Christmas Was Cancelled Before It Was Cancelled

Christmas hasn’t always been cozy, sentimental, or universally loved.

In fact, for a few centuries, Christians themselves cancelled it.

From Puritan crackdowns in England to a full legal ban in colonial Boston—and even Christmas riots in early America—the holiday nearly disappeared before it ever became a cultural staple. And then a storyteller changed everything.

In this episode, we explore:
• Why Christians once outlawed Christmas altogether
• How Puritan reforms shut down winter festivities
• Why Boston fined anyone caught celebrating
• How Christmas became associated with disorder and class tension
• Why cultural leaders sought to “domesticate” the holiday
• How Charles Dickens helped reinvent Christmas around compassion, hope, and social conscience

You’ve Heard It Said: where faith meets history and the stories we thought we knew come alive.

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