How Decadent Was A Georgian Christmas? | How Christmas Was Celebrated In The 18th Century

In 1644, Christmas disappeared from England as a Puritan government took hold, banning the once much-loved celebration for its supposed Catholic overtones. When Charles II was restored to the throne as a constitutional monarch 16 years later, Christmas was also restored, but it was a quieter festival than it had been previously. But by the height of the Georgian period, it was fast becoming a popular time of year again, as Georgians began to remember the traditions of their ancestors. Christmas celebrations in Georgian Britain began on the 6th of December, a possible import from the new German rulers, as all things continental became fashionable. In Germany and the Netherlands, It was traditional for St. Nicholas Day to be celebrated on the 6th, with shoes left out to be filled with sweets and presents. In Britain, it was a more subdued affair, but there was still an exchange of small gifts. Gifts would include embroidery, books and wooden toys. It also marked the official start of the festive season, which, as it had centuries before, continued until Epiphany on the 6th of January. This period of time was marked by visitors, parties and balls. The wealthier members of society would have ended their social season by the beginning of December, and most would retreat to their rural country manors until things livened up again after Christmas, only a few remaining in the cities. Unlike the extended period of rest in the Tudor period, while officially Christmas lasted from the 6th of December to 6th of January, most people still had to work. A move into industrial production, away from pastoral farming, meant work didn't stop. Servants especially would have had to continue as usual, as they would still be expected to look after their households. While there were still some local customs around the Lord of Misrule and the custom of switching roles on Boxing Day between nobles and servants, it was less popular and becoming less of a tradition. Most people on Christmas Day, rich or poor, would have attended church services. For those attending balls and visiting family, as well as for those able to get time off work, It would have been a quiet day of reflection, rather than the busy day it can be now. Homes would be decorated with evergreens, as they had been centuries before. The rich would have created huge swags to hang from stair rails and mantelpieces. But all social classes would have decorated, as it was free to gather bay, holly, fir tree branches, mistletoe and ivy. These plants were gathered as a symbol of everlasting life, which tied into the religious connotations of Christmas and also the more pagan reminders of life returning in spring. Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe had the strongest links, as they bore fruit through the winter. Kissing boughs were still very popular, but they now had a more elaborate Georgian makeover. A wooden hoop, wrapped in evergreens as the Tudors would have done, it might now also include hanging apples, spiced oranges and ribbons, as well as the infamous bunch of mistletoe. Families would also use the kissing bough as the centrepiece for games and fun, playing hunt the thimble, charades and singing carols, much as the Christmas tree can often be the centre of modern Christmases. However, the kissing bough would go into decline over the Georgian period. Although it wouldn't be popular until the mid-19th century, the Christmas tree was introduced by German-born Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. The tree was recorded in 1800 as a table decoration, complete with lit tapered candles on each branch and toys for the children present. The boys received skipping ropes, while the girls each got some muslin for a new dress, along with matching jewellery. But no matter what greenery a household used, it would usually not appear until Christmas Eve. And it was thought unlucky for the new year ahead to leave the decorations up past Twelfth Night, something many people still stick to today. The evergreens would decorate another element to survive from a much older Christmas, the yule log. It was still custom to drag home the largest log that could be found in the forest. Probably of oak, willow or birch, and wrapped in hazel twigs. The log would still be lit with a piece of the previous year's log, lit on Christmas Eve and kept burning until Epiphany. And in turn, a piece of the current year's yule log was kept for the next year. Something new was the tradition of candles. A Yule candle would be lit from the log by the youngest member of the household, sometimes two candles such as in Yorkshire, and all present would make a secret wish. Silence would be maintained until the candles were placed on the table and could only be broken at that point. No other lights were able to be lit until the candles had gone out by themselves. Otherwise, it was bad luck for the rest of the year. But the biggest part of a Georgian Christmas was the food. On Christmas Day, tables would groan under the weight of meats, desserts and mince pies. By this time, mince pies still contained meat, spices and fruit, but were becoming smaller. They were often still manger-shaped, and could sometimes be large so that everyone could share, but these were now eaten on Christmas Day itself, rather than kept over a longer period. There would have been ham and goose, as well as venison or game pies. Royalty often went with even stranger fare, with George II known, through a series of menus from 1736, for eating very exotic meats. Frogs, puffins, boar's head and songbirds were all part of a royal Christmas for this king. Plum porridge was also still a part of rich and poor tables. A mixture of broth, usually made from beef shin. Thickened with bread and including plums, dried fruits, plus wine and sugar for those who could afford it. Those lower down the social ladder might also enjoy a hearty meal of bread, cheese, ale, cheaper cuts of meat and posset. For desserts, lovely syllabub glasses with small handles would have been filled with jellies and creams, and the plum porridge was starting to make its appearance as a dessert