The first Christmas in the new nation began almost as precariously as the very first Christmas in Bethlehem. The early results of the American war effort by Christmas 1776 had been under whelming , and gave little indication that men who had pledged their lives and sacred honor would one day live to be free. The icy Delaware River may not have been the Red Sea, but the need for Divine Providence and Deliverance to a besieged people was likely inescapable to any American soldier who trod the frozen ground that winter. Like the Israelites of old, this miraculous water crossing in the birth of a nation serves as a historical anchor point to remind future generations of Americans that, indeed, "God shed His grace on thee ." : During the night of December 25, Washington led his troops across the ice-swollen Delaware about 9 miles north of Trenton. The weather was horrendous and the river treacherous. Raging winds combined with snow, sleet and rain to produce almost impossible...(Read Full Post)