Christmas with the Congregationalists 2023: A Collections Tour with Dr. Kyle Roberts

Congregational Library & Archives members celebrated the season at 14 Beacon Street for an in-person collections viewing of materials related to Christmas with CLA Executive Director Dr. Kyle Roberts.

Christmas was not always a widely celebrated holiday by Congregationalists. The Massachusetts Bay General Court banned the observance of the holiday in 1659 and ministers, such as Cotton Mather, spoke out against yuletide reveling. Congregational practices started to look more familiar by the nineteenth century, as congregations put on Christmas plays and publishing houses, like the Pilgrim Press, printed holiday gift books featuring loveable characters like Winky the Christmas Cat.

Participants saw holiday-themed treasures from the collections, shared their own stories about how Congregationalists celebrate Christmas, and got into the holiday spirit.

SPEAKER BIO

Dr. Kyle Roberts is Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives.