Christmas


Table of Contents for this Page Christmas In The City And Country - from Godey's Ladys Book, December 1860 Candy Canes A Florida Lad's Four Christmases Charleston Mercury excerpts Mrs. Ida Baker, Union, SC More Links
CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY AND COUNTRY - RIVAL CLAIMS from Godey's Ladys Book, December 1860	click on these thumbnails for larger images from Godey's
"The suburban life of our great cities is a marked social feature of the day; the taste for the quiet domestic pursuits, which naturally spring up in the abundant leisure of the country, contest their place warmly with the fashion and gaiety of the town. Every year more families give up their city residences, and, save a month or two at some hotel, or with friends who are glad enough to return the compliment when summer comes, pass the year out of the sight of bricks and mortar. They certainly have fewer excuses, if they do not live "a sober, righteous, and godly life," than those who are drawn more or less into the vortex of "society," under which we include party-giving and party-going, shopping, calling, the opera, the concert - all that envious people sum up with the convenient title of "city dissipation. " "City people, in the mean time, shrug their shoulders, and wonder what people can possibly find to do with themselves, and look on their "country cousins" as the victims of routine, and narrow-mindedness, and general stupidity!" "We present these rival claims in what may be supposed to be the chief enjoyment of each separate life. Christmas, the general holiday, has its charms for each. In town there is much consultation as to toilet, for though the children absorb the morning, and it is proper to be seen at church, it is not less certain that the intimate male gentlemen friends of the family will make their appearance by the time a demi-toilet can be dispatched, a little rehearsal of the general reception that marks the New Year. There are symptoms of it in the well spread lunch table of the luxurious drawing-room, in the impromptu grouping of ladies of the house with the first tinkle of the door bell, and its enjoyment culminates in the entrance of "the coming man," who "takes the liberty of bringing his friend Marks," already well known in society an "superb in the German." "Their country cousins, meantime, have already dined ! -unfashionable creatures - and enjoyed with keen appetites the ample bountiful Christmas dinner the barn yard, and the garden's latest gifts of crisp celery, winter vegetables and fruit, have contributed to. The air is keen and clear, the sky unclouded sapphire, the roads in their prime of sleighing from yesterday's travel over the last cheerful snow storm. They, too, have "gentlemen friends" who are only too happy to pay their devoirs in the clear open air, and in much merriment the sleighing party is made up, to dash along with chiming bells, and song and laughter. An upset now and then is counted in with the amusements of the day, so that no one is hurt, and who ever is? - by a fall into a yielding snowbank!" "We leave our lady friends to choose for themselves in which scene lies the best opportunity for amusement and - a proposal!"
Candy Canes Have you ever wondered how it came to be that we enjoy candy canes each Christmas season? Legend has it that in 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral handed out sugar sticks among his young singers to keep them quiet during the long Living Nativity ceremony. In honor of the occasion, he had the candies bent into shepherds’ crooks. The symbol of the shepherd's crook is an ancient one, representing the humble shepherds who were first to worship the newborn Christ. Candy canes have come to be regarded as much an ornament as it is a confection to be eaten. They appear in stockings, on tabletops as part of an ornamental display, and frequently attached to gift packages. And of course, what would a Christmas stocking be without candy canes? Candy Cane Recipe 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup water 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 teaspoon red food coloring candy thermometer 1. Mix the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. 2. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 3. Place a candy thermometer in the mixture, and cook without stirring until the thermometer reaches 265 degrees Fahrenheit. 4. Turn off the heat and add the peppermint extract. 5. Divide the mixture in half by carefully pouring part of it into another pan. 6. Add the red food coloring to one of the pans. 7. While waiting for the candy to cool, grease three cookie sheets (two as working space, and the third to provide a non-stick surface for the canes to cool). 8. Butter your hands, and use a buttered spatula to cut off a portion of one of the clear taffy. Have a helper do the same with the red taffy. 9. Pull and fold the pieces repeatedly on your cookie sheet until they appear glossy, then roll them into an 8-inch long coil. 10. Give the head of the cane a twist before setting it aside to cool on the third greased cookie sheet. Yield: 6 medium sized canes
