For today’s post, I would like to share with you a time when Christmas was banned in Scotland. Yes, it really was! And to mix things up a bit, I thought I’d have a little fun and try my hand at writing it as a poem. Perhaps it will sound a bit familiar to you. 🙂 Enjoy.

‘Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the land,
not a creature was stirring,
for Christmas was banned.
“Why?” you might ask,
when in Scotland of old,
the Yule was indeed
important we’re told.
You see, Yule – from the ‘Yuletide’-
was a festival of fun,
a time to laud the solstice
and the return of the sun.
Greenery was hung
as a symbol of life,
and the yule log burned warm,
merry, and bright.
In the year 1560, though,
something new happened.
The Reformation began –
spirits were dampened.
What used to be fun
was now frowned upon.
No more celebrations.
Beloved Yuletide was done.
From there it got worse,
more sadness and gloom.
And in 1640,
the Church lowered the boom.
Too pagan! Too Catholic!
Not biblical they said.
Go to work, eat your supper,
just be quiet instead.
Yuletide was banned,
the festivities finished.
If caught in celebration,
one would certainly be punished!
With no games, no gifts,
no more feasts to be had,
the people of Scotland
must have felt sad.
Thankfully, though,
cooler heads would prevail.
Nearly fifty years later
the act was repealed.
Three centuries more
was the notion suppressed,
though little by little
Christians welcomed the fest.
Old traditions and customs
that once had been barred,
were now part of Christmas,
reclaimed and restored.
Today Yuletide carols
are sung by a choir,
and Christmas trees sparkle
by the light of a star.
This Christmas as you
and your family delight,
I wish a happy Christmas to all
and to all a good night.
*Christmas became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958.
Enjoy your week, everyone, and I’ll see you again soon!
Cheers,
