Did Oliver Cromwell ban Christmas or is this an unfounded rumour? I've read various articles/questions/answers that claim Oliver Cromwell took it upon himself to ban Christmas in the U.K.  The Puritans were also implicated.  Is this true, or is it an unfounded rumour put about by the "Bah! Humbug!" brigade?
Source: When Christmas Carols were banned.

I didn't dare post this question till now for fear of upsetting people.  Personally, I don't do the feasting, drinking and gift-giving stuff, but then again, I'm not a Puritan.

By the way, this is a light-hearted post-Christmas question and is not intended to offend anybody.  

Is there any evidence to suggest Oliver Cromwell was a complete "Scrooge"?
According to the Oliver Cromwell Society, he personally didn't ban Christmas:


  There is no sign that Cromwell personally played a particularly large or prominent role in formulating or advancing the various pieces of legislation and other documents which restricted the celebration of Christmas, though from what we know of his faith and beliefs it is likely that he was sympathetic towards and supported such measures, and as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death in September 1658 he supported the enforcement of the existing measures. — Oliver Cromwell - Faq 4


He just happened to be there, and went along with the will of the people, though I doubt reluctantly.

But the Puritans (and other Protestant groups) were definitely more than just implicated:


  Christmas has at times been the subject of controversy and attacks from various sources. Historically it was prohibited by Puritans when they briefly held power in England (1647–1660), and in Colonial America where the Puritans outlawed the celebration of Christmas in 1659. The Parliament of Scotland, which was dominated by Presbyterians, passed a series of acts outlawing the observance of Christmas between 1637 and 1690; Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958. — Christmas - Wikipedia


One of the reasons the Puritans fled England was to free themselves from the paganism within contemporary Christianity:


  Christmas celebrations in New England were illegal during parts of the 17th century, and were culturally taboo or rare in former Puritan colonies from foundation until the mid-18th century. The Puritan community found no scriptural justification for celebrating Christmas, and associated such celebrations with paganism and idolatry. — Christmas in Puritan New England - Wikipedia


It doesn't take much research to determine that almost everything we, in the 21st century, associate with Christmas has nothing to do with the Biblical record.  It's all paganism and recent invention.

The Puritans had problems with that other pagan holiday too:


  The early Puritans didn’t like Easter any more than they liked Christmas. They banned Christmas in 1659, fining anyone five shillings for celebrating the holiday. They ignored Easter, Whitsunday and other holidays. May Day celebrations, which included the hated Maypole, were punished severely. — Puritan Easter, or The Devil's Holiday - New England Historical Society




UPDATE:

Some comments have disagreed with my "almost everything we, in the 21st century, associate with Christmas has nothing to do with the Biblical record.  It's all paganism and recent invention" statement.


  
  It is not all paganism as you so simply declare.
  virtually none are pagan.
  


No, the vast majority of things associated with Christmas really are a result of Roman Catholic syncretism and of the modern advertising industry.

All I can suggest is to pick almost anything associated with Christmas and do a little research.  There's a lot of information available in almost any encyclopedia, including religious encyclopedias.

E.g. this is from "The Catholic Encyclopedia":


  Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date. For the history of the solar cult, its position in the Roman Empire, and syncretism with Mithraism, see … . — CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Christmas


Here are just a few examples:


Many traditions predate Jesus's birth:


Celebrations are a continuation of the Roman Saturnalia, with partying and gift giving.
Evergreen wreaths were used to decorate houses during Saturnalia.
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, was celebrated by Romans on December 25.
Mithras and the Sun God were born on December 25.  Jesus was born a few months earlier.
It was not Jesus, but Mithras that was born in a cave.
Nativity scenes with madonna and child are directly taken from Egyptian images of Isis nursing Horus.

Nordic and German paganism:


Winter was celebrated with evergreen trees.
Holly, ivy, and mistletoe were used for decorations.
Yule logs were burned for 12 days.

Slavic:


The Koliada festival celebrated death and rebirth, with people wandering from house to house greeting the inhabitants with songs.

Catholic:


December 25th wasn't associated with Jesus until the 4th century.
Saint Nicholas, whose name was corrupted to Santa Claus, was a 4th century Roman Bishop famous for gift giving.

American:


Much of the modern western Christmas was introduced to North America by Pennsylvania German settlers, with enthusiastic celebrations, Christmas trees, Yule logs, and other Germanic traditions.

Secular:


Office parties, street decorations, parades, lavish gifts, etc. are all recent innovations.
Christmas cards date back less than two hundred years, following the development of regular postal delivery systems.
Rudolph the reindeer was created by a Jewish copywriter as advertising for Montgomery Ward.
The current image of Santa Claus was largely created for by Coca Cola advertising, and has nothing to do with Christianity.