Victorian Christmas

Christmas was usually quiet at ARDEN as Madame and her husband were once again on tour. All the gaiety and romance of the summer had faded into a routine for the ranch hands who were left to their duties.
We know from several accounts their winters were quite lovely in the Canyon but we can only “imagine” a true Victorian Christmas at Arden. Of course there wasn’t snow, but all one had to do was look to the mountain top to see a dusting of white which would then feed the creek’s rippling as a beautiful background to favorite Christmas Carols ... accompanied on the organ or piano by Madame or other guest or family member.
Food was always the center of a Victorian’s Christmas. One might get a whiff of roasting chestnuts or a rum cake baking to accompany afternoon coffee. Modjeska Ranch supplied most of the required food and probably some perfect “future Christmas dinner fare” had been carefully coddled in anticipation. One can only guess the difficulty of preparing a feast on a wood burning stove. (What you say, no double oven or microwave?)
Of course, there was an absence of radio and T.V. - no bowl games! Entertainment would be parlor games in view of a lovely, carefully selected pine tree decorated with handmade ornaments and fresh cranberry garlands. The massive fireplace in the Library would be ablaze and candles would abound, shining through the corner Shakespearean window.
There was a diversity of cultures among the residents, English, German, and of course, Polish. It would have been interesting to see just how this mixture actually blended into one celebration. The Polish influence might have supper on Christmas Eve including a ritual of breaking and sharing of opplatek, a wafer of unleavened dough stamped with Nativity scenes. Each person at the table would break off a piece of the wafer as a symbol of their unity in Christ. This meal would be meatless, a subtle fasting, and would normally include natural sources found in the region.
We know Madame Modjeska and her husband Count Bozenta were very devout in their religious beliefs and Christmastime would have included many traditional rituals.
But we also know their love of life, family and friends would lead to a gathering of great joy. The singing, dancing and laughter would most certainly have echoed throughout their beloved Canyon.