Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2007/January 2008 | Page 54

life

ANTIQUES

Ghost of
Christmas Past
By Philip Hoare

As the festive season is upon us
I reflect on the passing of those
halcyon days when Christmas
and New Year was celebrated with such
great enthusiasm by all. Sadly this
has now to a great extent been lost.
Certainly in Victorian times it wasn’t
so much about material gifts (although
small gifts were exchanged amongst
the family and close friends) but about
delicious feasting. It was a hearty
banquet, the very best you could offer,
that was given to the ones you loved.
The Victorians always celebrated
Christmas with tremendous gusto and
had the greatest respect for custom.
As soon as the Christmas holiday period
arrived all work was forgotten. People
danced and sang carols in the street and
houses were decked with ivy and holly.

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In the cities the holly
carts arrived, bringing
holly and flowers from
the countryside. In fact,
for several weeks
before Christmas London
became a musical city
with groups of musicians
and singers playing on
the busy streets, much to
the surprise of foreigners
and visitors who
found it overwhelming
and inspiring.
Prince Albert introduced
the Christmas tree from
his homeland and it
became an essential
part of the Victorian
celebration. The trees
were dressed in tinsel,
lustre glass balls and numerous fruits
and were absolutely captivating to
everyone who saw them.
On the eve of Christmas all the
guests began to arrive by steam
train and horse drawn coach
and the celebration and feasting
began in earnest. All the children
knew that they had to sleep
tight because during the night a
very important visitor (Father
Christmas!) would arrive and
descend their chimneys laden
with special gifts for each and
every deserving one of them.
He would fill their stockings
with fruit, nuts and small gifts.
On Christmas morning, the whole
family would attend church and
give thanks to God for protecting
and providing for them at this
special time. They would then
return home and the feasting
would commence. Christmas
dinner was the high point of the
day and regardless of station
the table would be beautifully
dressed. All the best china,

silver candlesticks, candelabra and linen
covered in flowers and evergreens and ivy.
Feasts were sumptuous; the best of
everything they could afford in every
home. In the south, roast goose was the
fashion whilst in the north roast beef
and Yorkshire pudding was traditional
fayre. In the wealthier homes there were
oysters, boar-heads, hams and turkeys
and for virtually everyone, potatoes,
cranberry pies, mince pies and of course
plum pudding (Christmas pud)!
The high point of the feast was when by
tradition it was decorated with a sprig of
holly, doused in brandy and set alight.
The head of the household then sliced it
and gave a portion to each person at the
table after making a blessing to all who
prepared it. The creation of the pudding
was almost as important as its serving.
On the first Sunday before Advent each
family member took it in turns to mix the
pudding, then finally to stir it clockwise
and make a wish. In some households a
gold ring, silver coin and thimble were
thrown into the mixture. The ring meant

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