Christmas at Dundurn Castle – 1855

“Mind your skirt in the woodpile” said the other kitchen servant.  We were hauling wood to the basement kitchen to fuel the woodstove, to bake shortbreads for Christmas dinner as if to serve Lord and Lady McNab in 1855.   

Christmas in the servant’s basement included a special Christmas meal, drinks, and time off to relax with some games, in return  for a job well done serving the many guests to the grand home.

Upstairs on Christmas Eve, the McNab family decorated the Christmas tree that became the gift to the children, loading branches with candles, candy, nuts and fruit, paper flags from other countries, and home crafted decorations.  Small wrapped gifts were attached to the tree each with a number, and children pulled a number from a dish indicating which gift they would open.  Under the tree, a toy sized cast iron stove, small dolls, toy soldiers and drums delighted children.  When the door opened on Christmas Eve the children rushed into the parlour to the magic of the candle lit tree for the first time.

 During the holiday season, theMcNabs entertained friends, militia, and family with elaborate meals.  More than twenty could be seated at the elegant dining table set with fine china. The most extravagant festive meals consisted of 3 to 4 soup courses, 12 vegetable dishes, 20 main meat dishes including goose and beef, and 20 types of desserts. Guests planned carefully to select their favourites from such an elaborate spread.

The McNabs enjoyed breaking the monotony of their winter during the holiday season playing games, such as charades, card puzzle games, and telling ghost stories. A large Kissing Bough hung close to the majestic hanging staircase. Arrangements of dried flowers, branches and berries were spaced along the halls. Each plant had a meaning, so wreaths and floral displays were arranged and placed with care.

In the basement kitchen, we servants mixed the Scottish shortbread dough by hand and pressed it with wooden moulds.  Dressed as housemaids of 1855, the staff prepare food throughout the seasons using traditional recipes and methods of the past. Guests are offered homemade cookies as they learn about the workings of the Dundurn kitchen. Butlers and servants of the past were beckoned with a series of bells, a unique ring for each member of the staff.

In the front hall of the castle was a pile of present day groceries donated by visitors for the local food bank, reflecting the giving spirit of the McNabs.  McNab’s daughters Sophia and Minnie were known for their generosity and in the sitting room outside of their bedrooms are displayed shoes, and baskets of goods, that they would give to those in Hamilton less fortunate than themselves.

Workshops are offered to families to pass on an appreciation for the art of cooking in the past, when ingredients included treasured sugars and spices imported from afar.   

Dundurn Castle opens grand old doors to share Christmas traditions, but throughout the year, a rich sense of living history is shared with the Hamilton community, just as Sir Alan McNab did in the past.  

Christmas at Battlefield House, Stoney Creek, early 1800’s

In Stoney Creek, each year, a Christmas of 1813 is celebrated at Battlefield House and Museum. For the Christmas of 2011, this home is under renovations and will not be opened for the Christmas season. This home was built in 1796 and has  been used as a museum since 1899.  It is located on important battle site between the British and the Americans. It is furnished to portray the home of the Gage family in 1835.

“If the walls could speak and tell us more about how they lived...” said Marnie Maslin wistfully.

Dressed in period attire, Marnie guided us through the home sharing the Christmas customs of that time. Marnie is a passionate curatorial assistant who explained to us how the home had an elegant simplicity, and Christmas traditions were simple in 1835.  Cedar garlands strung with dried flowers, leaves and berries were hung from the stair railings on Christmas Eve.  A tree shaped of red apples sat on a table and stockings borrowed from the drawer were hung from the mantle, to be filled with treasured oranges or nuts. Saint Nickolas would leave each child an unwrapped, handcrafted toy on Christmas morning.  The family spent time together by the fireplace in the main sitting room, enjoyed a good meal and attended church on Christmas Day.

Outside, the vivid red of a British soldier’s uniform appeared and a musket fired outside to remind us of the important history that put Battlefield House and Stoney Creek on the history map.

The curious faces of snow suited children pressed against the windows looking curiously inside on a Christmas of 1855.

Christmas at Whitehern House in 1880

Whitehern Historic House is a Victorian home in the shadow of a modern Hamilton City Hall.  Upon ringing the door bell, a proper butler answered, swinging us right into the past. Mary McQuestern would have welcomed us into the home to share an elaborate Victorian Christmas.

Daryl MacTavish, the costumed butler and  interpreter  told the family history through old photos, to a small group of spell bound visitors, sitting on stools in the upstairs hall. 

The Victorian interior is full of furnishings that have been part of different periods of history in the life of this home and family.  This once wealthy family fell on hard times but the home remains a testament to their resilience.

Whitehern celebrates in a family room dressed for Christmas of 1880, when affluence still provided plenty for the family. Imagine the faces of the delighted children when they rushed into the room to see the enormous tree covered with candles, glass balls, paper flags, strings of cranberries, Chinese fans all sparkling against the backdrop of the dark red chintz wallpaper. Beneath the tree is a display of the many toys given to the children throughout the years.  Porcelain dolls from Germany, small Victorian prams, a doll house, a wooden bowling set, books ....a child’s dream come true. The expansive dining room table is set, and with a squint of the eye, you can see the family sitting down to a meal in grand style. Silver trays kept the main course warm, and the grand pastries and desserts filled the air with sweetness. This is the Victorian Christmas of our fantasies.

On a one day Christmas journey in the Hamilton area, families can peek into the lives of three homes from times past, bringing our holiday history to life and deepening our appreciation of tradition.

Simple and ornate, little to give, lots to give, the time spent with family and friends was said to be the most important gift in each home visited. 

Stepping out through the wooden door of Whitehern, to the grey chill of winter, I went home to bake shortbread cookies, the old fashioned way.

Three Christmas Homes to Visit – www.hamilton .ca/museums

Dundurn Castle, Hamilton,Ontario  –  

Victorian Christmas - Nov. 26 – December 31, 2011- closed Mondays

Whitehern Historic House and Garden, Hamilton, Ontario  

The McQuestern’s  Childhood Christmas – November 20 –December 31, 2011- closed Mondays

Battlefield House and Museum and Park, Stoney Creek, Ontario - Closed for the 2011 Christmas season.