Christmas is by far the most beloved of all holidays. Celebrated around the world every year, the season is a time of joy and gladness, filled with rich traditions and merry festivities.

But it wasn’t always this way.

In fact, at one point in history, both the UK and US banned the celebration of Christmas altogether!

In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made the celebration of Christmas illegal.

This was during the time of Oliver Cromwell and when a Puritan Parliament was in power. They believed that Christmas was a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour, therefore no one was permitted to celebrate the holiday and all festivities were strictly banned. It was only when King Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 that the ban came to an end.

In a newly colonised America however, the Puritans had outlawed Christmas again, this time in Boston.

The ban lasted twenty-two years, from 1659 to 1681, and rule breakers were fined if they were caught celebrating. Even after the ban was officially lifted, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that celebrating the holiday became widely accepted. In fact, after the Revolutionary War, the new Congress viewed the day as so insignificant that they held their first session on Christmas Day.

Luckily — and despite these early difficulties — Christmas has endured and become a major celebration in both the UK and America, as well as in many other parts of the world too.

Merry Christmas!

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