Every November, numerous articles recount the arrival of 17th-century English Pilgrims and Puritans and their quest for religious freedom. Stories are told about the founding of Massachusetts Bay ...

But debates about celebrating Christmas go back to the 17th century. The Puritans, it turns out, were not too keen on the holiday. They first discouraged Yuletide festivities and later outright ...

In the 1640s and 1650s, Puritans were in charge of Parliament. They introduced laws to enforce, what they believed to be, an appropriate Christian lifestyle: In the 16th century, most people ...