Christmas certainly can be a challenging time of year for many of us, and the lead up to Christmas can at times be busy and stressful too, but we hope that you may have a little time for a light-hearted look at some of the stranger laws that we have found that center around Christmas!
One of our valued former employees Ben Bullock, first wrote an article about some of the strangers laws relating to Christmas a few years ago, and a link to his article can be found here.
We’ve managed to delve a little further into the stranger laws relating to the festive season, and found the following:
Christmas debts payments
In Arkansas, USA an 1838 law means that if a debt falls payable on Christmas Day, by law it is actually payable the day before, showing, perhaps, their Ginch side!
Louisiana USA, shows itself to be a much more festive state, instead enacting a law in 1837 that makes debts payable on Christmas Day actually payable on Boxing Day!
Christmas trees
Staying in the USA for a bit it is interesting to note that in New York City there is a law that prohibits the display of real Christmas trees in retail stores, and there is a similar law in Philadelphia prohibiting natural Christmas trees in multi-family dwellings (such as duplexes and apartments), as real Christmas trees pose a greater fire hazard than artificial trees!
In fact, there is a national tax of 15c per tree on the sale of natural Christmas trees in the USA which is used to fund national marketing to improve the image of Christmas trees (only in America…)!
Santa suit
Jumping across the pond to the United Kingdom, who have their fair share of bizarre laws at any time of the year (it’s illegal to be drunk in a pub in the UK; to fly a kite in a public place; or to sound your car horn “aggressively”), it is illegal to drive whilst dressed as an elf or as Santa as it may impede your ability to drive!
Christmas crackers – show your ID
In the UK it is illegal to sell Christmas crackers to anyone under the age of 12 years – it used to be 16 years of age, but in attempt to remove unnecessary laws, in its wisdom the government decided that 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds could probably handle them.
No sledding in London
An 1839 law prohibits the use of slide on London streets. If found sledding on ice or snow on the streets of London.
Maybe lucky for the children of London the last time London had a “proper” white Christmas was over 20 years ago – no-one wants a £500 fine for Christmas!!
Christmas greetings from Lynn & Brown
We hope that you manage to get some time to enjoy the magic of Christmas, and to relax.
Thank you to everyone who has made 2023 a great year at Lynn & Brown and we sincerely wish everyone a wonderful festive season and a year happy 2024. If you have a few minutes have a quick look at our 2023 Christmas video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNx18gLFlB8.