Dickens and Christmas http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/christmas.html
The Victorian Christmas Tree by Joanne Haug	Click for larger image
"The fir tree was put into a great tub filled with sand... The servants, and the young ladies also decked it out. On one branch they hung little nets, cut out of colored paper; every net was filled with sweetmeats; golden apples and walnuts hung down as if they grew there, and more than a hundred little candles, red, white and blue, were fastened to the different boughs. Dolls that looked exactly like real people-- the Tree had never seen such before-- swung among the foliage, and high on the summit of the Tree was fixed a tinsel star. It was splendid, particularly splendid. "This evening," said all, "this evening it will shine." -- HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN The Christmas tree was introduced into England in the early 19th century. In 1841 the German Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, decorated a large Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, reminiscent of his childhood celebrations in Germany (the Christmas tree had been a deep-rooted German tradition since the 18th century). Soon after, it became very fashionable in Victorian England to set up a large tree at Christmas and decorate it with lighted candles, candies, and fancy cakes hung from the branches by ribbon and by paper chains. German settlers had brought this tradition to North America as early as the 17th century and decorated Christmas trees were also the height of fashion in America by the 19th century. Homemade paper cornucopias, filled with sweets, fruit, nuts and popcorn hung on many Victorian Christmas trees. Glass Christmas tree balls, hand crafted in Lauscha, made their first appearance on American trees in the 1860s, primarily in the homes of German immigrants. Other early ornaments were made of lead and formed into flat geometric shapes, such as stars and crosses. "Store bought" Christmas tree ornaments were introduced around 1870 and quickly began to replace the homemade (usually edible) decorations. Most were crafted in Germany, from Dresden and tiny villages in the Thuringian Mountains. From the 1870s to 1890s, many Victorian Christmas trees were trimmed with ornaments formed with wax in the shape of angels and children. Also cotton-wool ornaments were used, crafted with embossed paper faces, trimmed with buttons, powered glass and gold paper wings.
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD by Joanne Haug	Click for larger image
The sending of greeting cards at Christmas began in the Victorian era. Though wood engravers produced prints with religious themes in the European Middle Ages, the first commercial Christmas and New Year's card is believed to have been designed and printed in London, England in 1843. John Callcott Horsley (born 1817-- died 1903), a British narrative painter and a Royal Academician, designed the very first Christmas and New Year's card at the suggestion and request of his friend Sir Henry Cole (the first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum). In 1843 an edition of 1,000 of these Christmas cards was placed on sale in London. They were printed in lithography by Jobbins of Warwick Court, Holborn, London, and hand-colored by a professional "colourer" named Mason. The Christmas card was lithographed on stiff cardboard, 5 1/8 by 3 1/4 inches, in dark sepia, and shows a family party in progress, beneath which is the greeting, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." It also states that is was "Published at Summerly's Home Treasury Office, 12 Old Bond Street, London." The price was 1s. each. An original copy of this card is considered very rare, but copies of a facsimile reprint issued in 1955 can still be found today. http://www.victoriana.com/christmas/default.htm
