Plenty of towns go all out for Christmas. But one city in eastern Pennsylvania has a claim few can match. It was named on Christmas Eve, it calls itself Christmas City USA, and a giant star glows on the mountain above it.
The short answer: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was founded by Moravian settlers and christened on Christmas Eve in 1741. In the 1740s, it became one of the first places in America to feature a decorated Christmas tree, and in 1937 it officially adopted the nickname Christmas City USA.
A Name Born on Christmas Eve
In April 1741, William Allen, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant who later founded Allentown, deeded 500 acres along Monocacy Creek and the Lehigh River to the Moravian Church. That Christmas Eve, a small group of Moravians led by David Nitschmann and Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf founded a mission community there.
The settlers held their evening worship in a simple log building that they shared with farm animals. As Zinzendorf watched the animals and listened to the group sing a hymn called "Not Jerusalem, But Lowly Bethlehem," he declared that the settlement would be named Bethlehem.
Early Bethlehem was a close-knit Moravian community where the church owned all the property. Historic buildings from that era, including the Brethren's House and Sisters' House, still stand today.
One of America's First Christmas Trees
Bethlehem is credited with being the first U.S. city to feature a decorated Christmas tree, in the late 1740s. Long before Christmas trees became an American staple, the Moravians of Bethlehem were already celebrating the season with one.
The town's Moravian roots also connect to another beloved decoration, the Moravian star. These illuminated stars represent the Star of Bethlehem and are traditionally displayed from the first Sunday of Advent until Epiphany on January 6. Many Moravian households even keep their stars up all year long.
Christmas City USA
On December 7, 1937, in the depths of the Great Depression, Bethlehem held a grand ceremony to adopt the nickname Christmas City USA. Hundreds of people attended, and thousands more listened on the radio.
The ceremony took place on the site of that original log house. As a nod to history, the Bach Choir sang an old German hymn, letting the crowd hear the same words the first settlers had heard nearly two centuries earlier.
The Star on South Mountain
Bethlehem's most famous symbol shines from the top of South Mountain. The first version, paid for by a local newspaper for $460, was a wooden star 60 feet high, lit by 150 light bulbs.
In 1939, it was replaced by a star made of steel from Bethlehem Steel, the city's famous company. The current star, 91 feet tall, was installed in 1967 on the old steel frame, protected by Plexiglas over its 250 bulbs. Since the mid-1990s, it has been lit every evening, all year round.
A Town Full of History
Bethlehem's story isn't only about Christmas. During the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette recovered from a battle injury there, and visitors over the years included George and Martha Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.
But each December, it's the Christmas spirit that takes center stage. In a town named on Christmas Eve by settlers singing in a log house shared with farm animals, the holiday feels right at home.
