Eyewitnesses
Christmas through history
In the 1,000 years since William the Conqueror had himself crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066, the fortunes of the festival have waxed and waned.
Here we present some first-hand accounts of Christmas through history. Click on the headlines to read more.
With rationing a harsh fact of 1940s life and many fathers and brothers away at the war, Christmas was a make-do affair of home-made decorations and sugarless Christmas cakes.
But people did their best to enjoy the holiday and made do with whatever came to hand. The famous Christmas truce of 1914 saw German and British soldiers leave the trenches to fraternise in no man's land. The informal ceasefire deeply disturbed those in authority and would not be repeated. The following day, hostilities resumed.
The first Christmas of the first world war saw Katherine Luard serving on a hospital train. Despite the need to transport and treat the sick and wounded, some time was found to celebrate.
The great diarist of Restoration London
celebrated Christmas in Whitehall. But he returned to his sick wife that evening and "dined by my wife's bedside with great content, having a mess of brave plum-porridge and a roasted Pullett for dinner".
The coronation of William the Conqueror at Westminster Abbey ended in chaos when the Norman soldiers set to guard the new king mistook the cry of acclamation for rebellion and set fire to surrounding buildings.
|
