Weird Christmas Laws and Rules in London Throughout History (Some Still Exist!)
Christmas in London looks timeless: carol singers clustered under a lamp, shop windows glittering on Oxford Street, and mince pies warming on a counter. But peel back a layer of the city’s seasonal cheer and you’ll find laws, ordinances and odd rules that reveal how political, moral and practical forces shaped how the city celebrated or didn’t celebrate Christmas.
Some of these rules are ancient and now gone. A few are surprising modern regulations that still affect how Londoners spend the festive season. Read on for the true, the odd, and the surprisingly bureaucratic rules that have shaped a London Christmas.
1) The Puritan ban: when celebrating Christmas was illegal (mid-1600s)
This is the most famous historical “Christmas law.” During the English Civil War and the Interregnum, Parliament and Puritan leaders viewed the holiday as disorderly and “popish.” In 1647 the Long Parliament passed an ordinance effectively banning Christmas, Easter and Whitsun celebrations including many public entertainments and household revelry and replacing them with more sober, civic observances. The ban was unpopular (there were riots), and after the Restoration in 1660 the restrictions were repealed. In London the memory of those austere years survived in protests and pamphlets that railed against “the killing of Christmas.”
Where to learn more: the Museum of London and sites around Westminster have displays and documents about the Civil War and Puritan rule. Nearest Tube: Barbican (Museum of London) or Westminster for Parliament history.
2) The mince-pie myth (and what really happened)
You’ve probably heard the quirky claim that eating mince pies was once illegal. The truth is more nuanced. Mince pies weren’t banned as a rule across England but during certain Puritan decrees and specific fasting days in the 1640s, feasting on mince pies (and other festive food) could be frowned upon or effectively prohibited on those days. In short: mince pies weren’t national crimes they were a flashpoint in a broader cultural battle over festivities. The idea that mince pies were globally illegal is an exaggeration.
3) Trading laws: why most big shops stay closed on Christmas Day
This is one modern law that matters in practical terms. The Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 makes it an offence for large shops in England and Wales to open on Christmas Day; the purpose was to protect workers and preserve the day as a family holiday. (Small shops below the size threshold may open if they want.) If you’re planning a late arrival and hoping to shop on Christmas Day, prepare to be surprised: most major retailers will be shut
Where you notice this: Oxford Street and major Westfield centres busy before and after Christmas, but quiet on the day itself. Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus, Shepherd’s Bush or Stratford.
4) Sunday trading roots: another old rule that still shapes Christmas shopping
The Sunday Trading Act 1994 reformed earlier restrictions on Sunday shopping, but its legacy shaped how shops operate on Sundays and public holidays including Christmas. The Act still influences opening hours and staff rights, and is part of the reason retail scheduling around Christmas is tightly regulated.
5) Mistletoe, foraging and modern plant laws yes, some things are illegal to pick
Mistletoe is a classic seasonal symbol and a common question is whether you can just climb a ladder and take it. Wild-plant law in the UK is nuanced: many wild plants are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and foraging laws and land-access rules mean you must have the landowner’s permission to harvest. In short: don’t strip a tree in a public garden. If you want mistletoe legitimately, buy it from markets or sellers that have permission to harvest.
Practical tip: many markets (Covent Garden, Borough Market) sell ethically harvested mistletoe in December walk from Covent Garden Tube to hunt for one.
6) Carols, public space and permission: you might need okay from the council
Singing carols in public sounds free and easy, but organised performances in busy public spaces often require permits or permission from local authorities (particularly commercial pitches or amplified performances). Busking and street performance rules are managed by borough councils; if you plan a big public carol session or a charity bucket collection in a high-traffic area you may need a licence. That’s why community choirs tend to coordinate with churches, markets or councils when they schedule performances in Trafalgar Square or Covent Garden.
Where to sing: St Martin-in-the-Fields and many parish churches organise planned carol sessions that don’t require you to sort permissions.
7) Strange modern “rules” that feel like law (but aren’t quite)
London has its share of quirky seasonal stories that sound legalities but are really myths or corporate policies. Examples:
“You can’t place a stamp with the monarch upside-down” a popular urban-legend style claim; avoid publishing as fact without statute.
Restaurants asking for indemnity forms for flaming puddings a legal case story circulated some years back, but it’s not a general law.
“Santa would break many laws on his rounds” a tongue-in-cheek list often used by law schools to explain traffic, employment and animal-welfare laws at Christmas. These are useful as fun pieces, not as actual restrictions.
I avoid repeating those as hard laws they’re cultural anecdotes worth a footnote, not a statute.
8) Fireworks, public safety and New Year controls
Around Hogmanay/New Year many fireworks displays and street events are organised under strict public-safety rules. Large outdoor gatherings need permits, licensed pyrotechnicians and safety zones; councils can and do ban private firework displays in congested central areas. So “you can’t set off fireworks anywhere” is false, but in practice central London has tightly controlled displays for safety and public order.
Where to see legal displays: organised events on the South Bank and other authorised sites check the Southbank Centre listings or local council pages.
9) The practical law that affects staff & hospitality workers
Employment law in the UK doesn’t automatically give workers public holidays off whether a hotel, bar or restaurant closes at Christmas depends on contracts and employer policy. That’s why many hospitality venues stay open through the season, and why nightlife and restaurant staff often work during bank holidays while retail staff may be protected by trading restrictions. The result: London’s festive economy needs staff cover, and the legal framework shapes who works when.
Final thought: laws tell the cultural story
What’s striking when you look at London’s weird Christmas laws and rules is that they map social anxieties: puritan morality, worker protection, public safety, and the tension between commerce and celebration. Some old ordinances (like the Puritan ban) feel shocking now; some modern statutory rules (trading acts and public-space licences) quietly shape how the city looks on 25 December and New Year’s Eve.
For bite-size London history and seasonal updates, follow @london.yaar on Instagram your friendly local guide to the city’s odd little laws and stranger traditions.