It is inspiring to
read even the dry details which some antiquaries have given of
the quaint humors, the burlesque pageants, the complete
abandonment to mirth and good-fellowship with which this festival
was celebrated. It seemed to throw open every door and unlock
every heart. It brought the peasant and the peer together, and
blended all ranks in one warm, generous flow of joy and kindness.
The old halls of castles and manor-houses resounded with the harp
and the Christmas carol, and their ample boards groaned under the
weight of hospitality. Even the poorest cottage welcomed the
festive season with green decorations of bay and holly--the
cheerful fire glanced its rays through the lattice, inviting the
passengers to raise the latch and join the gossip knot huddled
round the hearth beguiling the long evening with legendary jokes
and oft-told Christmas tales.
One of the least pleasing effects of modern refinement is the
havoc it has made among the hearty old holiday customs. It has
completely taken off the sharp touchings and spirited reliefs of
these embellishments of life, and has worn down society into a
more smooth and polished, but certainly a less characteristic,
surface. Many of the games and ceremonials of Christmas have
entirely disappeared, and, like the sherris sack of old Falstaff,
are become matters of speculation and dispute among commentators.
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