as well, as the plum or Christmas pudding. This would be covered in brandy and set aflame for an impressive sight for the guests. Something which is still done today. In Scotland, Georgians would have enjoyed Petteochly Bannock, a large round shortbread that was decorated with crystallised fruit and almonds. Those who were rich enough could enjoy a treat grown with the new invention of greenhouse technology. A pineapple. Pineapples were the ultimate status symbol of the time and would have taken pride of place on a wealthy Christmas table. Another sweet treat would be baked, this time for Twelfth Night. This was the magnificent Twelfth Night Cake, made with plenty of dried fruit, richly decorated with icing and sugar paste, and baked with two dried beans or peas inside it. Whoever found the dried beans or peas would become king and queen of the bean for the evening, and would officially take charge of the celebrations. It would be especially humorous if If a servant was the one to find the bean, over time this cake would become simply the Christmas cake and be served on Christmas Day instead, decorated with marzipan as well as icing. And for guests arriving over the festive period, there was still the wassail bowl, but it was more likely now to simply be called a bowl of punch, of punch, and and visitors didn't have to sing for a cup of it. It would be made up of wine steamed with apples, sugar and spices. The cheaper beer now replaced for a more expensive ingredient to match the lavish lifestyles of the wealthy. Often this punch would be made up by the host rather than the servants. Something else that started becoming popular in the late Georgian period was Santa Claus. Although St Nicholas' Day had been made popular by the new German rulers, he still wasn't a central figure in the festive period. But in 1822, the American writer Clement C. Moore wrote A Visit from St Nicholas for His Children, now more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas. In this poem, he described Santa as a jolly fellow with a sack full of toys, eight tiny reindeer who pulled a sleigh, and stockings hung by the chimney with care. This added to other popular ideas about the legend, and Santa Claus began to grow in importance. In England, a separate figure known as Father Christmas, possibly descended from a mixture of the Tudor Lord of Misrule and a personification of Old Christmas that began in the wake of the Puritan era, began to merge with Santa Claus. But this character would still be largely connected to adult feasting and celebrating until the Victorian era, when he would become more child-centric. The 26th of December, known as St. Stephen's Day to the Tudors, began to be known in England and Scotland as Boxing Day. This was a hint back to when alms boxes in churches were opened for the poor, in remembrance of the eponymous saint. This would still happen, but it was no longer the grand royal affair it had once been. As due to the English Civil War and the Puritan era that followed, the royal family were nervous of publicly linking themselves to a festive tradition, especially one from the Catholic past. By the Georgian period, this had become a tradition of giving a Christmas box to the servants of the household, and they would be given the day off to spend it with their families. The box would contain little gifts, leftover food and clothes. Over the year, servants would often be fined for breaking household rules known as forfeits. These could include wearing your hat indoors or cutting too much bread. The master of the house would collect these forfeits and use them for spending on Twelfth Night, Around New Year's, it was traditional for the entire house to be cleaned from top to bottom, with ashes swept from hearths, dust removed from shelves, and perishable food quickly eaten or drank before the new year began. It was believed to be good luck to start the new year in this way, completely afresh. Some modern families still do this today. This is also the period in which the... Bringing the new, let out the old tradition first began. At midnight, the family would gather around and watch as the head of the household opened the back door in order to let the old year out and opened the front door to usher in the new year. It probably also let the cold in. Other strange traditions included that of young, unmarried women attempting to be the first to pull a bucket of water up from the local well. If someone managed it, there was a good chance she would be married within the year. If she was able to get the man she liked to drink some of the water, her chances increased. Another New Year's tradition began around this time, one we might recognise. In 1796, the Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote down the lyrics for Auld Lang Syne and it caught on like wildfire. In just a few years, it became a popular song to sing at the stroke of midnight, just as it is today. Twelfth Night would have been as riotous as it had been in Tudor times, with a big celebration to mark the end of the Christmas period. Balls and masquerades would still be held, often with games that were a hark back to Mummers and the Lord of Misrule. Guests would dress in costumes and draw names of fictional characters from a hat, proceeding to spend the evening as that character. There also would have been poems and riddles and games of cards, but it was still very much a celebration aimed at adults, not so much children. At the end of the night, everyone knew that in the morning it would be a return back to normal everyday life. The hosts. would also remove all greenery and decorations and burn them, believing it to be bad luck for the coming year to leave them up. Although the Georgians still didn't have the same modern Christmas we have now, a lot of their traditions were ones we might recognise, and the festive period was becoming closer to our own. Just like today, the Georgians loved the festive period for eating good food, seeing friends and family, and enjoying the revelry. But the biggest Christmas makeover was yet to come, with the Victorians. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like and subscribe so you don't miss any new documentaries.