A Knight at the Tree

Gracious Readers;

I am amiss in not posting this before Christmas, but there seemed to be so much going on.

Can  a Knight procrastinate? Yes!!

As the days went on, I decided that I would post my Christmas musings on Epiphany (or “Little Christmas”) on January 6^th. I almost made that self-imposed deadline, but then faltered at the last minute…

As you may recall, this is the first Christmas that I have seen in many, many years. Truth be told, things around me are much the same, but different, to the last few Christmases I remember vividly, those which were celebrated in my presence during my years in the court of HRH Victoria, the (by then) widowed queen.

The Chipman Hill Suites building in which I currently reside was constructed in the 1880’s, so, although I realize that I am now living in The Year of Our Lord, 2012 (can you imagine??), my surroundings, with few exceptions, are very much as I remember from the houses of the minor Lords I have protected over the years.

I digress, though……back to my Christmas 2011 musings…….

Apparently, around 1846 - 48, Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was the person responsible for bringing the first Christmas tree to Windsor Castle for the Royal Family. Some historians state that in actuality Queen Charlotte, Victoria's grandmother, recalled that a Christmas tree was in the Queen's lodge at Windsor on Christmas Day in 1800.  It is certain that in the Illustrated London News in 1846, an illustration of Queen Victoria, Prince, Albert and their children around a Christmas tree appeared. Unlike the previous Royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at Court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but, I was told, with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society, and I presume, also Canadian Society.

After the death of dear Prince Albert, things were never the same in the Royal Court of Victoria. Christmas was sad, as Albert was gone, but in his memory, a beautiful evergreen tree continued to be brought in from the forest and decorated every year with those same ornaments that Albert had favoured when he was with us.

My memories of  Christmas after the “Victoria years” were few. I was relegated to “storage” for many decades, only seeing the light of day briefly, mostly on ceremonial occasions when I, and

some of my old chums who were also suffering the same fate, had occasion to be brought out, polished up, shown off and then put away into the dark again.

Subsequent to those, I did see Christmas again occasionally, however, not in the splendid style of Victoria or, may I say it (?) Chipman Hill Suites.

Sadly, though, I have learned that “artificial” (but very real in appearance) Christmas trees have apparently become the norm, and the tiny candles which were lit by hand each night, and replaced for the next night, have been replaced by electric lights. Even I must admit that these are highly efficient, although the ambiance is not quite the same…..

I have exhausted myself with writing so I will close for this day, faithful readers.

Good Day to you all and farewell until next Monday when I shall post again.

Yours in knighthood

Sir Syd