#yes that is one of my mum's kitties -- her name is evangeline or 'eva' for short <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[carewyncromwell]

“Good evening, friends...I hope you all are well. I’m called Bartholomew, or Bat, Varney. No, your eyes do not deceive you -- I do have fangs, and my eyes are red, for yes, I am a vampire. But not to fret -- I more than keep myself satiated with Blood Pops from Honeydukes sweetshop, so you needn’t worry about me sinking my teeth into anything other than this most wonderful time of year -- Christmastime. 

“For those of you who are unaware, my ‘mundane,’ as she calls herself, has given me access to this ‘Askbox’ of hers so that I may discuss, debate with, and perhaps even educate her followers on aspects of this festive season. Tory is currently sitting off to the side, and is silently encouraging me to remind you that you may consult the ‘Bat Comments on Christmas!’ tag for more of my thoughts...as well as to send more owls my way regarding Christmas, should you wish.”

[Bat’s scarlet eyes twinkle with amusement.]

“Now then -- early this morning, I checked the Askbox, and I received this lovely owl from @sakura-soldier​ -- ”

“First of all, my dear, I must compliment you on the wonderful choice of subject. Christmas trees are one of my favorite additions that the 19th century made to the celebration of Christmas...for yes, when I was a boy growing up in England in the late 18th century, we did not bring fir trees inside and adorn them with finery. Instead garlands were more par the course -- most commonly, garlands made out of holly, ivy, and mistletoe, and decorated with ribbons and flowers like lavender and rosemary. If one was particularly well-off, they might even include fruit in their garlands -- there’s nothing quite like the smell of oranges and spices wafting through the room, while you’re dancing across the floor to a proper Christmas jig. We also brought in fir and yew branches and hung them over doorways and on fireplace mantles, but they were generally left as is, rather than decorated. The thought behind bringing plants like holly, ivy, and fir tree branches indoors is that they represented ever-lasting life in the midst of the unforgiving winter cold...a comforting thought, to be sure, in the face of everything else dying. It’s a tradition that goes back a very long way, all the way back to the Pagans and even the ancient Romans, who used to bring in evergreens to celebrate their winter holidays of Yule and Saturnalia, respectively. 

“So when did the tradition of fully furnished holiday trees come in, and why? Well, the tradition itself actually originates in Germany, circa the 16th century. There are several legends that have been used to explain the Christmas tree’s origin. One is that Protestant reformer Martin Luther once saw a fir tree shining in the moonlight and ended up bringing one of its branches home decorated with candles, in an attempt to share the beauty of that sight with his children. Another is that the Christian saint Boniface felled an oak tree a group of Pagans were worshipping, only for it to be miraculously replaced by a beautiful fir tree, which Boniface declared symbolic of Christ, since it was triangular and thus evoked the trinity. Not to be too disrespectful to those people who preach these stories, but I think it’s far more likely that it’s another example of the Christian church wanting to assimilate aspects of other Pagan religions into its holidays, so as to make those holidays more palatable to the areas that it hoped to convert. Either way, Germany pioneered the idea of the evergreen being a ‘paradise tree’ -- a tree symbolic of the one in the Garden of Eden, decorated with apples and put up on Adam and Eve’s Day, December 24th -- which, of course, we now know as Christmas Eve. It’s not hard to see how those original decorative apples later inspired Christmas baubles. By 1605, there are records of Germans decorating their fir trees with roses made out of multicolored paper, foil, and even sweets. 

“Although many people like to credit Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert as the people who first brought Christmas trees to England, the idea actually was first brought across the English channel by Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, when she decorated the Queen’s Lodge in Windsor with one forty years prior, in 1800. Victoria and Albert did, however, make the idea more appealing to the British commonman, when a card was published in British papers depicting the happy couple and their children with their lovely candle-decorated tree...and soon everyone in England wanted one in their homes too. That card was later edited and reprinted in an American newspaper, and soon the Americans -- who, may I just point out, originally largely disdained Christmas -- were getting in on the act too. From what I understand, it’s actually thanks to the Americans that Christmas trees became big enough to reach the ceiling -- back before they embraced the tradition, Christmas trees were generally much smaller. Apparently they were also hung up on the ceiling at one point, which I can’t imagine was particularly easy for Muggles to wrangle!”

[Bat laughs. It’s a handsome, delighted sound that seems too happy for how brightly his beast-like fangs gleam.]

“But yes, by 1860, one couldn’t find a middle-class home in either Britain or America that didn’t sport a proper Christmas tree. From the 1840′s on, even artificial trees were sometimes used in place of living ones, the first kind being made of goose feathers. From what my research outside the fourth wall tells me, the artificial trees first pioneered in the 1930′s have also gone on to find new popularity as well, in the face of environmentalist concerns. The ornaments we use to decorate trees have also become much more diverse and interesting over the centuries, with the first baubles being made out of lead and hand-blown glass, but later additions being made of everything from tinsel to silk.”

[Bat takes a long sip of blood before he shifts gears.]

“Now then...to your query regarding my ideal tree. Truthfully, as much as artificial trees can be very beautiful in their own right, I do very much enjoy real trees. The smell of fir and mistletoe never fails to bring a smile to my face, especially considering that my sense of smell is one of the only scents that has been magnified by my condition, rather than hampered. As for decorations, I would want it full of ornaments -- covered completely, from top to bottom -- with a whole assortment, all different kinds and shapes and colors and textures, store-bought and hand-carved. Perhaps it could use some enchanted frost and fairy lights, as well. And perhaps a popcorn garland, if Bertie, Violet, or Holly wanted to make one. @thatravenpuffwitch​ @cursebreakerfarrier​ And for the topper...a Golden Snitch, made of gold and silver tinsel.”

((OOC: My mum has used an artificial tree for several years now, and I always decorate it for her, since she likes my decorating aesthetic. 😊 We always use two or three strings of white lights, and then decorate our tree with all the old family ornaments that have emotional significance to us, spaced out so that each one is perfectly visible, with larger, heavier ornaments closer to the bottom and lighter, smaller ornaments closer to the top. Some of our ornaments are heirlooms, souvenirs from trips, or presents from family and friends, but a good handful of our ornaments were actually hand-carved out of wood and painted by my late great-uncle! My personal tree topper is a Princess Tiana ornament with such a wide skirt that I turned it into a topper instead, though Mum still uses her old crochet angel. (A picture of the tree I decorated for Mum last year is under the cut!)))