November 19, 2025

By Alexandra Mazza

Q: Did Puritans Celebrate?

Long before Litchfield’s town Green was trimmed with modern twinkling holiday lights, December 25 came and went quietly, shunned by the Puritan founders. These settlers had fled England to break away from what they saw as impure religious practices. Elaborate church celebrations were seen as corrupt and paganistic. So the Puritans treated December 25 as a regular day: no presents, no trees, no merriment. 

After the Pilgrims had landed, their first “Christmas” was spent building houses to shelter them from New England’s harsh winters. In 1621, Connecticut Gov. William Bradford allowed those who had been raised in the Church of England to take time off to worship at home. But when those same workers were seen playing in the streets, he ordered them back to work. 

In 1659, the governor imposed a 5 shilling fine for anyone caught celebrating Christmas. Some Church of England congregations ignored these regulations, and continued their Christmas observances. By the late 1700s, strict Puritan orders began to loosen;  in 1823, Hartford’s Brick Meeting House held its first Christmas service. 

Other American settlers were less reserved, and their customs gradually spread. The Dutch introduced Saint Nicholas; the Germans brought the idea of cutting evergreens and bringing them into the home. 

The chilly hearths of early Litchfield could not foresee the merriment to come. Time softened the strict Puritan edges, and in time holiday cheer became the norm. By the mid-1800s, the Christmas traditions we know today had become widespread: Trees, stockings, and gifts began to adorn more homes.