Christmas was illegal for a while in the U.S.
Throughout history, there have been many periods during which different governments have tried to ban popular celebrations. England banned almost all public feasts during Oliver Cromwell’s government, and the Puritan colonist of North America even made celebrating Christmas illegal. What did they have against Christmas, you may ask?
The celebrations were considered to be too pagan for these catholic conservatives that governed Boston, so they banned them in order to ensure people would not be led astray by the merriment. The prohibition lasted from 1659 until 1681, but the holiday only became popular in the Boston region after 1776.