Christmas ~ Augusta E. Rundell

"Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance.  It may weave a spell of nostalgia.  Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."
~ Augusta E. Rundell

Why, this is Christmas Day ~ David Grayson

I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day.  We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year.  As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.  And thus I drift along into the holidays - let them overtake me unexpectedly - waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself. "Why, this is Christmas Day!" ~ David Grayson

Passage from Village Christmas - Laurie Lee

"We tumbled downstairs, three steps at a time, into the kitchen's glow.  The fire was ablaze, and Mother had already started the breakfast, frying great pans of eggs and bacon.  We sat down to the finest breakfast of the year, which included real cream and porridge.  'Hark, children!' cried Mother, suddenly cocking her head, 'Isn't that pretty? Now fancy that.' With our mouths full of bacon we ran out into the yard and stood listening in the snow.  Then we heard it, the pealing of Painswick bells, the traditional and joyous sound, coming faint but clear over the distant hill like icicles stirred by the wind, ringing Christmas in the valley." ~ passage taken from Village Christmas And Other Notes on the English Year by Laurie Lee.

A Christmas Dinner - Charles Dickens 1835

A Christmas Dinner
Charles Dickens 1835

Early Dickens Christmas story describes a Christmas dinner at the home of Uncle and Aunt George. Originally published in Bell's Life in London in 1835 under the name Scenes and Characters No. 10 Christmas Festivities.

As to the dinner, it's perfectly delightful - nothing goes wrong, and everybody is in the very best of spirits, and disposed to please and be pleased. Grandpapa relates a circumstantial account of the purchase of the turkey, with a slight digression relative to the purchase of previous turkeys, on former Christmas-days, which grandmamma corroborates in the minutest particular. Uncle George tells stories, and carves poultry, and takes wine, and jokes with the children at the side-table, and winks at the cousins that are making love, or being made love to, and exhilarates everybody with his good humour and hospitality; and when, at last, a stout servant staggers in with a gigantic pudding, with a sprig of holly in the top, there is such a laughing, and shouting, and clapping of little chubby hands, and kicking up of fat dumpy legs, as can only be equalled by the applause with which the astonishing feat of pouring lighted brandy into mince-pies, is received by the younger visitors.

The First Fall of Snow

Passage from Lanterns Across the Snow by Susan Hill

"And then the Christmas table, with its snow-white cloth and polished glasses winking in the light, and the handsome, best silver that made Fanny clap her hands and laugh.  And on the sideboard, a white dish on its stand was piled high with fruit, green and gold, purple and orange, yellow and red, and another held nuts, and a third sweetmeats, sugared almonds and egg-yellow marchpane, and jellies covered in sugar crystal.  Then they all sat down and the food came, smelling of richness and savoury juices, and steaming hot.

The skin of the roasted fowl was crinkled and golden brown, the gravy ran like a thick, dark river; potatoes were fluffed up in the dish like mountains of snow.  Fanny felt her mouth pucker up with hunger as Father said the grace and carved the bird and poured out the glasses of purple-red wine.

Then Fanny caught Father's eye and he smiled at her, so sweet, so tenderly loving, so happy a smile, that she thought she might melt all away with happiness.

"Christmas," she said abruptly, out loud, "oh it is Christmas!"

And everyone laughed. ~ passage taken from - Lanterns Across the Snow by Susan Hill

Christmas Day - Wednesday 25th c. 1900 by Ernest Charles Rodgers

Clara, Florrie and I went this morning to skate on Edgbaston Pool and very much enjoyed it.  The weather was all we could desire for a Christmas Day and everyone looked bright and joyous.  We returned home to goose, plum pudding and mince pies, I spent a jolly afternoon and evening with the Satchells at our house.  It snowed nearly all afternoon, but of course as we were all indoors with the shutters up, and sitting round the fire, this was most seasonable.

Christmastime ~ Charles Dickens

“I have always thought of Christmastime, when it has come round...as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
― Charles Dickens