As we’ve mentioned in the past, the first Christmas observance held in the Connecticut Colony was celebrated here in Stratford on December 24, 1724. For the first 100 years of Connecticut’s written history, celebrating Christmas was against the (Puritanical) laws. Since 1724, Stratford has marked the Christmas holiday in a number of ways, becoming grander and more visible over the ensuing years.
Back in the early 1800’s, Christmases in Stratford were considered “romantic”. Christmas meant more than just toys, or the giving of presents. These were Christmases of good cheer with happy spirits, and the magnetic force of love for one’s fellow man was the order of the day.
When a big snow fell at Christmastime, sleigh rides were the order of the evening for young, “clean-minded” folks, who were filled with happiness and not alcohol. Older folks rode along snow-covered, frost-rimmed roads, and were delighted to observe that they had lived to enjoy another Christmastime. Family visited family. A century and a half ago, the art of conversation was respected. Evenings were not spent in silence, but were filled with family catching up on the details of other family members’ lives.
The Holy Bible was brought out to recall the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. There were three churches in Stratford in 1875: Christ Episcopal Church, First Congregational Church, and the Methodist-Episcopal Church. The churches cooperated with one another and many residents participated in Christmas celebrations at all three churches. The entire community sang hymns of praise for the birth of the Christ child.
While Santa was more of a subdued Christmas presence, children of that era would hang their stockings by the fireplace and hurry to bed so that Santa Claus could bring his rewards for good little boys and girls.
Stratford was like most small towns or villages back in those days. A few yellowed letters from that time still exist. The writers of those letters told of visiting friends or relations, having a hearty dinner, and discussing the long, long sermon given in the church that morning.
On Christmas day 1890, the graduating class of the primary grades of Center School entertained at the old Town Hall with special recitations and songs. The students wore outfits colored with their class color of golden yellow. Lena Dorman read an essay she’d written, and Walter Curtis delivered an oration he’d prepared. Those attending the school program felt the graduating class had “covered themselves in glory.”
In 1917 the first town-wide Christmas celebration was held. The boys and girls “Useful Club” put up the first town Christmas tree and created the first town-wide Christmas program. About 5,000 people attended this first community Christmas gathering held at Academy Hill. Of this number, about one-half were children who received gifts that had been placed under the Christmas tree. It was the first real community Christmas observance ever held in Stratford. The 1917 Christmas celebration set the standard for town Christmas celebrations that were held in the following years.