19TH CENTURY CHRISTMAS CARD PUBLISHERS by Joanne Haug Though the sending of greeting cards at Christmas began in Britain in the 1840s, it was not until 20 years later that the greeting card business was established. In the Victorian era when a person paid a formal call on a friend, it was customary to leave a visiting card as a reminder of the visit. In 1860, Charles Goodall & Son, a British publisher of visiting cards, began mass producing cards designed especially for visits at Christmas. These Christmas and New Year's cards were the forerunners of greeting cards and were generally small, about 3 inches by 2 inches, and decorated with simple designs. Today, the most collectible cards are those printed between 1860 and the 1890s in England and America. During this time period, the cards were printed in lithography, a process which beautifully reproduced the colorful paintings created by the popular artists of the second half of the 19th century. Christmas cards were distributed mainly in booksellers and stationary shops until the early 1880s. At this time, cards could be found for sale in tobacconists and toy shops, and large and small drapery shops. By 1895, most of the original Christmas card publishing firms went out of business due to the importing of German cards, which were less expensive. The following is a list of some of the most popular early publishers of 19th C. Christmas cards: --------- DE LA RUE & CO., LONDON: 1874. Prominent artists, William and Rebecca Coleman were employed by this publisher. --------- CHARLES GOODALL & SON, LONDON: 1860. Charles Goodall & Son, a British publisher of visiting cards was one of the first to mass produce Christmas visiting cards. --------- S. HILDESHEIMER & CO., LONDON, MANCHESTER, NEW YORK: 1876-1890s. Introduced "The Penny Basket" set in 1879. Design competition and exhibition at St. James's Hall, London, in 1881. Began reproducing etchings and water-colours by Wilfrid Ball, a member of the Society of Paint Etchers in 1881. Produced many flower cards. --------- LOUIS PRANG & CO., BOSTON: 1874. "The Father of the American Christmas Card." Prang cards often cost as much as $1 over a hundred years ago --------- RAPHAEL TUCK & CO./ RAPHAEL TUCK & SONS, LONDON: 1870s, NEW YORK: 1885. Prize competitions in 1880 and the "Royal Academy" series in 1882. --------- MARCUS WARD & CO., BELFAST, LONDON, NEW YORK: 1866-1895. The artist Kate Greenaway designed cards for this company between 1870-1900 http://www.victoriana.com/christmas/default.htm
from ERSATZ IN THE CONFEDERACY They felt the absence of birthday parties and valentines far more keenly. But shortages of Christmas toys caused the severest heartbreak. Some dolls were brought through the blockade, but the price was exorbitant and prohibitive to most children. Emma LeConte told of one sold at a bazaar in Columbia, South Carolina, for $2000. Because of the scarcity and high price of dolls and other toys, most gifts placed under the Christmas tree or in Christmas stockings were made at home. The dolls were usually rag, with painted face or nut heads, for china heads could not be found. Stuffed cotton rabbits, dogs, and cats were also made by the skillful hands of the patient mothers. For boys there were toy soldiers and swords carved and painted at home; "jumping jacks," and toy animals were likewise homemade. Wood was most frequently used for these toys, but pasteboard was also converted into playthings. Pasteboard was made at home from old newspapers, cloth, and paste, combined in layers, the number of layers depending on the thickness desired, packed and smoothed by a hot iron. In most homes, the only candy enjoyed by the children was made from sorghum. Striped stick candy was not available during the war. There were children, "born of well-to-do parents who at the close of the conflict did not know the taste of candy." Peanuts, popcorn, molasses cakes, and home grown fruit were usually put in the coarse homemade stockings that were so trustingly hung by the chimney. Even Christmas tree decorations were of the homemade variety, but unusual and pretty trimmings were produced out of odds and ends of materials. Many people used the patriotic motif in their decorations. Some substituted the customary star at the top of the tree with the "Stars and Bars" and pictures of General Lee. A Richmond family decorated their tree with tails and ears salvaged from the slaughter of hogs. The tails were decorated with ruffled paper, while the ears held the "light-wood" candles. Strings of popcorn were used to decorate the tree. These substitute trimmings, toys, and food may have been poor but many in the Confederacy could not obtain or afford even these simple expedients. Many a mother's heart was broken by the sobbing of her child whom "Santa Claus" had forgotten. In an effort to explain to the children, stories and poems were printed in papers and magazines. Among the most widely circulated of all was the poem by Mary McCrimmon called “Santa Claus": I'm sorry to write, Our ports are blockaded, and Santa, tonight, Will hardly get down here; for if he should start, The Yankees would get him unless be was 'smart,' They beat all the men in creation to run, And if they could get him, they'd think it fine fun To put him in prison, and steal the nice toys He started to bring to our girls and boys. But try not to mind it-tell over your jokes- Be gay and be cheerful, like other good folks; For if you remember to be good and kind, Old Santa next Christmas will bear it in mind. SANTA CLAUS by Mary A. M'Crimmon This happened one Christmas. I'm sorry to write, Our ports are blockaded, and Santa, to-night, Will hardly get down here; for if he should start, The Yankees would get him unless he was "smart." They beat all the men in creation to run And if they could get him, they'd think it fine fun To put him in prison, and steal the nice toys He started to bring to our girls and boys. But try not to mind it -- tell over your jokes -- Be gay and be cheerful, like other good folks; For if you remember to be good and kind, OId Santa next Christmas will bear it in mind. 