deal of division between the North and South. Grant was deeply committed to re-unification of the country and realized laws alone were insufficient. In signing the Proclamation making Christmas a National Holiday, he hoped to symbolize the idea of one Nation and bring some light to what was a dark period in many places.

Coming out of the recent election where there has been a lot of talk about red states and blue states, it’s our hope that the holidays offer an opportunity to instead see one country, and fulfill Grant’s wish that we see ourselves as a Nation united.

We wish you and yours a happy, safe, and peaceful holiday season.