What is your favorite winter pastime? One of mine is doing jigsaw puzzles. During the warmer months I couldn't stand to sit inside and do a puzzle, but when the weather is cold  and there's snow on the ground, I love finding bits of time to relax with a good jigsaw.
 

During the Regency, the only jigsaw puzzles  available were likely map puzzles, used for teaching geography. (John Spilsbury, an Englishman, invented the first jigsaw in 1767 by pasting a map of the world to wood, and then cutting out the individual countries.) 

So, with recreational jigsaws out of the equation, what did a regency buck or belle do during the cold winter months?

The following is a partial list of amusements that were popular, not in any special order:

• Playing cards (by far the most popular, and not only during winter)/ Card parties
• Parlour Games
• Ice skating and ice skating parties
• House Calls, Visiting
• Sledding/ Sleighs
• Ice hockey (probably young men only)
• Sewing/Embroidery
• Concerts (Indoor)
• Balls, Masquerades, Dancing
• Routs, Assemblies
• Theatre (formal)
• Theatricals (Informal; at home)
• Letter Writing
• Shades (Hand Shadows)
• Hunting, Shooting (men) 
•  Silhouette-Making   
   
• Supper Parties
• Music and singing/Performing
• Charades
• Drawing/Painting
• Exhibits/Exhibitions/Galleries/Tours
• Visiting a "Watering Spa"
• Country House Gatherings--if you were lucky and knew someone who owned a great house.
• Riding (Horsemanship)
• Reading

In my Regency Christmas Ebook, there is a section titled,

Regency Diversions, Games, Occupations, Pleasures, Pastimes, Amusements, Gaieties, Employments, Merriments, Sports--and Whatever Else Will Answer the Purpose--An Excellent List, by a Lady of Quality

In the ebook I have room to go into more detail regarding not only winter amusements, but year-round regency business and pleasure. In this issue I'll expand on one winter pastime, and next month another:

1. Playing Cards/Card Parties

Nearly everyone played cards for entertainment and amusement. Jane Austen's father was a dutiful clergyman with a sincere faith, yet he not only allowed card-playing in his family, but enjoyed playing himself. 

Strict Methodists and Dissenters frowned upon the practice.

Card-playing was really the ideal diversion for an age that valued and thrived upon conversational repartee. If the game got boring, you simply changed the company you played with, or the game.
 
 

Some of the most popular games of the period were:

Whist 
Ecarte

Pique

Euchre

Loo

Five-Card Loo

Vingt-et-un

One might also play:

Beggar My Neighbor

Casino

Commerce

Faro

Speculation
 Cribbage

Patience

Pope Joan
 

Commerce was an old form of poker, while Whist was an exciting mix of cunning and chance (and a forerunner of Bridge).  Patience was a form of solitaire; Piquet, a two-player game, and Speculation, for groups. Pope Joan was popular on festive occasions.
 

While an upper class card party might really be an evening of serious gaming (gambling), most card parties were purely for fun.
 

Hazard, that fabulously popular 18th century card game, came back into vogue around 1827.
  

Parties:

Like other gatherings, card parties could range in their level of formality from little to much. Some ladies enjoyed playing for light stakes, but done properly, this would be made clear on the invitation beforehand, whether it was given verbally or by card.
 

The majority of people considered playing for stakes to be vulgar. Possibly this was because when used for the purpose of gaming, the consequences could be devastating. No one knew better than Regency England just how devastating, as  entire fortunes were lost or won during the course of a single evening.  Or perhaps it was because playing for stakes involved money and anything involving money--except for spending it--was considered vulgar.

 Even at balls, dances, or supper parties there was usually a room or area set aside for cards. Dowagers were famous for retiring to the "the tables."
 

Card parties would have a refreshment table or sideboard. Guests were free to partake at will, or during designated times, such as between "rubbers" (rounds, or hands).  If one chose not to play, it was acceptable to sit out, watch the play, or provide music, often in the form of pianoforte playing.
 

The Regent's favourite card game was ecarte.
 

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the Regency Christmas Ebook. This article was adapted from:  Regency House Christmas: The Definitive Guide to a Remarkably Regency Yuletide!  If interested, you may  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 full ebook as well as a fabulous bunch of Christmasy bonus ebooks--for only $9.95.  

 

Next month's focus will be on Parlour Games. 

See you then!
 

The Question was:

The  Choices Were: 

The New (January) Contest

 Your job is to identify the speaker of the following quote:

The Quote:

Here we all found ourselves...in a noble large parlour hung round with family pictures--every thing is very grand and very fine and very large--The house is larger than I could have supposed...I expected to find everything about the place very fine and all that, but I had no idea of its being so beautiful...

a) Elizabeth Bennet

b) Anne Elliot

c) Mary Crawford

d) Jane Austen

e) Marianne Dashwood

Hit "reply" and send me your answer in an email. Good luck!

New Subscriber Contest:

The two winners this month are:

jmschwindt@.......

and

jlduvall@.......

Congratulations winners! Please send me your full mailing address so I can send you a book!

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4. Since most of us can't get to see Jane Austen's home at Chawton for ourselves, here's one blogger's pictorial journey. This writer generously gives an overview of Jane's life, so skip the parts that you know already and enjoy the pics. If you'd like a quick introduction to Jane, read the whole entry. 

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7. Prefer movies? Eras of Elegance lists a ton of gorgeous period films. Here's the link to what they call the Regency page, but be aware that most of the titles on this list are Victorian, not Regency-set films. (Nevertheless, I love this site!)  

8. Were you aware that The Country House Courtship is available in a hard-backed, large-print edition?