'Twas colder than Zero on Christmas eve night, When far off in Lapland, the great "Northern Light" In streams of wild beauty illuminated the skies, Like joy when it sparkles from innocent eyes. Old Santa Claus, seeing the hour at hand When children get sleepy all over the land, Put eight tiny reindeer to one little sleigh, And seizing a bundle, he started away For over the mountain and over the snow, As light as a feather and swift as a roe. At last on our chimney he drew up his team, And stole out as silent and soft as a dream, Lest hearing the footsteps on top of the house, The children, all sleeping as "snug as a mouse," Might wake up and catch him with pockets and hat Stuffed full of nice candy, and much more than that Nuts, raisins and apples, and all sorts of toys Exactly the thing for the girls and the boys. As a light as a feather he came down the flue, That seemed to grow wider to let him get through; And there in the corner, all ranged in a row, Were four little stockings, as white as the snow. He smiled when he saw them, and winked his old eye, But waited a moment and then passed them by, To peep through the curtains of two little beds, Where, wrapped in sweet slumber, lay four little heads; And he read in the faces of each little pair, Who'd acted the wisest throughout the past year. If one had been naughty, and told a white fib Another got angry and tore up her bib If he had his parents neglected to mind, Or she to her playmates been rude or unkind, From them he'd have taken to give to the rest, For "Santa Claus" always gave most to the best. But these little fellows, it seems, had done well, For how much he gave them I hardly can tell To one he gave candy, a drum, and an apple; Another a pony -- a beautiful dapple -- Birds, baskets and dollies, with sweet flaxen curls, Fruits, flowers and ribbons he left for the girls If either was slighted, I cannot tell which, For all received something -- and no one a switch. "Good night, little darlings," old Santa then said, And shaking with laughter, he turned from the bed, And mounting the chimney, he started to go Far over the mountain and over the snow.
Dec. 24th, 1862 Cornelia Peake McDonald's Diary In the kitchen all day, making cakes for the children's Christmas, labour by no means light with only a young servant to assist, but as Aunt Winnie was there to direct and retrieve errors, all went on right smoothly. In the afternoon, I saw from the door a cavalry regiment ride in and take possession of Mr. Wood's yard and beautiful grounds, attracted no doubt by the grass which is still green in many places. I was pitying them from my heart as Mr. Wood and his sisters are such old people and have always been accustomed to quiet and comfort; but my pity for them was suddenly displaced by anxiety for myself, for I beheld two cavalry men on their way through the yard stop and take the Christmas turkey that had been dressed and hung on a low branch of a tree for cooking tomorrow. He had walked with it a few steps before I realized what had taken place, and with the consciousness of the loss came the remembrance of the straits to which I was reduced before that turkey could be obtained; how I had spent $6.00 and sent a man miles on horseback to get it rather than have nothing good and pleasant for our Christmas dinner. With the recollection of all that, came the inspiration to try and recover it, so I flew after him, and in a commanding tone demanded the restoration of my property. The man laughed derisively, and told me I had no right to it, being "secesh" as he expressed it, and that it was confiscated to the Unite States. "Very well, " said I, "go on to the camp with it and I will go with you to the commanding officer." He gave it up then and I returned triumphantly to the kitchen with it. Just as I got back, I looked and saw a regiment of infantry, "foot people" as old Aunt Winnie calls them, filing into out orchard. In five minutes, the garden fence had disappeared and the boarding from the carriage house and other buildings was being torn off. Some were carrying off the wood that my poor little boys