Holiday Traditions with Jane Austen

Holiday traditions in Jane Austen’s time were quite different from our own.  Christmas trees didn’t become common place until the Victorian era. No doubt her family made the traditional Christmas pudding with family members taking turns stirring the currants, sugar, spices, suet, and egg mixture to be steamed and served as the grand finale to the holiday meal.  Balls were a vital component to add felicity to the season by bringing friends and neighbors together for music and dancing.  Jane wrote Cassandra about one she attended on December 24, 1798, in which she tells her about Mr. Calland whom she “talked to and abused for not dancing.  We teased him, however, into it at last.”  In the same letter she spoke of her “charities to the poor” attesting to having given “a pair of worsted stocking to Mary Hutchins, Dame Kew, Mary Steevens, and Dame Staples, a shift to Hannah Staples, and a shawl to Betty Dawkins; amounting in all to about half a guinea.”  Despite her comical skewering of clergymen in her novels, she had a loving relationship with her father and brothers and once expressed admiration for a likeness of “the Savior” in a painting on display in London.  This is a far cry from the commercialization of the holidays in our time, when Christmas decorations make an appearance weeks before Thanksgiving and there is a universal mandate to consume. 

Jane transports us to her world, and we read her stories repeatedly because we like vicariously experiencing a less complicated sphere where simple pleasures like changing the trim on a bonnet, visiting neighbors, relaying witty conversations, and sharing wry observations are newsworthy subjects for a letter to a beloved sister.  It allows us to escape the assault to our senses and expectations to consume in a world confused by the presentation of facts and “alternative” facts depending on your political views and your news sources.  There are many benefits to modern society and conveniences that we would not wish to do without, but it can make the holidays overwhelming on many levels and leave us stressed with the pressures. 

Author, Dacher Keltner, has an interesting new book entitled Awe, The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform your Life.  He describes awe as “being in the presence of something vast and mysterious that transcends your current understanding of the world” and unfolds in the form of emotions we experience when we witness certain things.  We recognize moral beauty when it is expressed in kindness and generosity to others; we connect with nature when we take time to enjoy a beautiful sunset; we experience emotions collectively dancing or listening to music at a concert; we find solace and healing during spiritual moments and in music and art that moves us deeply.  It may come in the form of an epiphany that changes our viewpoint or at a bedside when a loved one is about to pass, and we feel the enormity of our transient existence.  It may manifest itself with goosebumps or tears.

Sometimes we experience awe when we reread a passage in one of Jane’s novels and find a whole new meaning that we’d missed in our countless prior readings.  The subtlety, the hidden nuances, the wry humor are unveiled, and we have a moment of awe beholding her brilliant ability to paint scenes and express emotions with the written word and, miraculously, we never tire of it. 

So, enjoy the holidays as Jane would.  Curl up with a favorite novel; spend time with those whose company you enjoy, avoid those who might importune you; give as you can to those in need; embrace gratitude by remembering someone special who made you feel loved, seen, and acknowledged in a way that brought you joy and happiness.  Find quiet moments to soothe your soul as you bear witness to the world around you with all its jagged edges, its demands, and imperfections.  Keep your sense of humor just as Jane did. Be impertinent if it suits you. Tease.  Be grateful for the special people in your life with whom you can enjoy sparkling conversations.  Treasure those things that bring you comfort, especially a good novel that can never be read too many times.  Tis the Season after all.

Happy birthday to Jane, born December 16, 1775.