There’s nothing quite like the glimmer of a Christmas tree, brightly wrapped packages, and a yule log burning in the fire to invoke wonder and excitement. You may be surprised to know that many Christmas traditions are quite new–at least in both England and the US. Most Christmas customs we think are ancient actually sprang up during the Victorian Era.
Regency Christmas traditions varied widely from region to region and even family to family. Generally, the upper classes of Regency England didn’t treat Christmas as a special day beyond a church service and the exchange of small, mostly hand-made gifts within the family. Ordinary household items such as pen wipers and fire spills seem to have been common gifts, as well. The middle classes made a bigger event out of Christmas than their so-called “betters.” Lucky them!
& Stage Stop Museum
Copyright Donna Hatch
The traditional English Christmas as we know it is due to Queen Charlotte and later Prince Albert. They brought their German traditions with them to England when they married into the royal family. During the Regency, more and more celebratory customs cropped up. I suspect many families had practiced some of those customs all along secretly. Yorkshire is an area that seemed to hold on the most tightly to the Old Christmas traditions, and they enjoyed them openly when it became acceptable. Those holiday traditions spread to the United States. English Victorian Christmas customs grew into the ‘traditional’ Christmas we all know and love, complete with carolers, a wider variety of gifts and recipients, Yule logs, Christmas puddings, cards, Christmas trees, and many of the carols we sing today.
While researching English Christmas customs, I found journal entries and letters describing family events at the Great House, many of which I incorporated into my award-winning Christmas romance, Christmas Secrets. In my novel, their local traditions include a ball at the Great House, gathering greenery including a mistletoe “kissing ball,” the Yule Log, and singing carols, along with other fun aspects of the season on Christmas Eve.
Travel in winter in England during the Regency was extremely hazardous, therefore it was rarely done. By in large, Christmas house parties had to wait until railroads made winter journeys more feasible, which happened after 1840. Of course, I and every other author I have read largely ignore this, although in some of my Christmas stories, I mention people not wishing to travel far due to the weather.
An odd custom that does date back centuries is telling scary ghost stories. This age-old tradition dates so far back that I couldn’t find its true origin. Aside from the traditional Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, I’m happy that telling ghost stories is no longer part of most family Christmas customs. Can you imagine getting a child to bed who is both excited about Santa’s presents and frightened of ghosts? Now that is scary!
In the mood for a little holiday romance? Check out my sweet Regency Christmas novel, Christmas Secrets, which features a ghost, kiss, and a happily-ever-after.
A stolen Christmas kiss leaves them bewildered and breathless.
A charming rogue-turned-vicar, Will wants to prove he left his rakish days behind him, but an accidental kiss changes all his plans. His secret could bring him together with the girl of his dreams…or divide them forever.
Holly has two Christmas wishes this year; to finally earn her mother’s approval by gaining the notice of a handsome earl, and to learn the identity of the stranger who gave her a heart-shattering kiss…even if that stranger is the resident Christmas ghost.
My favorite Christmas tradition was Christmas Eve at the grandparents’ house. My father’s family was Swedish and lived next door to us so first we went to their house for a Swedish dinner. The food was begun about a week before with making sausage called something like “potatus curve” (my phonetic spelling). That means potato sausage. We would get together at Grandma’s house and grind up the meat, and potatoes, mix with spices, then fill the sausage casings with the mix by cranking the handle of the same grinding machine but with a tube attached that sent the ground mix into the casing. Grandma cooked the sausages in boiling water with allspice and cloves, then on Christmas Eve the sausage would be browned in a skillet and served with mashed potatoes; lutefisk (which Grandma made from dried cod she had soaked in lye for days until the black hard pieces of fish were white and fluffy); lingen-berry sauce, and “oust-a-kaka” supplied by the cousins who lived on a farm so they had easy access to the eggs and milk needed for the custard type dessert. (Actually it was made like a cheese with an activator from the grocery store that curdled the milk, I think, but I always thought it was more like a custard.) I’d sit on Grandpa’s daybed by the window and watch our house trying to see Santa Clause land. I’d stay by the window until the very last minute hoping to catch him and leave only when I was called to the table to eat. Somehow he always knew just the minute I was called away because I never caught him coming to my house, but the gifts were always under the tree when we came home.
Then we drove the 15 miles to my Mother’s family for a German Christmas. They always went to Christmas Eve service at their church so we would try to arrive about the time they were coming home. Mom’s family was much larger so dinner was a potluck. Grandma always made ham and her homemade “head cheese”. Ick, I couldn’t eat it; I think it was pork cooked off the bones and served in a jelly-like aspic. The adults loved it. One of my mother’s sisters always brought cranberry sauce made with fresh oranges and fresh cranberries ground up and mixed together. It definitely wasn’t traditional German food, but I loved it. Grandma baked her own sandwich buns and we could make our own ham sandwiches with them, yum. Then we opened presents, played with our cousins until we were exhausted and it was time to drive home. At least one year we had to drive through a blizzard to get to Grandma’s but there was no way Mom was going to miss Christmas with her family.
If we weren’t too tired we got up again for Christmas Church service. Sometimes it was at midnight, other times early in the morning while it was still dark. I think the time may have depended on the pastor who was serving at the time. But Grandpa was the church custodian so it was his job to ring the church bell. (On Sunday’s he let me help and I remember holding on tight to the rope and being lifted off the floor as the bell pulled the rope up as it moved side to side to ring.) Then on Christmas day we slept late and spent the day playing with our new toys.
As an adult I was never able to catch the magic of Christmas experienced as a child, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear my adult daughter talk about how she loved Christmas as a child. I had no idea our Christmases as a young married couple had been that much fun, but I’m glad she has good memories since I had always wanted her to have as much fun as I had as a child.
This sounds absolutely delightful! I’m sure pulling a bell was a rare experience. Thank you so much for sharing your sweet memories!