Although its roots extend back for centuries, the Christmas that North Americans know and love is fundamentally a twentieth-century phenomenon. Take Santa, for example: It wasn’t until a nationwide ad campaign for Coca-Cola in the 1920s that he came with a consistent look. In fact, Christmas wasn’t an official holiday throughout the United States until 1890— and even at that time, New Year’s Day was a strong competitor for the honor of prime gift-giving holiday. The following surveys and excerpts from published accounts of Christmases past offer a glimpse of the holiday’s evolution.