had cut and hauled. It made me almost weep to see the labour of their poor little hands appropriated by those thieves. How thankful I was that they were far away. I permitted them to go to their Uncle Fayette's some days ago to spend the Christmas with his boys. They went off so happily, both riding on Kit, with ammunition enough for a good long meeting of shooting. While I was trying to arrest the work of destruction, someone told me the robbers were in the kitchen carrying off the things. In I went, and found it full of men. One took up a tray of cakes, and as I turned to rescue them, Mary, the servant, pulled my sleeve to show my something else they were carrying off, and when I turned to him, another seized something else till I was nearly wild. At last Mary said, "Miss Cornelia, he's got your rusks," (Those rusks that I had made myself and worked until my wrists ached, the first I ever made.) A man had opened the stove and taken out the pan of nice light brown rusks, and was running out with them. A fit of heroism seized me and I darted after him, and just as he reached the porch steps, I caught him by the collar of his great coat and held him tight until the hot pan burnt his hands and he was forced to drop it. An officer was riding by, and beholding the scene, stopped and asked the meaning of it. Explaining, I lost my gravity, and so did he, and there we laughed long and loud over it. It was so perfectly ridiculous that I forgot for the time all the havoc that was going on. The officer went away, and soon a guard came and quiet was restored, at least near the house, but all night long, the work of demolition of building went on. A surgeon came and asked me to give him supper and a place to rest for a while as he was sick and weary. I dared no t refuse, so consented. He went in and seated himself in a rocking chair in the dining room. I had to go in town on some business, but told him I would return by tea time, and would then let him have supper. He seemed satisfied, and settled himself comfortably to rest. Nelly, Donald, Roy, and little Hunter all huddled in a corner farthest from, and opposite to, him, looking at him with no kindly eyes, as I was amused to remark. I went away, and on my return found him gone; asked the children why he went, if they had said or done anything to offend him. They said "No," but one observed that "Nelly has tucked her frock up close around her." I asked her if she had done it to show her dislike to him, and though she said nothing, I know how scornfully the little lady could look and act if she cared to do it, and I felt much afraid that he had been offended. Flora and Sally Conrad had come during my absence and seeing him in the dining room did not come farther than the hall, but turned and went away. All remained quiet that night, however, and we slept and dreamed of the pleasant things tomorrow.
BY CHRISTMAS OF 1863, Richmond still had some semblance of Christmas. Judith McGuire described "the family circle as small but pleasant. The Christmas turkey and ham were not. We had aspired to a turkey, but finding the prices ranging from $50 to $100 on the market on Saturday we contented ourselves with roast beef and the various little dishes which Confederate times made us believe are tolerable substitutes for the viands of better days. At night I treated our little party to tea and ginger cakes, two very rare indulgences, and but for the sorghum, grown in our own fields, the cakes would be an impossible indulgence..."
XENIA (Ohio) TORCHLIGHT, 23 December 1863, p. 3 Tableau and Musical Entertainment. - The Xenia Soldiers' Aid Society will give a Tableau and Musical Entertainment on Christmas eve, at the Odd Fellow's Hall in Nunnemaker's block, and a supper on Christmas night at the Court House. The Tableaux will comprise a pleasing variety of scenes -- patriotic, oriental, allegorical, home pictures &c. The music under Mr. G.M. Pearson, would, of itself, offer sufficient attraction. "Young America", a band from Dayton, will also be present, and perform on the occasion. At the supper given at the Court House, there will be a beautiful Christmas tree for the entertainment of the young folks, decorated with toys and Christmas gifts of all sorts. We would suggest to parents and others, purchasing Christmas gifts, to defer it until that evening, and thus patronize the Soldiers' Aid Society. There will be vocal music by some of our amateur singers, and other attractions to add to the pleasure of the evening. The proceeds of these entertainments are for the benefit of the Great Western Sanitary Fair, and our citizens should feel a pride in extending it a liberal patronage. Admittance, 20 cents, children half price. Admittance to Tableau and Musical Entertainment, 50 cents. By order of Society. H.M. King, Secretary.
