when did christmas become an official us holiday
Christmas The First Congregational Church of Rockford, Illinois, "although of genuine Puritan stock", was 'preparing for a grand Christmas jubilee', a news correspondent reported in 1864.[142] By 1860, fourteen states including several from New England had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday.[143] In 1875, Louis Prang introduced the Christmas card to Americans. He has been called the "father of the American Christmas card".[144] On June 28, 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States federal holiday.[145]