Regency Christmas Traditions: A Look at "A Jane Austen Christmas" by Maria Grace
- Maeve McCosh
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
During my first few readings of Austen I had not associated her books with Christmas, but other readers have created countless adaptations of her works that are centered around the holiday season. To better understand Austen’s work and the subsequent adaptations, it’s important to know what Christmas was like in the Regency period. Maria Grace’s A Jane Austen Christmas walks us through the traditions of the time and lets us know which ones we have proof Austen partook in. Not only does this give us more insight into Austen, it helps us understand her characters since nearly every one of her novels mentions Christmas in some capacity.
In Pride and Prejudice, the Gardiners visit the Bennets for an extended stay, “On the following Monday, Mrs. Bennet had the pleasure of receiving her brother and his wife, who came as usual to spend the Christmas at Longbourn” (Pride and Prejudice, 139). According to Maria Grace, long stays were common during the holiday season, “since travel was difficult and expensive, stays were usually measured in weeks, not days.” This allows Mrs. Gardiner ample time to observe Elizabeth and Wickham, giving Lizzy her memorable warning, “You are too sensible a girl, Lizzy, to fall in love merely because you are warned against it; and, therefore, I am not afraid of speaking openly. Seriously, I would have you be on your guard" (Pride and Prejudice)
In Persuasion, we get a lovely description of the Musgrove’s Christmas and some insight into the traditions during the holiday season, “On one side was a table occupied by some chattering girls, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were tressels and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard, in spite of all the noise of the others. […] It was a fine family-piece” (Persuasion, 134). While the traditions may have been different from what we know now, familial love and connection was still a central part of Christmas.
Similarly, in Emma, Isabella visits the Woodhouses and we get to see what a Christmas party may have looked like as we watch the Weston’s party unfold. Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park also all reference Christmas in some capacity. Before looking specifically for mentions of the holidays, I brushed over them–but clearly they were an important part of the regency period.
A Jane Austen Christmas by Maria Grace offers further insight into what Jane Austen’s and our favorite literary characters may have been doing during the Christmas season. She begins her book by describing holiday entertaining, going into several traditions (such as caroling and pantomimes), detailing games that were played, and providing many regency-era recipes that would have been used during the twelve nights of Christmas. Her elaborate descriptions show the differences between now and then–and how our own traditions might have begun. For example, while we may picture Austen’s characters gathering around tall Christmas trees, in general, “non-royal families with German connections were the most likely commoners to have Christmas trees prior to the mid 1800s.” While some children did receive gifts, they were more widely associated with the rich gifting items to the poor in exchange for songs or greenery. Maria Grace also says that gifts were more commonly exchanged on New Year’s Day, rather than Christmas. As an avid Jane Austen reader, I loved reading about what Austen would have been doing during the holiday season. Her book takes the popular motif “what would Jane do” to a new level. If you’re looking for something fun to do this winter, pick up A Jane Austen Christmas and rekindle some of Austen’s traditions!
Music was key to Jane Austen’s creative process. With NEH funding no longer available, we have launched a Kickstarter campaign to add music to Jane Austen's Desk. Help us build interactive tools to make Austen's music come alive for all Janeites. This Kickstarter will raise the funds necessary to give tribute to the specific music Austen knew, loved, and transcribed by hand. Any amount helps us reach our goal of $9, 000. The project will only be funded if we reach this goal by Sunday, December 28 at 11:59 PM ET. Thank you for your support!
