When Americans banned Christmas
The first "War on Christmas" was declared almost 400 years ago, courtesy of our Puritan forefathers

Listen to more audio explainers:
- The curious life of urban Christmas tree sellers
- How diamonds became the de facto engagement stone
- This week I learned what movie producers in the 1940s used for snow, and more
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dan Stewart is a senior editor at The Week magazine. Originally from the U.K., he has been living in the United States since 2009.
-
'With every technological advance, there are risks'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
5 of the best platonic TV friendships
the week recommends Maintaining boundaries has proven tricky for all but the most committed of buddies on the small screen
-
Why are global postal services cutting off package delivery to the US?
Today's Big Question 'Uncertainty' around new tariff rules halts small-dollar imports