David Frum : When they champion `` Christmas as it was , '' they do not mean `` Christmas as it was for George Washington or Abraham Lincoln '' and much less Lincoln , like many in America , did n't observe Christmas as an official holiday . He says in late 19th century , Americans began to observe Christmas as a public holiday . Early Americans kept a sharp separation of church and state , he says . Frum : ` ` ' on Christmas '' was a reaction to a perceived threat to folkway , not religion .
David Frum : Lincoln , like many in America , did n't observe Christmas as an official holiday . He says in late 19th century , Americans began to observe Christmas as a public holiday . Early Americans kept a sharp separation of church and state , he says . Frum : ` ` ' on Christmas '' was a reaction to a perceived threat to folkway , not religion .