History

What Was Jane Austen’s Christmas Like?

The traditions we associate with the Christmas season today aren’t far off from the holiday festivities of Jane Austen’s England of 250 years ago.
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What Was Jane Austen’s Christmas Like?
"Snapdragon," by Garrett, from the 1899 "American Art and American Art Collections; Essays on Artistic Subjects." Snapdragon was a popular Christmastime game in Georgian and Regency-era England. Public Domain
Walker Larson
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Few writers surpass Jane Austen in depicting domestic charm in Regency and Georgian England. The charm and delight of this cozy, fashionable, and mannerly society reached its peak during the Christmas season. In honor of the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth on Dec. 16, let’s look at the Christmas season during Austen’s era and how it figures in her novels.

A portrait of Jane Austen by British painter Ozias Humphry (1742–1810). (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images)
A portrait of Jane Austen by British painter Ozias Humphry (1742–1810). Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images
Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."