Whether one lived in a manor or a tenant-cottage, there would likely have been decorations for Christmas in the home, beginning with greenery. The custom is, in fact, as old as the hills. English homes used much the same greenery we do today. The difference lies in that ivy was used more than is done now (at Christmastime, I mean) and in the fact that all the greenery  would have been authentic.

(No imitations existed; and the use of certain greens was still faintly tied to its legendary meanings. For instance, holly, with its sharp leaves and red berries, symbolized the crown of thorns and blood shed by Christ.. )

The Look of a Regency Christmas

Nature provided what was used, in contrast to our modern lights and synthetic greenery.

Herbs were handy and popular (besides being useful to the cook) and would have been included in the home-made festoons of holly, ivy, berries and tree boughs from evergreen trees.

Mistletoe is another age-old custom replete with various superstitions, and some churches in the eighteenth and nineteenth century refused to use the greenery at all. More relaxed churches did decorate with it, and by the time of the Regency it was known by many names, most often being called, "the kissing bough." But it wasn't until later in the century that the middle class adopted the custom of kissing beneath it. During the regency, only the servant classes would have observed the intimate implications of being found beneath it.

 No doubt a few cold winter evenings were spent by the women in a household, preparing the greenery for their Christmas celebration. It was likely a pleasant change from the usual sewing basket.

Either the ladies of the house, or the servants would prepare swags, wreaths and festoons to use as decorations. In addition, despite the presence of a cook in most middle or upper class homes, the daughters of a house would probably choose the fat oranges they would hang for drying, to be later pricked with cinnamon sticks and used as aromatic pomanders; the mistress of a house would be planning the Christmas pudding, which was best started well in advance of the big day, and whatever else she traditionally served on the holiday.

According to the means of the home and the temperament of its inhabitants, I have no doubt that Christmas decorating was at times quite elaborate. Having said that, we must remember there would have been no tree to centre one's attention on; or, if there was, it would have been a table-top specimen; Nothing like the tall trees we use today or see in Victorian artwork.

The tall Christmas tree WAS introduced to England in 1800 by Queen Charlotte, but it didn't gain notoriety or popularity until much later, when Prince Albert (who shared the same Germanic heritage as Queen Charlotte) re-introduced it, starting a fashion. 

Did You Know?

Holly is thought to represent the drops of blood which fell from Christ's crown of thorns. As such, legend held that it protected against witches.

Let us say that a tabletop tree was in place; Being much smaller than what we are accustomed to, it only makes sense that presents therefore had to be smaller as well. In fact, they were small and ideally light enough to hang upon the branches. Candles were not widely used to illuminate them, contrary to popular belief, for they had to be constantly guarded. They were most likely employed only on Christmas Eve or other special occasions when company was present, but even then only with a dutiful servant standing sentinel with a bucket of water!

Did You Know? Some have attributed Martin Luther to the custom of candles on trees, saying he was inspired to light the family tree after walking home one evening of particular stellar beauty. When he arrived indoors, he wished to recreate the scene of the glorious heavens. It is considered almost certainly to be a legend, however, and no facts exist to support the theory.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into a Regency Christmas. This excerpt was taken from my ebook:  Regency House Christmas: The Definitive Guide to a Remarkably Regency Yuletide!  It is my number two project for 2011 to get it updated, indexed, and available in multiple ebook formats. Right now it is available as PDF only. If interested in purchasing a copy, click here to download the Contents & Bibliography pages.  If you like what you see, the ebook is availabe at my  lowest price ever--and one that gets you the ebook as well as a fabulous bunch of Christmasy bonus ebooks for only $9.95.