This print, from an 1853 edition of Godey’s Lady’s Book, depicts a children’s Christmas Party. In the 1840s in 1850s the Longfellow children attended and enjoyed many Christmas parties. Most of these were held at locations other than their own home, most commonly at their grandfather Nathan Appleton's house at 39 Beacon Street in Boston, but others occurred at the homes of friends, and occasionally at 105 Brattle Street.
As the 19th-century progressed Christmas gradually became a more child-centric holiday. Parties became specially tailored to children, with gifts and activities designed to entertain and delight the younger set. As depicted in the print shown here dancing was a popular activity, with reels, a type of folk dance with origins in Scotland, being one of the more common dances performed. Also offered were parlor games. Variations of musical chairs, games that involved hiding and then finding small things such as coins or thimbles, and guessing games like charades were all popular. Christmas trees and gift giving specifically for the children were also common features of these gatherings. Henry Longfellow wrote in his journal of Christmas, 1856 “An evening party at Harriet's with Christmas tree for the children. They came home laden with presents . . .” Even Santa Claus made an appearance at some of the parties, such as in 1857 when Fanny Longfellow wrote in a letter to her sister “Naty [Nathan Appleton, Jr.] dressed up as Santa Claus, with a mask & long white beard, and a pannier of presents on his back, & was a great fun to the youngsters . . .”
By the 1860s the Longfellow children had grown older, and mention of such parties faded in family journals and correspondence. It would not be until the 1880s and 1890s, after Henry W. Longfellow's death, when two of Longfellow's daughters had families of their own, that another generation of children would become a focus of the holidays.