Historians tell us that from the 1820s on, America's celebration of Christmas grew from a small religious holiday to one of public and home displays, community and church observances, shopping and gift-giving. Before the great wave of Eastern European immigration that began in 1881, Jews were less than one percent of the US population. With more than 99 percent of the citizenry, the churches and the stores celebrating Christmas with ever-increasing vigor. Churches began to hold programs for children to teach them the religious aspect of Christmas. Soon synagogues began to hold Hanukkah programs for their children. American Jews expanded the minor festival of Hanukkah, that usually fell near Christmas, to become a more important and festive time for children and their families.