21st Michigan 1860s Christmas Party 2025

 I remember our very first period dress 21st Michigan 1860s Christmas Party,  which took place way back in 2006.  Well,  here it is,  2026 - 20 years later - and we're still doing it.

There've been some changes over the years,  but it's always a great time.

According to what I've been able to find,   during the 1860s Civil War,  the North celebrated Christmas with a mix of familiar traditions and wartime realities,  often featuring homemade decorations like popcorn garlands on small trees,  caroling,  and special meals  (if supplies allowed),  sometimes alongside soldiers,  who may have received boxes from home filled with food,  clothing,  and small gifts,  while also seeing moments of truce,  goodwill,  and even impromptu gift-giving to civilians. 

The 21st Michigan membership for the 2025 Christmas season gathering  (January 2026).
Most of us have been reenacting together for over two decades!

Sandy and Pearl provided the music -
some festive Christmas carols and popular tunes of the day.
It was the perfect soundtrack.

Sue & Andy - they kinda like each other...lol...

Ian,  the 21st Michigan president.
It was he and his wife who did all the hard work putting this gathering together!

Ian's wife,  Carrie,  and my son Miles.

Melody and her husband,  Roberto.

Jean and Carrie

We had a fine meal of ham,  mac & cheese,  cheesey potatoes,  chicken,  mashed potatoes...
and pie for dessert!

Candles on all of the tables,  along with a few lanterns,  to set the ambience.

The 21st welcomes families - we have had little ones grow up in the hobby.
In fact,  my own daughter,  who could not be here,  was still only three years old when we first got into the hobby.  She's 25 now!
The wee ones here belong to Melody and Roberto.

Once the sun began to go down,  Ian shut off the lights to where the candle glow lit the room.

This was my favorite part of the evening.

The glow sets the tone.
The party was held in Dearborn at Hemlock Cabin.
I know nothing else about the building,  though it was a modern structure made to have a period flair.
And the...

...fireplace set the atmosphere with...

...the candle light.

No dancing this year.  Nor did we play period games.  We all were very satisfied just speaking with each other,  enjoying one another's company.  Since there are not nearly as many Civil War events in our area as there used to be,  most of us don't see each other very often,  so it was good to have catching up conversations.

Perhaps next year we'll do games and even some dancing.

Soon it was time to leave.
The ladies - Jackie,  Sue,  and Larissa - looked beautiful in their winter-wear.

We had snow in the metro-Detroit area throughout the week.  Not a lot of snow,  just an inch here and a half inch there - enough to cover the ground to keep that winter'y feeling and look.  So while outside I snapped a few winter images of Larissa & Jackie.

Jackie  (left)  and Larissa  (right).

I love having friends who are willing to do various poses,  even in the cold snow!

From my research I learned that Michigan winters in the 1860s were generally harsh and snowy,  characterized by deep snows that blocked roads,  severe cold impacting livestock and crops,  and significant snowfall that could isolate communities,  though specific years varied with some particularly intense periods,  like a December 1863 Detroit storm that halted mail and caused extreme cold across the Midwest,  causing immense hardship and a general pattern of challenging,  cold winters with abundant snow,  making travel difficult and affecting daily life for farmers and townspeople alike. 

Okay - there's the carriage.
Let's get in and warm our feet on the foot warmer!

A foot warmer or foot stove -
notice the small ceramic dish inside to hold the coals.

Small tin or wood foot stoves filled with an iron plate of glowing coals were used in the parlor,  in church,  or in the carriage for traveling.  These little warmers were considered a woman’s stove,  or an  “effeminate luxury.”  Women's long skirts would often hang down and cover the foot stove,  enhancing its heat-trapping effect,  making them seem more central to its use.  However,  in 1819,  Theodore Dwight declared his toes  “comfortably bitten,  which excited much sympathy: & I came near suffering the indignity of having a girl with gold beads offer me a stove.”

Though men did use footstoves,  and have since their invention,  it was still a  "woman"  thing.  But,  it became more widely acceptable for men to use foot stoves as well.  

As research showed me,  foot stoves,  known as  "stoofs,"  originated in the Netherlands and were common by the mid-17th century,  then brought to America by Dutch settlers and used extensively in poorly heated areas throughout the 18th and 19th centuries before fading in the late 19th and early 20th century with modern heating. 

So in my car I have the floor heater,  not a foot stove,  which is wonderful for winter travel.

There you have our 21st Michigan Christmas Party.

A splendid time indeed.

Hope to see you all at the upcoming events in 2026---and while there,  let's celebrate and commemorate America's 250th!

Until next time,  see you in time.

Merry Christmas!