Believe it or not, the "war on Christmas" isn't some modern invention cooked up for cable news ratings. Long before people argued about the color of coffee cups, there were actual, literal bans on the holiday. There was a time when it nearly wasn't Christmas because the government decided the whole thing was a rowdy, pagan mess that needed to be scrapped.
If you lived in Boston in 1659, celebrating Christmas could get you fined five shillings. That was a lot of money back then—basically a week's wages for a laborer. The Puritans weren't just being "grinches." They were dead serious about their theology. To them, there was no biblical command to celebrate December 25th, and since the Bible didn't mention it, they figured humans had no business making it a holy day.
The Era When Christmas Was Illegal
We tend to think of the "good old days" as a time of Victorian carols and cozy fireplaces. But the 17th century was a different beast entirely. In England, under Oliver Cromwell, the Parliament actually passed an act in 1647 that abolished the feasts of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun. They didn't just ask people to stop; they sent soldiers into the streets to pull down decorations and break up gatherings.
Imagine that.
Soldiers marching through London to make sure you weren't eating a mince pie. It sounds like a bad movie plot, but it’s historical fact. The Puritans saw the holiday as a "Popish" leftover from the Catholic Church. They also hated the way people actually celebrated. Back then, Christmas wasn't about kids and toys. It was a season of "misrule."
Think of it more like a mix of Mardi Gras and a riot.
Young men would dress up in costumes, go to the houses of the wealthy, and demand the best food and drink. It was called "wassailing," and while the songs sound sweet now, the reality was often intimidating. If the rich homeowner didn't pay up in booze or cash, the "carolers" might break a window or cause a scene. For the straight-laced Puritans, this was pure chaos. They wanted a quiet, productive society. So, they just cut the holiday out of the calendar.
Why it Nearly Wasn't Christmas in America
The ban didn't stay in England. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they brought that same anti-holiday energy with them. On their first December 25th in the New World, they spent the day working on a building. No break. No feast. No "Merry Christmas."
By 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony made it official. The law stated that anyone found "observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way" would be penalized.
✨ Don't miss: Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett: Why Fans Are Still Divided Over the Daimyo of Tatooine
This lasted for over twenty years.
Even after the law was repealed in 1681, Christmas remained a dirty word in many parts of New England for over a century. In 1870, Christmas wasn't even a federal holiday in the United States. Many schools in Boston stayed open on December 25th until the late 1800s. It’s wild to think about, but the version of the holiday we know today—the tree, the gifts, the "spirit"—is actually a relatively recent invention.
The Victorian Rescue Mission
So, what changed? Why do we have a holiday at all if the early Americans hated it so much? Honestly, we owe a lot of it to two guys: Charles Dickens and Washington Irving.
In the early 1800s, Christmas was dying out. It was seen as old-fashioned, rural, and messy. But writers started reimagining it as a time of family and charity. Washington Irving wrote The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., which featured nostalgic (and largely fictional) accounts of Christmas in an old English manor. People ate it up. They wanted that sense of peace and community in a world that was becoming increasingly industrial and cold.
Then came Dickens.
When he published A Christmas Carol in 1843, he basically rebranded the entire season. He moved the focus away from the religious debates and the "misrule" riots and toward the "carol philosophy"—the idea of being kind to your neighbor. He made Christmas about the heart rather than the law.
The Physical Symbols That Almost Didn't Make It
Even the things we think are "essential" to the holiday were controversial. Take the Christmas tree. For a long time, it was a German tradition that most people in the UK and US thought was weird or even heathen. It wasn't until Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert (who was German), put one up at Windsor Castle in the 1840s that it became a "must-have" item.
Once a sketch of the Royal Family standing around their tree was published in the Illustrated London News, everyone wanted one. It shifted from being a weird foreign custom to the height of fashion overnight.
🔗 Read more: Why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Actors Still Define the Modern Spy Thriller
- Mistletoe: This was a Druid thing. Early church leaders tried to ban it because they thought it was too "magical" and pagan. They failed, obviously, because people liked the kissing part too much.
