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Moment of Luxury can be seen on your local PBS station. |
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Christmas at home not lavish enough? Can’t marry into the Marlboroughs? Then experience the holiday at Blenheim Palace vicariously, via this blog. Then tell us how your celebrations compare.
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Christmas Traditions of the Aristo…
and Idiosyncratic |
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By Stacey Asip |
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WRITER |
If you’re thinking of visiting Blenheim palace, consider calling at Christmas time, when the palace is at its most miraculous. Lucky visitors will find the estate transformed into a winter wonderland. Last year, Christmas trees (grown on the grounds), lined the Great Courtyards. Inside: fireplaces were ablaze, lavish decorations festooned the Long Library and the Great Hall, and statues sported Christmas wreaths around their necks. Need any more incentives?
An elegant nativity scene adorned the chapel. Draped over the majestic mantelpieces, and decorating the minstrels’ gallery, were an array of garlands, in gold and green. On weekends, carolers, organists, and brass bands entertained guests with traditional holiday fare. Upon entering the palace saloon, visitors were able to view the Marlborough family’s traditional Christmas table on which lush flower arrangements and beautiful ribbons offset the exquisite place settings, rare crystal, and family silver.
This is the room where Lady Henrietta amused Bill with the tale of the Spencer-Churchill children’s annual attempt to set Grandpa’s (in this case, the Tenth Duke of Marlborough’s) paper crown on fire. Lady Henrietta trotted out the story, confident that all of us, stateside, would know exactly why a Duke would spend any part of Christmas dinner in a silly paper hat. She also had every reason to believe that, like Bill, the majority of our urbane viewers would never mistake the crackers in the story for the ones called Ritz. But, just in case a few of you were left scratching your heads…
The cracker in question was invented by an English confectioner named Thomas Smith, following an 1847 trip he made to Paris. There, he encountered the bon-bon, a sugared almond, wrapped in paper, and fastened on either side with two twists. At the time, sweets on Smith’s side of The English Channel were sold unwrapped. He brought the Gallic concept home with him where it met with great success. However, over time, other confectioners copied the idea and Smith was forced to up the ante. This he accomplished by inserting a small slip of paper (containing a romantic poem, or motto, similar to a fortune cookie) in with the candies.
About 1860, Smith, inspired by a crackling log in a fireplace, added the banger -- two strips of paper treated with saltpeter, which made a loud noise upon being pulled apart. Originally, these novelties were called “cosaques,” but they soon became known as “crackers.” Smith’s sons are credited with inserting the paper crowns like the one Lady Henrietta ignited on the Tenth Duke of Marlborough’s head. The brothers came up with the idea in the early 1900s, but the tradition of wearing party hats dates back to the Saturnalia, which ancient Romans celebrated around December 25. The idea of wearing an actual crown probably grew out of Twelfth Night celebrations -- the day before Epiphany and the official end of the Christmas Season -- over which a King, or Queen, once presided.
Nowadays, a Christmas cracker is a brightly colored paper tube, twisted at either end. Traditionally, two people pull it, wishbone style, until it cracks. The person receiving the largest portion gets to keep the contents. The quality of the gift in the cracker depends on how much you’ve paid for it. To buy Christmas crackers try: http://www.englishteastore.com/crackers.html
In addition, since the whole philosophy of Moment of Luxury is to definitely “try this at home,” here’s a sight that teaches you how to make your own. (Try to go easy on the TNT): http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/make-your-own-crackers.htm
To order Tom Smith’s Christmas Crackers: An Illustrated History go to Amazon:com. Or, contact author Peter Kimpton directly at: info@thekingofcrackers.co.uk
Or at: Peter Kimpton, Squirrel Hill, 18 South Avenue, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, NR7 0EZ, Norfolk, England.
It’s safe to say that every family owes a great percentage of its lore to the holiday get-together. Whether we view the holiday season with affection, or dread, what happens will usually be discussed for years to come. It’s even safer to say, that a family, with a history as long and varied as the Spencer-Churchill’s, has accumulated an anecdotal treasure trove of epic proportions. Imagine what Lady Henrietta didn’t tell us! (For some idea, read The Dukes of Blenheim, here, on our very own website.) On this topic, we’d like to hear from you. Regale us with you quaint traditions, ethnic customs, and most cherished memories, but dysfunctional family holiday accounts are equally welcome.
By, the way, if you can make it to the palace this Christmas, we recommend The Bear Hotel in the historic town of Woodstock. Like nearly everything else in England, The Bear is old. Dating back to the 13th Century, the hotel is within walking distance of Blenheim Palace. Ask for the Marlborough Suite where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton stayed in the 1960s, at the height of their affair, when both stars were married to other people. (According to Michael Munn, author of Richard Burton: Prince of Players, The Vatican Newspaper accused them at the time of “Erotic Vagrancy!”)
Perhaps, holiday-hating bloggers can share their favorite spots for romantic assignations instead. Be aesthetic not graphic! Tell us about your most loved candlelit restaurant, or discreet bed and breakfast -- include the place you and the spouse, (preferably your own) first spent a romantic evening.
The Bear Hotel’s website: http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/bear/
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