(This post appeared on Austen Authors on December 12, 2018. I thought to resurrect it here. Enjoy!)
Tis the season to write Christmas based posts it seems. As we’re now in the middle of the season, with the day itself just around the corner, we’ve already seen many of my fellow AuAu bloggers write of Christmas in Regency times. I thought I’d focus on fun at Christmas—specifically, on some of the fun-loving traditions of our English cousins in the early nineteenth century.
Some of the games that were played at Christmas in Regency times are well known today. For instance, similes was often played in Regency times, and while it is more popularly known as a game played during Victorian times, particularly in the novel A Christmas Carol by Dickens, its origins stretch back long before that time. Of course, none of Jane Austen’s contemporaries would have known to answer “Tight as” with Fred’s “Uncle Scrooge’s purse strings!” Similarly, charades was a favorite which was often played by Regency Christmas goers.
Two of the most common and liveliest games they played had to do with food. The first was, of course, the infamous snap-dragon. A large shallow bowl was produced, and into this bowl was poured a liberal amount of brandy. Then they would put raisins and nuts in the brandy and light it aflame. The object was, of course, to grab treats from the burning bowl and eat them. Of course, for the lace-wearing populace of the time—particularly ladies of Mrs. Bennet’s ilk—doing so without setting yourself on fire was a true talent, indeed! In order to make the setting more striking, the lights would often be doused, leaving the blue flames of the burning brandy the only lights in the room. Don’t try this at home, kids!
Another food-based game was called bullet pudding. While it was called a pudding, the descriptions I’ve read suggest it was mostly flour, with a “sort of pudding” piled on the flour and formed into a peak at the top. The object of the game was to cut a slice of the pudding without disturbing the bullet which was placed on the peak. If the bullet fell while you were cutting the pudding, you had to retrieve it with your mouth, which left the unfortunate liberally coated with flour. In addition to these favorites, the revelers would often pull out old classics such as blind man’s buff—self-explanatory to most, I think—or any one of a number of rhyming games.
And while it is not specifically a game, the placement of mistletoe around the house was often treated like one, especially when kisses from pretty young ladies could be had. A large ball of mistletoe would be hung from the rafters, and whenever a young woman was found under the mistletoe by a gentleman, he would pluck a berry and claim his kiss. The young lady could not refuse a kiss when caught, so the Elizabeth Bennets of the world had to be on the lookout for young men like William Collins! When the berries had all been plucked, the mistletoe would be taken down, and any young lady who had not received a kiss could not expect to be married that year.
Behind a Moonlit Veil
Meet Tabetha Waite:
On the other hand, Jane’s good characters, the ones who behave in moral ways, are portrayed with genuine understanding. They are flawed but they are always capable of becoming better. Through humility and self-reflection they come to know themselves, to acknowledge their shortcomings, and to make a permanent change in their character. For them there is always a happy ending. The idea of humility, repentance, and a person who repents and is rewarded with happiness is a very Christian concept.
I have debated whether this post should be a review of the book The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. by William Makepeace Thackeray or a review of the Stanley Kubrick movie Barry Lyndon or something in between. In truth, I was researching Richard Bertie for another post, but the happenings in Bertie’s real-life reminded me of the fictional Barry Lyndon, and I had to go back and look at at the Thackeray tale. In addition, I recently set through a screening of this movie in September at the 
Barry Lyndon is completely reprehensible, but even so the reader holds a bit of sympathy for him because those with whom he associates are more abhorrent than he. 
Okay, I admit it. “Danny Boy” is one of my favorite songs, but it is not because I am Irish (which I am, for I have strong Irish roots in my ancestral tree). I simply think that the melody of “Londonderry Air” is one that reaches into a person’s soul. Moreover, I have a half-brother named “Danny,” so it strikes a chord in that manner. 
First off, “Danny Boy” was written by an English lawyer and lyricist in 1910. Frederic Weatherly is estimated to have written the lyrics to at least 3,000 popular songs, among the best-known of which are the sentimental ballad “Danny Boy” set to the tune “Londonderry Air,” the religious “The Holy City,” and the wartime song “Roses of Picardy.” “The Holy City,” written in 1892 to music by the British composer Stephen Adams. The song includes the refrain “Jerusalem, Jerusalem!.” He wrote the song while living in Bath in 1910. However, “the words were right but the tune was wrong, which is where Weatherly’s sister-in-law, Margaret Weatherly, comes in. Margaret Weatherly was an Irish immigrant who sailed to America with Fred Weatherly’s brother in search of silver in Colorado. It was on a trip back to England in 1912 that Margaret Weatherly introduced Fred Weatherly to the ancient Irish melody, ‘The Londonderry Aire.'” (
By 1865, Brown had become a permanent member of the Queen’s staff. He was given the title of “The Queen’s Highland Servant.” Over the years, he was awarded both the “Faithful Servant Medal” and the “Devoted Servant Medal.” His salary rose from £150 per annum to £400 (in 1872).
“Although much of the gossip about John Brown and Queen Victoria was seen as ridiculous steps were taken to suppress information. For instance, when Queen Victoria died her daughter Princess Beatrice removed pages from the queen’s journal ‘that might cause pain…. It is clear, despite public gossip… there was nothing immoral in Queen Victoria’s relationship with John Brown. Queen Victoria would never have contemplated sex with a servant. Furthermore, she was never alone to carry out an affair having court ladies always within shouting distance. The significance of Queen Victoria’s attraction to John Brown was that he made a career out of her. He never married, had few holidays and devoted his life to the queen, and he was a walking encyclopedia of her like, dislikes, moods and needs. As a downright selfish person this greatly appealed to the queen…. She liked him because she needed to be fussed, cosseted and spoiled. He told her the truth, spoke boldly to her and importantly too; unlike her family and senior courtiers, he was not afraid of her. Above all, when Prince Albert died Queen Victoria needed a male friend — she never really made close friendships with women — and someone to lean on. John Brown supplied all that.” 
Every Woman Dreams... 
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