On December 25, 1607, English settlers at Jamestown marked what is considered the first recorded Christmas celebration in what would become the United States. It was not a feast-filled holiday, it was a brief religious observance held amid hunger, cold, and uncertainty in an unfamiliar land.

The Jamestown colonists were only months into their experiment. Disease, strained relations with Indigenous peoples, and poor planning had already taken a heavy toll. Christmas that year was less about joy than survival, a moment of ritual and familiarity in a place where nearly everything else was unknown.

Thanks for reading,

The TTC Team

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