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Colonial America (1492-1765)
Christmas

A Colonial Christmas

A Colonial Christmas
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.95

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    evergreen, fancy-dress, fox-hunt, greenery, hand-made, midwinter, mincemeat, sinful, traditional, illegal, burning, seafood, celebration, wealthy, mantle, authentic
     content words:    New England, Night Before Christmas, Colonial Williamsburg, Before Christmas, Christmas Day, Twelfth Night

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A Colonial Christmas
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     This is how I always pictured a colonial Christmas. It starts with a really big Christmas tree. A family goes out somewhere in the New England woods and cuts down a beautiful, tall, evergreen tree. Next, they load the tree onto their sleigh, and their horses carry it home through the snow.
 
2     In the days to come, the family prepares all kinds of homemade Christmas treats. The children make ornaments from materials at hand and hang them on the tree. Mother bakes cakes, cookies, and pies. Each member of the family creates a hand-made gift for everyone else. Candles burning in each window give a festive, but old-fashioned, glow to the season.
 
3     In the evening, the children go to bed early after listening to "The Night Before Christmas." They dream of Christmas morning when they will find their stockings filled with treats and hanging on the fireplace mantle.
 
4     There's only one small problem with my mental picture of a colonial Christmas. It never happened.
 
5     Later, I learned about the Christmas celebrations at Colonial Williamsburg. There, the whole town is lit up with candles for Christmas. Wreaths made of greens and decorated with fruits such as oranges and pineapples decorate each door. Garlands of more greenery and fruit continue the traditional Christmas theme. Visitors come from everywhere to enjoy the look of a colonial Christmas.

Paragraphs 6 to 13:
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