- The Date: There’s no record in the New Testament of Jesus being born in December. Early Christians debated the date for centuries. Some thought it was in April or May. It was only set as December 25th in the 4th century by Pope Julius I, likely to coincide with (or "Christianize") the Roman festival of Saturnalia.
The Industrial Revolution Crisis
There was another moment where it nearly wasn't Christmas because of the sheer demands of the factory system. During the mid-19th century, factory owners didn't want to give workers any time off. The idea of a "holiday break" was bad for the bottom line.
Without the push from workers and the cultural pressure from the "Christmas books" of the era, the holiday might have just faded into a minor church observance that happened on a Tuesday while everyone was at work. We could have easily ended up with a society where December 25th was just another 12-hour shift at the mill.
The Modern Near-Misses
Even in the 20th century, the holiday faced threats. During World War I and World War II, rationing almost killed the tradition of the big feast. In the UK, you couldn't get the ingredients for a traditional Christmas pudding. Sugar, butter, and dried fruits were strictly controlled.
But people improvised.
They made "mock" dishes. They used carrots to sweeten things when they couldn't find raisins. They kept the spirit alive because, by then, the holiday had become a psychological anchor. It was the thing people looked forward to in order to survive the rest of the year.
Real-World Examples of Modern Restrictions
Even today, there are places where it nearly isn't Christmas for millions of people.
- Brunei: In 2014, the Sultan of Brunei banned public celebrations of Christmas, including wearing Santa hats or putting up trees, under threat of five years in prison.
- Somalia: The government banned Christmas in 2015, claiming it was a threat to the nation's faith.
- Tajikistan: This country has some of the strictest rules, banning trees, gift-giving, and even festive meals in schools.
It's a reminder that the holiday isn't some inevitable force of nature. It’s a cultural agreement. We have it because we choose to have it, and because previous generations fought to keep it when governments and religious leaders tried to snuff it out.
What We Can Learn from the Close Calls
The fact that Christmas survived at all is a testament to how much humans need a "light in the dark." The winter solstice—the darkest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere—has always been a time when people felt the need to gather, eat, and hope for spring.
💡 You might also like: The Entire History of You: What Most People Get Wrong About the Grain
Whether it was the Romans celebrating Saturnalia or the Vikings celebrating Yule, the core instinct was the same. The "Christmas" we have now is just the latest version of that ancient human need.
If you’re worried about the holiday becoming too commercial or too stressful, just remember: it’s survived way worse. It’s survived total bans, wars, and religious crackdowns.
How to Keep the "Original" Spirit Alive
If you want to honor the history of how this holiday almost disappeared, you don't need to buy more stuff. Honestly, the most "traditional" thing you can do is focus on the things that the Puritans were afraid of and the Victorians loved: community and charity.
- Focus on People, Not Things: The holiday survived because of human connection. Make a point to actually talk to your neighbors.
- Study the History: Look into your own family's traditions. You might find that your great-grandparents did things that seem "un-Christmas" to us today but were essential to them.
- Acknowledge the Darkness: Don't feel pressured to be "merry" 24/7. Part of the reason for the holiday is acknowledging that winter is hard and we need each other to get through it.
- Keep it Simple: The most enduring Christmas traditions (like the tree or a simple meal) are the ones that didn't require a credit card.
Final Practical Steps
If you want to ensure the "spirit" of the season doesn't get lost in your own life, start small.
Research a tradition from your own heritage that predates the 20th century. Maybe it's the Italian "Feast of the Seven Fishes" or the Mexican "Las Posadas." These traditions have deep roots that kept the holiday alive when it was under threat.
Volunteer or donate locally. Remember that the "Christmas Carol" version of the holiday was built on the idea of looking out for the "Tiny Tims" of the world.
Finally, don't take the holiday for granted. History shows us that it’s a fragile thing. It’s a collection of stories, songs, and rituals that we pass down. By learning about the times it nearly wasn't Christmas, we can better appreciate the fact that we still get to celebrate it today.
Keep the lights on, share a meal, and maybe be a little rowdy in honor of the "misrule" that the Puritans hated so much. That's how the holiday stays alive.