A Gathering of Friends to Celebrate the End of the Christmastide in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Two parties from two different eras in two weeks!

Heck---if you include my family coming over the week before at Christmas that would make it three parties from three different eras in three weeks!  Not bad,  eh?

You see,  due to the pandemic,  it's been two years since we had our last colonial Christmas/12th Night party.  And last year we had a very small 1860s gathering at my house;  I don't know...I think people are tired - mentally and physically - of doing nothing...of being alone;  we are a creature who needs to get out and mingle...be with others.  So this year I offered to have these parties to see who was interested.  Nearly a dozen reenactors attended my 1770s get-together and a half-dozen more came to the 21st Michigan Civil War reenactor's party.  There was no coercion - I just put it out there for those who wanted to get out. 

We gathered,  like numerous others of our smaller events,  at the old 1872 schoolhouse in Eastpointe,  near where I live.  Though the building itself is not historically accurate for the 18th century,  it does work surprisingly well in its feel,  and,  of course,  for our 1860s gathering,  it was perfect.  As for finding a period-accurate building for our colonial party,  well,  to find an actual 18th century structure in our area for such a party would not work,  for,  aside from the historic houses inside Greenfield Village,  there is only one other located in southern Michigan,  and I do not believe we would be allowed to use it for a party.

So the schoolhouse will have to do,  for the price is right,  and the look and feel is a lot closer than one would think,  and definitely better than using a high school gymnasium or a wedding hall,  right?

Below I have photos of both gatherings,  beginning with the 1770s.

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Okay then,  as the old song goes,  "Let us be merry,  put sorrow away!"

Off we go to celebrate an 18th century Christmastide - - -

Did we have a good time!

Here is the Class of 1772.

A variety of food was served,  such as meatballs,  chicken wings,  and a soup made from a Colonial Williamsburg recipe.  And pies & cakes made for splendid desserts!

And a variety of conversations took place,  sometimes of a more current nature and sometimes history-based.

This party is a relatively quiet affair,  more as a get-together to get-together than anything else.

Pearl provided wonderful 18th century Christmas music,  

same as in previous years,  and also included a few of the more 

popular tunes of the day as well.

Pearl played Deck the Hall,  The Boar's Head Carol,  Bring A Torch Jeanette Isabella,  Joy To The World,  The First Noel,  and The Gloucestershire Wassail,  among other period carols.

No...no Santa or Rudolph or Frosty.

A bit more sedate than last year's gathering,  it was a fine time to 

spend with friends and reminisce about previous reenactments as 

well as to plan for future days in the past.

Jackie & Larissa:

Mark & Debbie

Ken Roberts had the Madeira.
 Madeira is a fortified wine made on the Portuguese islands of Madeira.

From what I've read on numerous sites,  as well as in a couple books,  Madeira was used as the beverage of choice to toast to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the summer of 1776.  In other words,  our nation’s foundation was cheer’d to with a glass  (or two)  of precious Madeira.  After such a monumental toast,  Madeira became the drink of choice for other significant toasts in our country,  such as Washington’s inauguration.  In fact,  it’s been said that he used to drink three to five glasses nightly.  President Jefferson’s decision to acquire the Louisiana Purchase was also toasted with three special beverages:  Champagne to honor the French portion of the deal,  Malaga to acknowledge Spain,  and Madeira,  the beloved wine of America.

Even Ben Franklin had a mug!

"The Cabin Three"  (missing number four - Charlotte!)

"Two if by sea..."

Here are replicas of the two lanterns  'shewn'  in the steeple of Christ Church in Boston on the night of April 18,  1775.  The one on the left belongs to Ken Roberts and the one on the right belongs to me.  

These replications were made back during the Bicentennial in the mid-1970s,  copied from the lone original now belonging to the Concord Historical Society,  and they do look very much like the one lantern that still survives.

I think it's pretty cool to see them both lit together!

Oh,  did I mention that we played a couple of parlor games?  My particular favorite for this time of year is the 12 Days of Christmas.  Yes,  that  12 Days of Christmas!  You see,  this game/song actually began as a memory parlor game,  not unlike the more modern electronic  "Simon"  from a few years back;  the rules of the game were simple:  each person took a turn recalling the verses the previous person(s) sung,  then they added a new verse to the end.  If a someone forgot a verse,  they had to pay a forfeit that typically involved kissing or giving the others a small gift - perhaps candy.  It's said this game may go back as far as the 1500s in England or may possibly be as recent as the early 1800s.  Well,  without the kiss or candy,  we played this old parlor game.  However,  nothing from the now popular song could be used;  no partridges in pear trees,  no maids a-milking or drummers drumming...we had to make up our own  "gifts."  For instance,  eight jugs of Madeira,  seven candles burning,  six horses running,  and on and on.  

No,  Jackie is not directing a choir.  She is attempting to remember the gifts given from everyone else during our 12 Days of Christmas parlor game.

Again,  did we have a good time - - lots of laughing!

Another parlor game we played,  though it is from the Victorian era,  was The Minister's Cat.  In this game all players sit in a circle,  and the first player describes the minister's cat with an adjective beginning with the letter  'A'  (for example,  "The minister's cat is an admirable cat").  Each following player then has to come up with an adjective with the beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.

Such fun!
I hope to find more parlor games - especially suitable for the 18th century - for future excursion.

This is the hand-levitation game.
Okay---it's actually the Minister's Cat parlor game.

And then only a week after our colonial party we had our annual 21st Michigan Civil War era party.

Not nearly as many people showed up as in previous years;  methinks it has to do with a number of reasons - yes,  fear of the pandemic,  but also due to the fact that there has not been very many Civil War reenactments in our parts over the last two years  (pandemic again)  and I believe there are a number of reenactors who are getting out of the hobby.  So the cause is probably due to more than just one reason.

What are you going to do?  You can't force anyone to come out,  right?

But,  like the 18th century party above,  those of us who did gather had such a good time!

Here is the class of 1863

The food was so good!
We had ham,  chicken,  bubble n squeak,  stuffing,  sauerkrout & sausage,  chicken salad,  carrots,  green beans,  and various pies  (pumpkin,  apple,  blueberry),  a variety of cookies,  breads,  cold cabbage slaw,  and I'm sure I'm forgetting something---but all was so good!

The musicians played a variety of Christmas carols suitable for  "our"  period as well as a few light dance tunes.

The floor of the old school house was very recently refinished,  so no heal plates were allowed to be worn.

We played a couple of parlor games - the same as in the colonial party:  12 Gifts of Christmas and The Minister's Cat.

Wait---what is Mrs.  Cary attempting to do?  Do the old pull the tablecloth trick?
Um...I don't think so...no...wait----STOP!

Woo hoo!
She did it!!
(In a way...kinda...with a little stop-motion photo-trickery...lol)

You know we always have to do at least one crazy photo.

So...my wife did not wear her 1860s dress.  And like every good woke/cancel culture
should do,  we shamed her.
And like anyone being shamed should do,  she ignored us.
She just took it all in stride...

And back at my house I had my little  "afterglow"  afterward. 

I plan to have a larger gathering at my house perhaps in the spring.

Um...ladies?  I'd like to take your likeness...
Ladies...?
Ladies...!

Okay,  there we go - - 
Taylor,  Larissa,  and Morgan.
Prim and proper Victorian women.

So this is how a few of us began our new year,  by traveling back in time.  Let me tell you,  'twas good for the mind and good for the soul to see my friends.  And it is also good for those of us in this reenacting hobby to get into our period clothing,  especially during what is considered the off season.

God willing this year of 2022 will be so much better than 2021.

Until next time,  see you in time.

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