People often ask me about whether or not Unitarian Universalists celebrate Christmas—and if so, what exactly do we celebrate? My standard answer is that we do celebrate it (we were once Christian, after all), and that what we celebrate most is the birth of hope into the world.

If I have a little extra time, I also like to enumerate some of the ways that Unitarians and Universalists have contributed to the ways we celebrate Christmas. My favorite example of this is the Christmas Tree. Though Unitarians were not the first people ever in the world to have a Christmas tree, it was Charles Follen, a Unitarian minister, who introduced one of the first Christmas trees to the United States.

In 1832, Follen brought this German tradition to Lexington, MA and cleverly invited author Harriet Martineau to attend a party featuring the Christmas Tree. She wrote about the event, and predicted that this tradition of Christmas Trees would spread. She also credited Follen with being the first to introduce the tradition in the country—which may or may not have been accurate. In any case, we can certainly say that Christmas Trees are a Unitarian tradition!

Wondering about some of the other ways that Unitarians and Universalists have influenced our Christmas celebrations? Check out the fabulous UU Advent Calendar created by Ralph Yeager Roberts. It’s not too late to hang one up in your home and spend the next ten days learning some fun history!

Blessings,

Allison