Did the Tudors Change Christmas More Than We Think?

Yule Logs, Twelfth Night Cakes & the Lord of Misrule. Step into a Tudor Christmas with me! I’m historian Claire Ridgway, and today’s Advent episode looks at the real Yuletide customs of Tudor England...

9 Dec 20254min

The Festive Drinks That Kept Henry VIII’s Court Merry   Step into a warm Tudor hall, sit beside the glowing Yule log, and discover the festive drinks that kept Henry VIII’s England merry throughout th...

8 Dec 20256min

Dragons that spat fire. Masked dancers sweeping through palace halls. Henry VIII himself turning up in disguise… Welcome to Tudor Twelfth Night, the most spectacular, theatrical, and joyfully chaotic...

7 Dec 20256min

Forget fairy lights and tinsel, Tudor Christmas decorations were deeply symbolic, richly traditional, and filled with myth and meaning. Hello, I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and welcome to ...

6 Dec 20255min

Welcome to Day 6 of my Tudor Christmas Advent series! Today we’re diving into one of the most enchanting feast days of the Tudor calendar, St Nicholas’s Day, and uncovering how this 4th-century bishop...

5 Dec 20257min

Did you know the Tudors didn’t end Christmas on 25th December… they started it? I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we’re walking thro...

4 Dec 20256min

What did Tudor families do at Christmas once the feasting slowed, the music quietened, and the Yule log glowed on the hearth? They played games, and some of them are still incredibly fun today. Welc...

3 Dec 20256min

Did you know the Tudors didn’t give gifts at Christmas? For them, New Year’s Day was the most political, strategic, and nerve-wracking day of the entire festive season; a glittering ritual where loya...

2 Dec 20256min