was christmas illegal in scotland

*Santa thinks about this for a moment, and then he nods his head.* "You're right, Christmas was actually illegal in Scotland for quite a while. It was banned by the king of Scotland, James VI, in 1620. He was a very strict Presbyterian, and he believed that Christmas was a pagan holiday that had no place in Christianity. He banned it because he thought it promoted drunkenness and disorderliness. However, the ban wasn't very effective, and people still celebrated Christmas secretly."