A Florida Lad's Four Christmases from the unpublished diary of Robert Watson, of Key West Dec. 25, 1864 (at Charleston, S.C., following his transfer to the C.S. Navy, after firing the Ram Savannah in the Savannah River during that city's evacuation, and en route to Battery Buchanan at Fort Fisher) "Christmas day. Turned out at 6 AM, very cold. We were ordered to hold ourselves in readiness to leave at moments warning. 20 men were sent to the Ram Charleston, all the balance except the Savannah's crew went to James Island. I went in a boat to carry a lot of officers and marines, head winds and tides, miserable old leaky boat, very slow. In coming back we were hailed by the Ram Chicora, went alongside and the officer in charge of the boat went aboard and remained there 1/2 hour and it was raining all the time. Our officer got in the boat and just as we shoved off he was ordered on board again for he did not have the countersign and they were not satisfied. He remained 1/2 hr longer when one of the officers came down with a lantern and looked at our faces. He knew one of the men that belonged to the Indian Chief so he was satisfied and let us go. Was hailed and brought to Castle Pickney and had the same trouble over again, finally started and got on board the Indian Chief at 10 PM tired and wet, put on my only suit of clothes and turned in. This ends Christmas day. The poorest I ever spent."
CHARLESTON MERCURY, December 24, 1863, p. 1, c. 1 What a Woman Should be Alphabetically.--A woman should be Amiable, Benevolent, Charitable, Domestic, Economical, Forgiving, Generous, Honest, Industrious, Judicious, Kind, Loving, Modest, Neat, Obliging, Pleasant, Quiet, Reflecting, Sober, Tender, Urbane, Virtuous, Wise, Exemplary, Yielding, Zealous. CHARLESTON MERCURY , December 11, 1861 Charleston is ravaged by fire, and half of the city is destroyed, including much of the business district. Such an occurrence does psychological damage to the Confederacy, as Charleston is an important center of operations in the south. CHARLESTON MERCURY, December 30, 1861, p. 1, c. 3 Richmond, December 25. Christmas, the fire-cracker Sunday of the year, dawns as brightly as heart could wish. There is anything else than "peace on earth and good will to men," yet the present situation and the prospect before us afford ample cause for gratitude. We are not perhaps so well off as we might have been, but are intact as a nation, and after many months of war with a people much superior to ourselves in numbers and resources, have proved our ability to maintain our independence. Of course, there were egg-nog parties all over the town last night. "It was the custom of my ancestors," said a friend, at whose foaming bowl your correspondent presented himself, "and I intend to keep it up, whether I am able or not, war or no war." Military Christmas gifts are all the go among children, judging from the number of little boys in the street this morning with drums swung from their necks. . . . Hermes.
Source: Mrs. Ida Baker, E. Main St., Union, S.C. Interviewer: Caldwell Sims, Union, S.C. (11/10/37) "At Christmas times during the Civil War, people in Union did not have luxuries, at all. Union was only a village, and the stores did not carry much at best. Charleston was blockaded and even Spartanburg which was not much larger than Union at that time did not carry luxuries in her stores, either in food or wearing apparel. "Those who had money could not buy, for [it?] was not to be had. Everybody had to use parched wheat, parched okra seed or parched raw sweet potato chips for coffee. Not even tea came in. We used sassafras and other native herb teas both daily and at parties when the herb teas were in season. Some were good, but the substitute coffee was not. The darkies cut the potatoes up into small squares and parched them in the coffee parcher. This coffee needed no sugar, but for other things we used sorghum for sugar and it was a poor substitute. I liked the okra seed better than any of the coffee substitutes. "We had plenty of food during the war. The woods were dense and they were full of wild animal life, and the streams were full of fish. On Christmas the dinner tables were weighted down with turkey and other wild fowls and many delicacies from the garden, field or stream. No one ever thought of not enjoying the coffee and tea. If sugar was missed it was never mentioned. Even the darkies boasted of the fine coffee and tea [brewn?] from the herbs and wheat. "During the war Union was as gay on the surface as ever. When the soldiers came home on furlough, wounded, maimed and filthy, the women took them and cleaned them up, patched their ragged clothes and had parties and dances for them. The women of Union could and did dance and sing and make merry with aching and bleeding hearts to keep up the spirits and courage of their men folks who came home so discouraged and blue in the face of defeat. The Union soldiers outnumbered ours four to one toward the last. Women in Union did everything. They never gave up and they never stopped making much with nothing.
Please visit these sites for some poems and illustrations and information about wartime Christmas . http://home.att.net/~smerela/apoem.html http://oha.ci.alexandria.va.us/fortward/special-sections/christmas/