Fact Check: Alabama Was the First US State To Declare Christmas a Holiday?

Alabama was the first U.S. state to legally designate Christmas a state holiday. “In 1836, Alabama became the first state in America to declare Christmas a legal holiday,” a 2017 Facebook post read. “It wasn’t until 1870 that the U.S. declared Christmas Day a federal holiday.” But available evidence does not substantiate the assertion. While it is true that Congress designated Christmas Day a federal holiday in 1870 (along with New Year’s Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving), no historical records exist to corroborate the claim about Alabama 34 years earlier — or, 17 years after it became a state. In fact, the Alabama Department of Archives and History — a publicly-funded agency that serves as the official repository for state…