The Christmas List

From the desk of Pvt. Christopher Francis of the 1st Virginia Volunteer Infantry
Daguerreotypes by Sgt. Michael
(click any picture for a larger view)

Dear Santa,

I would give you my Christmas list, but in all honesty, my favorite gifts of this season are not in your sleigh but from We Make History’s annual Victorian Christmas Ball. Still, I shall offer you my list in hopes you might be able to share it with other girls and boys. It makes a great stocking stuffer.

Scores Of Merry Newcomers

They snake all around the hall, in every possible direction, winding around in the grand promenade. With our seasoned regulars, the multitude numbers one hundred and fifty, perhaps two hundred.



Our host reprises his classic game of drawing them into a spiral and then out again, but he adds a new twist to give the lines to room to maneuver: leading them out of the ballroom and into the refreshment room, through the reception area and back into the hall. We can still see the tail of this promenade marching into the side rooms long after we’ve re-emerged.


A Lady With Great Expectations

Among them are a young lady and gentleman I have chauffeured to the party. The lady is a newcomer, unfamiliar with any sort of historic dance. I gave her some reassurance as I drove the modern-day carriage.

“The dances are very simple,” I said. “Maybe five or six basic moves. Don’t worry about your steps. Just enjoy the evening, enjoy your partner, enjoy the moment.”

“And laugh a lot,” her seasoned escort added.

“Yes, and dance on.”

Honorable Ladies And Gentlemen

“What is the first thing you do when approaching a lady for a dance?” our host asks the gathered.

Bow, of course.

“Private Francis, will you demonstrate?”

I prefer bending humbly over one outstretched leg – a bit dramatic, I will admit, when a simple bend of the wait will suffice. However, I want no question of respect lingering in the air. Ladies curtsy with a simple sink and rise.

A Lady In Need Of A Partner

They stand there in the middle of the floor. Sometimes their eyes search as if they are lost. Or maybe they are seeking a target like skilled marksman. I have no time to deduce who is doing which as I hone in on a lady like a hound to a fox, and ask my qualifying question:

“Are you seeking a partner?”

“Yes.”

I bow. “May I be yours?”

It is my heartfelt mission to dance with as many ladies as possible. Traveling through this life solo, I know the feeling – wishing someone will share a moment of joy with you. When that person finds you, your gratitude bursts from within. Out of all others, this person chose you. You matter. You hold worth. The pessimist will scoff that it is merely a dance, and merely formality. All others know better.

A Simple Gift

Many a lady among us has not danced in sets. Never fear, for our renowned Mistress Becky knows the way to dissolve the fear of the unknown like frost in fire.

She leads us in the Gallopede: Long lines step forward and back, then cross over to your partner’s side. Forward and back again, crossing over once more. A do-si-do. A two-hand turn. Then the head couple sashays down the set to the bottom and you start over. A simple yet lively diversion. The uninitiated learn it quickly and nobody misses a step. We laugh, we smile, we worry not.


Joyful Voices

“O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ The Lord.”

The hundreds of voices echo through the hall with heavenly resonance. Not one of us fails to feel the peace in the room, so it is with a blend of shock and sadness when I hear our host reveal that in many schools, such carols are not sung anymore. But we’re singing them now, and that’s all that matters.


My 1st Virginia compatriots exercise their vocal talents with a round of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – all five stanzas of it, including the refrains. For us, it is the oral equivalent of a ten-mile march, complete with the rough patches.

“Now Ladies,” I coax after the beautiful ones of the 1st Virginia applaud us, “let us see if you might be able to top that.”

The gentlemen next to me cautions I haven’t heard a certain lady sing. “We made a brave effort but I think they have us beat.”

“I believe my voice may be up to the challenge,” she replies. “Nevertheless, I shall call for reinforcements!” She invites a private with a potent baritone to join her angelic soprano.

“Oh the Holly and the Ivy
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The Holly bears the crown.”

The rest of us join in the refrains.

“O the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.”

The gathered crowds applaud us all, well-voiced or not.

