Rhys Bowen - The Twelve Clues of Christmas

I WENT TO MARKET

A similar game. The first player says, “I went to market and I bought a . . .”

The first begins with A , the second with B .

I went to market and I bought an apple.

I went to market and I bought an apple and a balloon

I went to market and I bought an apple, a balloon and a cat.

When a player can’t remember the list, he or she is out.

Party Games

BLIND MAN’S BLUFF

One player is blindfolded and spun around. The others mill around the room. The blindfolded one tries to catch someone. When he does, he has to identify who it is. If he is successful, the person he caught now becomes the blindfolded one.

GRAB THE STICK

Players sit in a circle. They are each given a name of an animal or a place. The person in the middle balances a walking stick upright on the floor. He calls out a name. That person has to leap up and grab the stick before it falls. If he doesn’t succeed he becomes the new person in the middle.

GENERAL POST

This a similar game to Grab the Stick. Everyone picks a place name from a hat. The person in the middle calls out two place names. Those two have to change places before the one in the middle can claim either seat. If he is successful, the one caught out takes his place in the middle.

SARDINES

One person goes off to hide. The rest of the players split up and try to find him. The first person to find him hides with him. The next person to find the two hidden ones joins them, and the next, all crammed in together. The last person to find them all is the new hider.

STATUES

Couples dance. When the music stops, the couples have to freeze in place. A judge goes around the room. Any couple who moves, even a twitch, is out. The dancing resumes until only one couple is left standing.

Christmas Traditions and Definitions

THE YULE LOG

On Christmas Eve’ a large log is dragged into the fireplace. It is lighted and kept burning throughout the holiday to bring good luck for the coming year.

CRACKERS

Not the edible kind. These are now available in America in many stores. They are made of paper and have a small explosive, similar to a cap for a cap gun, in the middle. They are pulled by two people. When they are pulled apart they split with a bang and the insides spill out. Each one usually contains a paper hat, a riddle and a small toy, puzzle or gift.

INDOOR FIREWORKS

Sparklers are the only remnant of indoor fireworks still available these days. Other indoor fireworks were pieces of paper that were lit on the hearth. Some curled as they burned and turned into snakes, others traced a pattern of a face or animals as they burned. Others made noise.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

The traditional plum pudding (see recipe on page 303) is cooked with silver charms inside. Each charm has a meaning. A ring means a wedding within a year. A boot means travel. A button means a bachelor for life. The pudding is served with a sprig of holly at the top, then doused with brandy so that it can be carried in a flaming Wassail Bowl.

WASSAIL BOWL

Various punches are associated with Christmas. They usually include some kind of mulled wine, spirits and spices. The Wassail Bowl was served to groups of carolers who came to the front door.

CHRISTMAS CAROLING

It was traditional to go caroling to neighbors’ houses. Children who sang carols at the door were given a penny or other small amount of money.

BOXING DAY

The day after Christmas is still celebrated in Britain and Commonwealth countries. It is traditionally the day when servants were allowed to go home to celebrate with their own families and were given a “Christmas box”—maybe some food from the household, some other kind of gift or money. More recently tradesmen, garbage men, mail carriers, etc., would show up at the door on the day after Christmas to wish the homeowner “the compliments of the season” and would expect a tip.

Until recently no stores or businesses were open on Boxing Day. Alas, this has gone away with most of the other lovely Christmas customs.