How lovely it is to be part of the worldwide  VIRTUAL ADVENT TOUR  this year. It is not too late to join….

I chose today 16th December so that I could take this moment to celebrate Jane Austen’s Birthday. Born 1775 she nonetheless is contemporary to us….

We often think of Christmas as commencing with the influence of Prince Albert, beloved husband of Britain’s Queen Victoria…but of course Christmas, the reason and the celebrations existed long before then.

How did Jane Austen acknowledge Christmas in her accounts of the daily lives of her characters?

Let’s look at a few…

First up,

Emma,

my favourite.

“At Christmas every body invites their friends about them, and people think little of even the worst weather. I was snowed up at a friend’s house once for a week.”
– Mr. Elton, Emma, Chapter 13
Emma Woodhouse spends Christmas with her family and friends. Her sister and brother-in-law, John & Isabella Knightley, come to stay at Harfield over Christmas with their five little children. They have a family dinner which includes Mr. Knightley on the 23rd, on Christmas Eve they all go to Randalls for a Christmas dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Weston and the odious Mr. Elton. On Christmas Day it has snowed so bad that the roads are impossible to cross for the Christmas service at the church so Emma has a snug day visiting Mrs. Weston instead. (Emma, Chapters 9-16)

Next, we look at the much loved

Pride and Prejudice 

“Mr. Darcy sends you all the love in the world that he can spare from me. You are all to come to Pemberley at Christmas.” 
– Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice, Chapter 60
Mrs. Bennet’s brother Mr. Gardiner and his wife and children always spend Christmas visiting her at Longbourn. The Bennets enjoy an evening at their Aunt Phillip’s house where Elizabeth has the happy task of introducing her Aunt Gardiner to Mr. Wickham. Meanwhile Caroline Bingley has written to Jane Bennet wishing her Christmas will abound in gaieties and completely happy to spend Christmas in London. But the next year’s Christmas might be different, perhaps the Bennets will be spending Christmas at Pemberley….
Can you guess which Book is below this image from the Virtual Advent Tour Blog?
We end Christmas, the Jane Austen way  with….

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

(my favourite version)

 

” Truly a young man with health and lively spirits who enjoys a ball as much as Marianne could do”. (S&S, Chapter 9)
Sense and Sensibility: The Christmas before the Dashwood ladies settled at Barton Cottage Sir John Middleton held a Christmas ball at Barton Park where Mr. Willoughby reportedly danced with elegance and spirit from “eight o’clock till four, without once sitting down”! Sir John goes on to say “and he was up again at eight to ride to covert.
Read more examples of Jane Austen including Christmas celebrations into her works….
To read all the Advent Posts….visit the Blogsite
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE AUSTEN
Jane Austen