Who will be Christmas No. 1?

X Factor 2010 winner Matt Cardle's single rolls on to the shelves this week and Facebook users have already made their feelings about his Biffy Clyro cover clear. But who else is in the running for this year's Christmas number one?

Remember - it's not too late to make Ebenezer's Carol by The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing Number 1 this Christmas.

The Chrismologist's Advent Calendar - Day 18

Following the spat of cold weather we've been having here in the UK, bookmakers have cut the odds on there being a White Christmas this year.

Forecasters have reported that temperatures could drop to as low as minus ten in parts of Scotland, and the cold spell could last for several days.

Jonathan Powell, a senior forecaster from Positive Weather Solutions, told the BBC their weather models suggest it will be a white Christmas for many.

Snowy scenes on Christmas cards suddenly seem more appropriate than ever before, there having been two white Christmases in the 20th Century in London - in 1938 and 1970. So why have we had more than a century of snowy scenes on Christmas cards? It’s thanks to the Victorians.

To help prepare you psychologically for being snowed in this Christmas, here's a Christmas classic from Bing Crosby and the gang.

The Chrismologist's Advent Calendar - Day 17

Christmas (a.k.a. the Feast of the Nativity) is pre-dated by two major pagan festivals, the Roman Saturnalia and the Viking Yule. Saturnalia is well-known for its turning of the established order on its head, with servants becoming the masters and vice versa. December 17 is the actual date when the Ancient Roman festival - held in honour of the god Saturn, the god of agriculture - began, running until December 23.

Its legacy lived on in the Medieval Christmas when a Lord of Misrule was appointed to oversee the often noisily and disorderly festive celebrations. And its legacy lives on today in modern pantomimes which still involve a reversal of fortunes; Cinderella marries her prince while poor Jack makes a million. This swapping of roles didn’t just apply to master-servant relationships either, but also to traditional gender roles.

The Romans sang ritual songs during the feast of Saturnalia while the mead halls of the Norse would have rung to the sound of sagas being sung around the burning Yule log. During the festival of Saturnalia, people decorated trees with small pieces of metal. Our Roman ancestors also considered evergreens lucky and during the feast of Saturnalia decorated their homes with boughs of holly and the like, believing that both brought good luck, while mistletoe was a symbol of peace. Those participating in the annual Saturnalia celebrations even wore hats, which is part of the reason why we find paper crowns hidden in the crackers we pull at Christmas dinner.

It is thought that these midwinter festivals were transformed into Christmas celebrations after the arrival of Saint Augustine in England, at the end of the 6th century, and the subsequent widespread adoption of Christianity by the British. Certainly Christmas Day AD 598 was marked by a spectacular event, when more than 10,000 Englishmen were baptised as Christians.

So... Happy Saturnalia!

Have yourself a very Regency period Christmas

Did you know that today is Jane Austen's 235th birthday? Of course Jane Austen has a strong connection to Bath, having lived there for many years. I too have a strong connection to Bath, having grown up just outside it and having gone to school there for a whole decade (from 1980 to 1990, if you're interested). Anyway, back to the point of this post...

In her book Emma, Jane Austen wrote the following:

"At Christmas everybody invites their friends about them, and people think little of even the worst weather..."

At the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, the month leading up to Christmas is being marked with seasonal additions to the exhibition, illustrating how the festive time of year was celebrated in the early 1800s.

With specially chosen gifts in the shop and Regency style decorations throughout the house the Jane Austen Centre invites all its friends to be about them and get out of the worst weather!

This event runs from 20 November - 31 December 2010 and you can find out more about it here.

The Chrismologist's Advent Calendar - Day 16

Remember if you're yet to get your Christmas cards in the post or you still need to send a certain special someone a gift, you haven't got long left to do it in. Last recommended UK posting dates for Christmas are:

Second Class:

Saturday 18 December 2010

First Class:

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Special Delivery:

Thursday 23 December 2010

The postal service is something we take for granted, but without it there would be no convenient way of sending sackloads of cards every year. As a result, the greetings card as we know it didn't appear until the Victorian era when a reliable (and, more importantly, affordable) postal service was created.

The first true commercial Christmas card went on sale in 1843. It was designed and printed at the behest of Sir Henry Cole, a businessman and philanthropist, who had played a key role in introducing the Penny Post in 1840. Thanks to the Penny Post, it was possible to send a letter or card anywhere within Britain. Cole was also the director of the newly founded Victoria and Albert Museum in London and it was his idea to give stamps perforated edges (an affectation that self-adhesive stamps retain today, even there is no physical need for them).


Did you know...?
By the late 19th century, there were between six and twelve mail deliveries per day in London, permitting correspondents to exchange multiple letters within a single day. Sounds a bit like email!

You can read more about the history of the Christmas card in What is Myrrh Anyway? and Christmas Miscellany. And remember, it's not too late to order your copy online and have it sent to you in time for the big day!

The Chrismologist's Advent Calendar - Day 15

Fed up with the same old Yuletide gifts and festivities? Then why not take a trip to yesteryear and make yours a Victorian Christmas? After all, it could be argued that our modern Christmas owes more to the Victorian era than any other period in history.


Just follow this link to the BBC's Victorian Farm page for a whole host of authentic Christmas recipes and activities dating from Queen Victoria's reign. There's everything from toy theatres and keepsake boxes to paper flowers and Wassail punch, with something new being revealed everyday.

For example, here's a recipe for making mince pies with real meat.

The Chrismologist's Advent Calendar - Day 14

If, like me, you have a bit of a thing for Fonts, or if (like me) you have a bit of a thing for Christmas, then you'll (Yule?) love these festive fonts, with which you can decorate your desktop this holiday season.