I've been to holiday gatherings like this, where the children had too much sugar and were just allowed to run amuck. It can be delightful for a little while, but it would exhaust even the most enthusiastic participant after an hour or two, I'd think. After that I'd much prefer to be sitting quietly by the fire sipping cocoa, reading a volume of poetry at Lady Russell's house. Anne really gets the best of both worlds here on Christmas, and the cream being that she doesn't have it spend a minute of it with her sister and father.