Nearly everyone has a sentimental thoughts towards Christmas.

Picturing the “ideal” Christmas moves the mind to simpler times, like a “Dickens” Christmas of the 1800’s.

Canaan Community Church was established at such a time and we wondered what that first Christmas of Canaan, back in 1869, would’ve been like. So, we did some historical digging and found a few surprises.

It wasn’t until after the civil war that Christmas celebration really took off in America. The nation was desperate to mend the divisions caused by the war and Christmas resonated with everyone.

Old traditions were re-discovered . For example, America fell in love with the German Christmas tree, most were small evergreens placed on a table with basic fruit and pine cones for decoration. By the end of the century, one in five homes celebrated with a Christmas tree.

The yule log and garland also became fixtures, borrowed from old English tradition.

In short, the “old-fashioned Christmas” of the 1800’s was an exciting reinvention for a new era.

Unlike today’s harried pace, an 1800’s Christmas slowed life down a little. It allowed people to connect. They connected with each other. They connected with the reality of God among us.

So using what we’ve learned, we decided to recreate the Christmas of 1869!

1869 Christmas EveCandlelight ServiceCanaan Community Church

Dec. 24 6:30 pmCanaan Historic Sanctuary

1869 ChristmasA historical re-enactmentcanaan-church.org/BigEvent/Now.htm

What to Expect1869 decorating: Our original sanctuary will be decorated as historically accurate as possible.

1869 costume: Participating members of Canaan will also be dressed in the clothing of the time. We invite you to join in the fun, come in period costume or in your regular garb, it’s up to you!

1869 Service: The service will be as authentic as possible. We will light candles, sing carols of the period, and hear a classic sermon from an 1800’s Christmas.

Our trip back in time will only take 45 minutes or so. Come join us for Christmas Eve; the date is Dec. 24th, 1869 at 6:30 pm.