by Brenda S. Cox
“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. . . .”–Persuasion
Merry Christmas! I hope you all have had a lovely season filled with friends, family, and worship–much like Jane Austen would have experienced! This cartoon shows some of the joyous noise of Christmas, as Austen described it in Persuasion, when the Musgroves celebrated Christmas.
Courtesy of The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University
For more on Christmas cartoons and celebrations, please go to my post on Jane Austen’s World, Christmas Cartoons of Jane Austen’s England.
On Christmas Eve I had the privilege and joy of singing in a “Nine Lessons and Carols” Christmas Eve service at our local church. Such services are based on the yearly service at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, which has been doing similar services since 1918. You can listen to this year’s beautiful service, with traditional English carols as well as more modern ones, at this link for the next 28 days. Enjoy!
May you have a wonderful Christmas focused on God’s gifts to you, and may God bless you richly in the coming New Year!
Faith, Science, Joy, and Jane Austen 