“Midweek, Decr. 25, 1718-9.  Shops are open, Hay, Hoop-poles,
     Wood, Faggots, Charcole, Meat brought to Town."[204]

Nearly a century later all that Judge Pynchon records is: 

     “Fryday, December 25, 1778.  Christmas.  Cold continued."[205]

“Monday, December 25, 1780.  Christmas, and rainy.  Dined at Mr. Wetmore’s (his daughter’s home) with Mr. Goodale and family, John and Patty.  Mr. Barnard and Prince at church; the music good, and Dr. Steward’s voice above all."[206]

All that Sewall has to say about Thanksgiving is:  “Thorsday, Novr. 25.  Public Thanksgiving,"[207] and again:  “1714.  Novr. 25.  Thanks-giving day; very cold, but not so sharp as yesterday.  My wife was sick, fain to keep the Chamber and not be at Diner.”

VIII.  Social Restrictions

Many of the restraints imposed by Puritan lawmakers upon the ordinary hospitality and cordial overtures of citizens seem ridiculous to a modern reader; but perhaps the “fathers in Israel” considered such strictness essential for the preservation of the saints.  Josselyn travelling in New England in 1638, observed in his New England’s Rareties their customs rather keenly, criticized rather severely some of their views, and commended just as heartily some of their virtues.  “They that are members of their churches have the sacraments administered to them, the rest that are out of the pale as they phrase it are denied it.  Many hundred souls there be amongst them grown up to men and women’s estate that were never christened....  There are many strange women too, (in Solomon’s sense), more the pity; when a woman hath lost her chastity she hath no more to lose.  There are many sincere and religious people amongst them....  They have store of children and are well accommodated with servants; many hands make light work, many hands make a full fraught, but many mouths eat up all, as some old planters have experienced.”

Approximately a century later the keen-eyed Sarah Knight visited New Haven, and commented in her Journal upon the growing laxity of rules and customs among the people of the quaint old town: 

“They are governed by the same laws as we in Boston (or little differing), throughout this whole colony of Connecticut ... but a little too much independent in their principles, and, as I have been told, were formerly in their zeal very rigid in their administrations towards such as their laws made offenders, even to a harmless kiss or innocent merriment among young people....  They generally marry very young:  the males oftener, as I am told, under twenty than above:  they generally make public weddings, and have a way something singular (as they say) in some of them, viz., just before joining hands the bride-groom quits the place, who is soon followed by the bridesmen, and as it were dragged back to duty—­being the reverse to the former practice among us, to