"One can't have too large a party. A large party secures its' own amusement."    EMMA

ii

 Yesterday was the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. As always my branch of JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) celebrated with a toast. We also had a very special Christmas feast. Our group meets monthly and is a mixture of book club, academic discussions, guest speakers, food, crafts, and Regency information. Every month I learn something new.

Most people are familiar with the author through the movies if not her books. She was born in 1775 and died at the age of 41 in1817. She wrote six books:

Sense and Sensibility published in 1811

Pride and Prejudice 1813

Mansfield Park 1814

Emma 1815

Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were both published in 1817, after her death.

I remember laughing out loud the first time I read one of her books. Her characters are witty and relatable. She can be a bit sarcastic and snarky, especially in her letters to her sister, which have also been published.  Her books always have a happy ending.

We started planning the dinner several months ago. Each year we have a different focus. I've been involved in the everyday family dinner, the Wedding breakfast, and this one. We research period recipes, and try to be authentic as possible. We have to make a few concessions, but there are several cookbooks from the time that we use. This time we had roast goose, pork, rice pie, chestnut dressing, curry, roasted root vegetables stewed fruit, Bath buns, brown butter, honey, olives, gingerbread, and flaming Christmas pudding. Drinks were wassail and syllabub. My contribution was the gingerbread and party favors. I was also the last minute standin for the parlour games, since our games mistress was in the hospital.

I forgot to take a photo of the roast goose. But here are the party favors. The boxes look like little copies of Pride and Prejudice.

I made candied orange peel, which isn't difficult but takes hours. Orange peels are cut into narrow strips and most of the white pith is cut away. Then they are boiled three times for at least five minutes each time. This is very important or they will be bitter. After this they are simmered in a simple syrup for about an hour until they are translucent. Then it's time to drain them for another hour and then roll them in sugar. After a day and a half of drying they are finished. And so was I. If you have read anything I write then you probably know that I don't like to cook anything that takes more prep time than eating time. They were cute when finally ready. I wrapped them in waxed paper bundles. The boxes also contained little boxes of raisins (just in case anyone wants a game of Snapdragon), mixed nuts, and cards with quotes from her books.

We spent about an hour in the parlour with our wassail while the cooks put the finishing touches on our delicious meal. Lucky for me that I had some experience with games when I worked for our local history museum several years ago. I just had to brush up on the right time period. Jane Austen was not a Victorian, but fortunately for me some of the games were the same! We talked about some of the action games, and then played some remembering games like "Packing Grandmother's Trunk" and "The Minister's Cat"and "The Ribbon Game". We passed on "Snapdragon" because who wants to try and snatch raisins out of a bowl of flames. We ended with Forfeits, and then it was time for our meal and toast to Jane Austen.

"Time will explain"    Persuasion

"Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings".    Mansfield Park

My favorite: "Ah! There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."        Emma

EVERYWHERE IT'S CHRISTMAS

Last week I shared some stories about my trees over the years. I probably sounded a little bit particular about what I did and didn't like. (Christmas balls!). I relented a little and bought a few vintage glass balls to add to the tree. I really couldn't find very many, and when I did, the prices were mostly more than I wanted to pay. I love old things, but I don't always understand why keeping them in an old falling apart original box makes them worth so much more money. So now we have some old bubble lights, breakable glass ornaments, and two funny little elves living in our tree. They wouldn't be my choice, but I guess it isn't just my Christmas. John's taste is a lot different than mine. I'm just glad he doesn't insist on ornaments with googly eyes. Actually, the little elves are pretty cute. I found them at Target and they were just the right size for the red ladder.

I'm really not sure what the story is about Target and some of the other stores this year. I was there earlier in the season and thought they were just putting merchandise out later than usual. But now it almost looks like they are finished and clearing it out. I don't know if a large amount has been sold or if it was never in stock.

I'm not one to talk to strangers in stores, but I was so discombobulated by the vast emptiness in the Christmas aisles that I started a conversation with another shopper. She was just as surprised as I was. I will probably be back in a few days and will check again. It seems too early to be clearing it all out. Maybe they just haven't gotten everything in yet. Could this be a result of the tariffs?  Are other stores like this too? I haven't done a lot of shopping this year. I've been ordering online. I have noticed that my packages are taking longer to get here, and that the arrival dates usually change at least once. We have cut our gift lists, and I am making some of the presents. Also, I am trying to shop more at the small independent businesses. 

Even though the big stores don't seem as festive as before, restaurants are going crazy with decorations. I went to lunch at a popular cafe this week, and they had put up even more than last week's pizza place. Every inch of the rooms was covered in sparkle! Dots of colored light fell from the ceiling to the floors, swirling around everywhere. Lights were dimmed to set off the colors. The ceiling and walls were covered and there were trees all over. Every table had a sign reminding customers not to stay more than an hour so that others could enjoy the views. For me, it was just too much.

                                                                               

                                 Pella, Iowa hosted its' annual tour of homes last weekend. Four beautiful houses were open to the public and they did have a large crowd. It is one of their big events every year. I really enjoy the clever ways that the owners decorate their homes. I guess I really am into quality over quantity. Or more likely, imagination over quantity. I don't like seeing bare shelves in stores, but I also feel that everything this year is either not enough or too much. I am feeling very Grinchy-Scroogy and wanting to simplify. HoHoHo.

  

 

Deck the Halls

 Christmas decorating has officially begun! I'd like to say it is all done and the boxes are safely shuffled and stacked back into the storage room, but right now that hasn't happened. In fact, they are all over the house. Things stalled a bit because my sticky hooks just aren't sticking. That means I hang something up, admire it, and then find it back on the floor in a few hours.  

I will never have a Ralph Lauren Christmas. I love the elegance and the traditional colors and the concept of me in a tartan plaid hostess skirt welcoming all the neighbors as I twirl around the room with a tray of homemade goodies. Oh wait, maybe that is a 1950's housewife type of Christmas. I have learned from online videos that for a R.L. holiday, bright red and green are not acceptable, and that gifts should never be given in gift bags. And of course, everyone is always very low key and well behaved.  And the decorations stay where they are supposed to be.

There seem to be a lot of new/old trends this year. Paper chains are appearing everywhere. Yes, plain old paper chains like we made in grade school. I actually love paper chains. They are first cousins to buntings, which are another of my favorites. I crocheted a chain of many colors and use that with greenery. Fifteen years ago I made fabric chains and used my new sewing machine alphabets to write on them. I put names, dates, important addresses, and quotes that I liked to remember on the lengths and then buttoned them together. A lot of the fabrics were pieces of my girls' clothing when I used to sew a lot. I finally decided they weren't going to ever become a quilt. My girls are middle aged now. I still have a few of them to finish. Another project for another day.

I've heard several women say that they are decorating less this year than before. I know some who are even skipping having a tree. I can't imagine not having a tree, but I am putting up fewer decorations. I always like simple decorations. Almost everything I have for my tree comes with a story. I like one of a kind, and I have never been partial to balls and baubles. One year, when I was about ten years old, my mom decided to change the way she decorated our tree. The only things on it were blue and silver balls. I hated it. I think I cried. When I was a House Mom for five Christmases, I decorated the big tree with colorful and unbreakable balls. That was the only sensible way to go. 

When we were decorating our tree this year, John wanted to know where the glass balls were. His favorite trees are the ones with balls, tinsel, and colored bubble lights. I shouldn't have been surprised by that. When I first visited his house there was an almost life-sized Santa riding a rocking horse in his front room. It wasn't Christmas time. He stayed there year-round. We now have a tree in our lower level tv room that stays up all year. And it is mostly colorful round decorations. He loves it. I always wonder why it is there, but now I decorate it for the seasons.

Here is my style of Christmas decor:

And here is John's:

(This is not our home. Abbie's Pizza in Bondurant, Iowa)