Oliver Cromwell - Credit: Archant A piece written by Stuart Orme, the curator of the Cromwell Museum asks did Oliver Cromwell really cancel Christmas? Journalists and politicians, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have been invoking the name of Oliver Cromwell in recent days, with discussions over whether the British public can safely celebrate Christmas during the current pandemic. Cromwell’s name has been brought up as being associated with the banning of Christmas in the 1640s, which is the subject of a new display at the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon. The display looks at the true story of the ban and whether Cromwell had any involvement with it.