There is no shortage for amusements available to us when it comes to Christmas nowadays. While Jane Austen’s contemporaries loved the holidays just as much as we do, their choice of entertainments was rather more circumscribed.
One of such entertainments, especially suitable for a houseful of young people who wanted to have some fun, were parlour games. Judging by the descriptions, these usually required at least three players – preferably more – so they were just perfect for house parties of a good size. Some were active, and needed sprightly and quick participants, while other were more sedate.
One of the more physical ones was called Move-All Chairs. It started with… exactly what it said on the tin: all the chairs in the room were moved and arranged in as large a circle as possible. The players would remain seated for a few seconds, with one person standing in the center of it all. Then the latter would proclaim: “Move-All!”, upon which everyone would spring up and dash for another chair. If you were not quick enough, and did not manage to secure a new seat… well, then you were unlucky, and had to take that place at the center of the circle for the next round!
Another such game, this one depending more on sneakiness rather than on speed, was called Steal the White Loaf. In truth, the object in question could be anything – sometimes it was just referred to as a generic ‘treasure’. A chosen player, referred to, bizarrely, as ‘it’, would stand with their back to the others, and the ‘treasure’ placed on the floor behind him or her. Then another player would try to sneak up and steal the ‘treasure’ (be is a literal white loaf or something else). If their movements were noticed by ‘it’, however, then they are ‘caught’ and themselves become ‘it’.
A third possible game sounds a little bizarre for the genteel society we associate with the era – however, it does seem like it could be popular with more active and hot-blooded young people. The hostess provided a large vessel of water with some apples floating in it; then the players had to each get an apple from the water… using only their teeth. This sounds like a frankly childish notion of fun, until we recall the thin muslins worn by the ladies – and the likely amount of water than was bound to splash around…
If that was not risque enough for you, you might have enjoyed Snapdragon Raisins. These raisins would be piled in a bowl, topped with brandy… and ignited. You would then have to snatch as many raisins out of the blue flames and eat them without getting burned (or endangering anyone else!). Your reward? If you managed to save more raisins than anyone else, you were absolutely destined to find true love in the new year!
Now, if all of this sounds unpleasant or dangerous, I also have a calmer option for you. This game uses nothing but words, and it is called I Love my Love with an A. Note: A is only an example. It could have been any letter. It involved picking that letter and composing a joking “I love my love with a [letter]…” verse in prose. For example: “I love my love with an A, because she is admirable; I hate in my love with an A that she is ambitious; I have taken her to the sign of Angel and fed her apples, and her name is Anne Ascot.” (note: obviously the subject did not have to be a real person… but I can well imagine situations where someone might have assumed you were giving someone a hint!)
I am not sure myself whether I would have preferred to risk the flames or the social burn of making a bad poem!
Does any of these games sound appealing to you? I’d be delighted if you answered in the comments!
Ann Hawthorne is a passionate student of the Regency era, and sets all her historical romances there. Her books do not follow the leading couples into their bedchambers, preferring to let the sparks fly in the ballroom instead. She also gladly provides her fellow historical authors with services such as editing. More information about it all can be found at cleanregencyromance.com.
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