Christmas in Regency
Posted by The Mysterious H.C. on November 13, 1997 at 14:59:44:
In response to Regency Christmas customs?, written by Barbara on November 13, 1997 at 01:14:20
Barbara -- this has been discussed on the P&P2 board from time to time; briefly, the period around Christmas and New Year's was an excuse for some general feasting and jollity (as in Silas Marner or at Uppercross in chapter 14 of Persuasion), and a holiday when children at boarding schools would return home, but there weren't too many Christmas-specific customs among the gentry, and Christmas was not really a "child-centered" holiday (this was something of a low ebb for Christmas-specific observances, I think, coming near the end of a period of slow decay of old customs following the 17th century Puritan attacks on such things, and preceding the introduction of the Christmas Tree from Germany, DIckens' influence, etc. etc.).
I read somewhere that in the early 19th century, "God rest ye merry gentleman" was the pretty much the only surviving Christmas Carol (known to most people)
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