A Century of Christmas

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Today, Christians across the globe will celebrate Christmas, a day commemorating the birth of Jesus.

On December 25, 1975, the Arcadia Tribune described how families from different cultures celebrate the holiday season with their own traditions. Italians celebrated with a large Christmas Eve feast prepared by multiple generations of cooks, while Scandinavian traditions included colorful costumes and family folk dancing. The paper also reported on a Mexican family's festivities, which involved a backyard piñata and a Christmas Eve tamale dinner. "Christmas morning is gift-opening time. Many of the gifts are hand-made by the children, who proudly show their parents what they've made. After a traditional Mexican Holiday breakfast of pork feet, the family returns to church for a noon Mass – Missa de Navidad," explained the Arcadia Tribune on December 25, 1915.

NOTE: Click on the links below to read about previous Christmas traditions, including printed letters to Santa written by children more than 100 years ago.