In March 1842, 30- year- old Charles Dickens, his wife, her maid, and his secretary arrived aboard the Potomac River Steamer from Washington City (Washington DC) to board a stagecoach at Potomac Creek Stafford, VA to ride to Fredericksburg, Va.  Dickens considered this part of his journey as a most harrowing ride.  At that time of the year the stagecoach road was in great disrepair, full of alternate swamps and gravel pits.  At one point the stage coach got stuck and sank in the mud almost up to the stagecoach windows and tilted to its side.   The driver assured Mr. Dickens they would get through to Fredericksburg, the next stop to board a train to Richmond.  After two and a half grueling hours, tired and drenched in mud, they arrived at the Farmer's Hotel located on the corner of Caroline and Hanover Streets.  The Dickens party was glad to see Fredericksburg and the excited crowd waiting to welcome them upon their arrival.  As assured by the stagecoach driver, they made it in time to board the train to Richmond.  Mr. Dickens, who lived in England, commented to the press, "I would not condemn you to a year's residence on this side of the Atlantic for any money." He came to be called a cantankerous critic, but was forgiven for his honoring of Christmas.  He was the creator of Tiny Tim who said, "God Bless Us Everyone."  He published the famous story "A Christmas Carol" in 1843.

Charles Dickens is credited with influencing much of today's Christmas traditions.  He believed in celebrating the season with decorations, food, spirit of good will towards all and merrymaking. He also had suggestions for the Christmas feast of roast goose, Christmas pudding and the wassail bowl.

Source: Fredericksburg Times Magazines December issues 1981 and 1988.

Christmas Traditions Circa 1800's:

Holly in the windows meant Christian worship.

If the "He" holly or "She" holly is first brought into the house it determines who rules the house the next year.  The "He" holly has the berries.

Mistletoe was a symbol of friendship if taken to another's house.  Kissing under the mistletoe is English in origin.

A Yule Log was lit so that each family member would toss a sprig of holly into the flames, ridding themselves of all their cares and troubles of the ending year.

Mince Pie was a large pie made so that everyone in the family could have a slice each of the twelve days of Christmas, ensuring good fortune in the next year.

Source: Fredericksburg Times, December 1981.

"One Christmas Dorothy and I decided on the night before, that we would get up when we heard the first cock crow and get dressed and go downstairs.  I heard him or thought I had, and awakened Dorothy.  It was pitch black dark, but somehow we managed to get out of our night clothes and into our daytime dress.  We decided to leave off our shoes, and since there was no sign of life anywhere, we would lie back down for a while.  The next thing we knew, Mother was calling loudly, "Christmas gift!"  I have no idea why we thought it would do us any good to be the first ones down, since no one was allowed in the dining room until everyone was dressed and down.  Our stockings were long black ones which had been our Grandmother's.  They held chocolate drops, raisins, oranges, even a coconut, and other little goodies.  Our big gift from Santa was unwrapped, but each of us knew which was ours.  That was because for many days long before this important date, each of us studied the toy section of the Sears-Roebuck Catalogue in our effort to make a momentous decision - 'What do I want Santa Claus to bring me?'  I usually received a doll."

HFFI Oral History

Mary Frances Moore Funk

as told to Nancy Bruns

1999-056-B-037