Banning Christmas

Religious folk are easy to make fun which is why, to be honest, i do it every opportunity i get but something i do like to remind them when they bang on about the war against Christmas is that historically it was actually the religious folk who banned Christmas.
Back in the early 17th Century, there was a small band of Religionists from the Midlands who decided that Britain was not Holy enough for them and packed up their Bibles and set off to cross the Atlantic Ocean and make their own country.  
The Pilgrims were strict Puritans and one of the first things they did once they set up camp was decide that Christmas and Easter was not Holy Days and 'They for whom all days are holy can have no holiday' and promptly banned all Christmas celebrations and fined anyone caught not working on December 25th or enjoying a sneaky feast for the baby Jesus.
Meanwhile in Jolly Olde England, the British Purtians under Oliver Cromwell were also banning Christmas and it stayed banned until Olly died and then under King Charles II, Chrimbo was bought back and the British Crown, who still had some jurisdiction over its colonies in the New World, told them to stop being so bloody stupid and reinstanted Christmas over there also.   
There was some hold-outs in the Colonies and Christmas was not declared a public holiday there until 1836 but by then a bunch of drunks had dressed like Indians and dumped tea-chests in the Boston Harbor and the Constitution had been written by a dude with wooden teeth and everyone had a gun and was merrily aiming them at each other so Britain had no sway over the direction it would go but when you American's eat your Christmas Cookies and you look on lovingly while little Hank unwraps that semi-Automatic gaily wrapped in Christmas Paper on Christmas morning, it's thanks to us Brits.
Oh, and next time you hear some Bible thumping nutjob talking nonsense about the war on Christmas and how Muslims and us Atheists are trying to ban Christmas, remind them who it was that actually banned it before.