The Christmas holiday for some slaves was a welcome break from all the usual toil of their lives. As Christmas approached, many slaves could feel the lightness of the holiday atmosphere. For others, Christmas only signified a break from the daily hard work that they had endured throughout the year.
While each slave-owning household was different, most slaves received at least several days off to celebrate with their families. For Thomas Jefferson's slaves at Monticello in Virginia, they were given a break for several days, and some slaves were allowed to visit other plantations or nearby towns. Special rations were also distributed.
As Frederick Douglass remembered, the holiday was a time in which slaves could do as they wished. While he recalled that many slaves did have the freedom to see their families, participate in sport activities, such as wrestling, boxing, running, and hunting, getting drunk was the most encouraged activity by slave owners. According to Douglass, "those holidays were among the most effective means in the hands of slaveholders of keeping down the spirit of insurrection among slaves" (The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Written by Himself). Douglass believed that by keeping slaves drunk, slave owners tried to prevent any plans for insurrection. For a slave owner, a sober and thoughtful slave was more dangerous. Thus, for Douglass the holiday signified a way for slave owners to pacify slaves.
While Frederick Douglass remembered the negative aspects of the holiday, Booker T. Washington recalled the fond childhood memories he had of Christmas in, The Booker T. Washington Papers. According to Washington, Christmas was the most favored holiday of the year for most slaves. In Virginia, slaves began getting ready for Christmas several weeks beforehand. The Christmas season began with a number of festivities. Corn shucking was one of the more memorable events. During the end of November and the beginning of December, large plantation owners sent invitations to the slaves of neighboring planters to come and shuck corn on a particular night. At the event, one to two hundred slaves sang and shucked corn throughout the night. A break was given, and supper was served. After about an hour, the slaves went back to work and continued shucking corn into the early morning hours. As Washington recalled, the music made the work light.
For other slaves, Christmas was not filled with the excitement of the holiday atmosphere. Instead, it only signified a break from the daily hard work that they had endured throughout the year. Some slaves spent the holiday break with family members, while others found time to engage in industrious activities, such as making corn brooms, horse collars, or baskets.
When Christmas day arrived, slaves ceased working for several days to up to ten days. Some slaves would also receive a present from their master. Washington recalled that a master who did not give his slaves presents was looked down upon by other masters, and was considered unworthy to be held among the slaveholding aristocracy.
The cutting of the Yule Log signaled the end of the Christmas season for slaves in Virginia. On the last day of the Christmas season, the men would find the greenest, toughest, and biggest tree that they could, and cut it down and sink it into a swamp. It would remain there until the following Christmas. Then on Christmas day, it was taken out of the swamp and brought into the master's home. After singing and a ceremony, the log was placed in the fireplace and lit. The holiday season would last until the log was burned into two parts. After the log was burned, the holiday season ended with a song and a ceremony.
The Christmas holiday evoked many different feelings. Some slaves were excited about the holiday, especially the children, while others looked forward to the break from work or the chance to reunite with family members. However, one thing was certain, after the holiday was over slaves had to go back to work until the next Christmas.
