Do you know there was a time in England when Christmas was banned. Hard though it is to imagine, during the time of Oliver Cromwell, that is what happened. On the next Classroom Of The Air, Nan Hawthorne, author of several historical novels, will tell us why this decision was made. If you find yourself thinking you couldn’t imagine a year without Christmas, the British couldn’t either. Did they find ways to celebrate secretly? Why was Oliver Cromwell so opposed to its celebration? Did he live as he expected everyone else to, or was he a contradiction and a law unto himself? What punishments were meted out to those who violated Cromwell’s order? How did parents explain this sad turn of events to children looking forward to decorations and gifts? For how long did this go on and how was this much loved holiday reinstituted?

If we could not celebrate this joyous day, it would be heartbreaking indeed. With its return, it would gain in meaning and stature as things removed and given back always do.

As you think of the meaning of Christmas, join us for a journey to a time when for a nation, there was no Christmas and a high price paid for disobeying Oliver Cromwell’s order

Presenter: Nan hawthorne
E-Mail: hawthorne@nanhawthorne.com.

Group Discussion Leaders
Ruth Ann Acosta,
Email: ruth1244@gmail.com
Sherry Wells
E-mail: sdwells@us.ibm.com