Creative License

Those who win door prizes must present a historic fact, sing a few lines of a Christmas carol, or dance a ten-second jig. Many guests choose the latter two options.

Here is where the term “jig” is open to interpretation. One young man performs a variant on the Robot Dance. Another, his take on the Moon Walk. The crowd approves with gusto. Fine dancing is fine dancing.

Birthday Celebrations

“Have you ever noticed,” our host inquires, “that the most brilliant people are born towards the end of the year?”

I stand near him in the center of the hall amongst the guests celebrating birthdays in November and December. He explains the tradition to the crowd, where those surrounding us shall circle and sing, “For They’re Such Jolly Good Fellows.”

However, many are unsure of how to arrange themselves. Some have not heard. Some are unsure. But to our rescue comes the 1st Sergeant of the 1st Virginia and the private with the potent baritone.

“For they’re such jolly good fellows, for they’re such jolly good fellows!” they begin, leading a half-circle around us, saving the celebration and some face.

Our host is satisfied. Otherwise, he notes, he was going to point out that the “most beautiful people” are born in the latter half of the year.

The Brave Ones

We pause to honor two service members: a young Marine who will soon be headed to the Middle East, and a veteran of World War II. Present and past stand together before the crowd. As we give cheers and applause to us, they turn and shake hands, thanking each other for serving as we thank them.

Moments Of Grace

Anything that reminds me of a graceful 18th Century dance shall imprint itself into my heart forever, something like the Spanish Waltz. Couples stand in circles of four all about the hall. The gentlemen balance their partners -- stepping towards and away from each other with one hand joined -- before twirling the lady underneath one arm. They then balance the lady opposite from them and twirling them on, meeting back up with their partner again to balance them one more time and their opposite more time. They join in a right-hand star, then a left-hand star, then waltz past their opposite couple to join a new couple… all in three-quarter time.

I cannot resist dipping my knees to the rhythm and holding my free hand in the air during the stars. I notice others are doing the same.

If only I had a three-cornered hat on my head.

A Lady To Entertain

I see her alone, and I have seen her before. She is dressed in honor of Mrs. Claus. I know she is unaccompanied this evening, and I know she would enjoy my company once more. I waltz with her, but she is not satisfied with one dance. She asks for another, and I indulge her with another waltz.

“Waltzes don’t count,” she tells me. She wants to be my partner in a set dance -- something rollicking and lively. I know I’m expected to dance with other ladies too, but my mission and purpose is to serve. I cannot leave her unfulfilled.

When all is said and done, I have given her four dances, including a spirited Virginia Reel and a bit of lively waltzing after we notice a pair of young ladies and gentlemen twirling about in a beautiful display of ballroom skill and spectacle.

I must admit some envy. But why be jealous when you can be brave? I lead her through a few twirls and fancy turns to liven things up from my elementary two-step -- all improvised. Surprisingly, we both enjoy it. But we soon return to our simple steps. Both of us are content with our company and not under any burning desire to dance better than anyone in the room.

Expectations Fulfilled

At the end of the evening, I rejoin the young lady and gentleman whom I have brought here. I ask the lady if her expectations were met.

“Oh, the dances were so much fun!” she proclaims with her eyes as wide as her smile. She tells me of her desire to line up her family in sets and teach them the dances she has learned. She wants to bring them to another ball. She cannot wait for the next one.

I feel her feelings without asking another question. I know the bliss fluttering within her, the surprising magic of the first time dancing with a merry crowd of strangers who suddenly become your friends, all of them. To call it an enjoyable evening is to underestimate its impact. All those newcomers, uplifted and overjoyed by the fellowship and love of the dance, are finding a happiness they never knew. It will dwell within them long after the final waltz, and they will labor to preserve it.

Santa, can you or your elves make that? Can you instill that kind of light within someone’s heart? With all due respect, I doubt it. It doesn’t come from the North Pole. You have to look someplace higher. I would suggest this particularly bright star. Follow it and see where it leads you.

More photos and merry memories here.

NEXT: For Queen And Country