<P> At the same time, Christian residents of Virginia and New York observed the holiday freely . Pennsylvania German Settlers, pre-eminently the Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Lititz in Pennsylvania and the Wachovia Settlements in North Carolina, were enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas . The Moravians in Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity Scenes . Christmas fell out of favor in the United States after the American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom . George Washington attacked Hessian (German) mercenaries on the day after Christmas during the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, Christmas being much more popular in Germany than in America at this time . </P> <P> With the atheistic Cult of Reason in power during the era of Revolutionary France, Christian Christmas religious services were banned and the three kings cake was renamed the "equality cake" under anticlerical government policies . </P> <P> In the UK, Christmas Day became a bank holiday in 1834, Boxing Day was added in 1871 . </P> <P> In the early - 19th century, writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration . In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol that helped revive the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal merriment . Its instant popularity played a major role in portraying Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion . </P>

When did christmas become a holiday in uk