The Poor Man's Christmas Feast 

This is better than the history channel nowadays

I love this channel. I'll be roasting a chicken given to me by charity. I'll have canned veg with a little butter and maybe baked potato. No pies or pudding but I have a corn muffin mix and canned pumpkin that I'll make into a small cake. A little tobacco and I still have a bit of coffee. It may not sound like much but I'm old and alone and content with what I have along with a cartload of gratitude for the generosity of others. Have a very Happy Christmas everyone.

Parliament in 1647 tried to ban Christmas. Folks in Canterberry really lost it when the city council tried to ban it, the rioters took over the city council, and troops had to be called in to put down the riots. I also seem to remember that an enterprising fellow, perhaps a publican, gave out free ale to anyone that put a holly bush outside their front door. All of this is in the background for the beginning of the 2nd English Civil War.

I'm not particularly religious, but growing up I've always fondly remembered Christmastime that I had with my parents who are gone now. Not being originally from the US my parents adopted all of the American traditions maybe as a way to give thanks to a country that gave them a better life. Merry Christmas to everyone!

This year is actually the first Christmas I'll spend at work, can't beat a little Overtime pay, but at the end of the day, I'll be able to come home, watch football and enjoy the evening with my parents.

It restores my faith in humanity when I see people helping people less fortunate!

A Quaker Christmas involved a family and friends evening of Vegetable Soup, Bread, and preserved fruit dessert like canned apples or Mincemeat Pie. Reflective conversations on the year behind and the year ahead. As a non-Quaker myself, I really enjoyed the spiritual energy. Quakers were largely very wealthy business people in the Philadelphia area during my youth.

In Poland, our ancestors passed down one of the poorest and most delicious of Christmas foods, the pierogi. You pronounce pierogi kind of like "Pew Dough Gee", because you roll the "r". It's funny that even Google gets this wrong as it says "Per Oh Gee", as do a lot of packages on the store shelves, lol! It's basically a buttery noodle stuffed with mashed potatoes, cheese or even sauerkraut ("Kapusta"), then it is boiled just until it floats, then served hot that way, or even better... fried in more butter until crispy in a skillet! It's great for breakfast the next morning! Many Polish didn't eat red meat or foul on Christmas Eve, only fish is eaten but not in the pierogies, more likely on the side on crackers, smoked or baked to eat in addition to the perogies. Thank you for all of your history lessons John and a very Merry Christmas to you all!

My Scottish ancestors came here during the 18th century, before the Revolutionary War. It is interesting to have this connection to how they might have celebrated during that time.

"God bless us, every one." - Tiny Tim

Little known fact: the Scotch-Irish tradition of “wrassling” on Christmas is what inspired the feats of strength tradition for Festivus.

Thanks to the Scots-Irish for bringing some excitement to the Christmas celebration.

My Irish grandmother used to make plum pudding at Christmas until she figured out we only wanted the hard sauce. 😂 So the last time she made the pudding because the one uncle who liked it asked for it, we grandchildren got a small saucer of hard sauce with a spoon. Great memory. Christmas for us has always been about church and family. The family is smaller these days and fewer go to church but family time with good food is still the theme for Christmas.

Merry Christmas! Thank you for making the internet a more fascinating place!

I'm an atheist and I love Christmas. I love the tradition, songs, carols, decorations etc. 🧑‍🎄🎄🥰 Merry Christmas to one and all. 🥰

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"--Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This channel reminds of watching PBS as a kid. Absolutely LOVE it

My family has a long Quaker lineage (although we are almost all atheist/agnostic over the last few generations) but it makes sense now why we had no real family Christmas traditions! We just treat it like any other day or take the time off to have a meal all together. I hope everyone who partakes has a lovely Christmas this year. ❤

The origins of charity at Christmas comes from the medieval era in England when Christmas was celebrated with 12 days of meals, celebration and rest. Christmas Day actually being the start of it rather than the end. One of those being St. Thomas's Day, where very poor people or "Thomas' " would go around to better off houses begging for extra flour or fruit or the like to feed themselves over the holidays and it was considered Christian duty to give them something.

I live in England, and always have done, as have many generations before me. However, I had ancestors emigrate to America, specifically to Plymouth. I thoroughly enjoy the documentary on this channel of the time period, as it really helps me consider and imagine what my ancestors may have experienced all those years ago. Although they travelled long before 1800 (I don't know the exact year, but my understanding is that it was on one of the Mayflower crossings), it still gives me a feeling of place and belonging to know what they may have experienced. Merry Christmas to you all at the homestead.

Merry Christmas, Jon, Family, and Crew! This is my favorite entertainment to consume. We don't watch, or even own, a TV. I prefer to be entertained by learning, and your channel is the highest quality out there. Thanks for all that you do. I look forward to what you have planned for 2024. History ROCKS!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukah, Fun Festivus to everyone. No matter what religion you follow, family, health and good humor are the most important and desirable things to all.

Hooray! A Very Merry Christmas to all the wonderful folks at Townsends! 😃🎄✨

While I generally have enough to live on, I'm what would many would consider poor. Today I'm planning on spending extra for a little Christmas feast, and it's really amazing to me that my planned dishes line up almost perfectly with the dishes listed here. The "finest" cheese (not actually the finest, but I don't splurge on even a cheap brie and manchego any other time of the year), mince pies (butter is hella pricy here, so the price of butter alone makes pies a special item), roasted meat (actually grilled chicken and sausage, as a quasi vegetarian I'd just as soon go without meat but the rest of my family would hate me). I don't plan on a boiled pudding, but I was thinking about making a fruit cake. Also, it wouldn't be Christmas without some sugar cookies!

As a retired Corrections Officer, on Christmas Day in our facility, the inmates would always get roasted turkey meat from real, roasted turkeys from that day and also a large dish of peppers and pickles.

The format is great. Social history through food 😂.

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE TOWNSEND FAMILY AND STAFF! Kind Thanks with Love, Light, Peace, Abundance and Joy of Being! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania

Have a happy Christmas Eve and a very merry Christmas! Thank you for always having perfectly cozy videos to pair with the season!

This was better than any Christmas carol. 👍 Merry Christmas to all the Townsends and associates. May you have a special holiday.

Our Christmas tradition, depending on how successful hunting season is, a venison meat pie is made. This year was good, so a venison meat pie it is! I will roast a turkey for New Year's.

Merry Christmas to everyone at Townsends. 🎄

Here in the northeast.. the Puritans would hire what's called a "mince sniffer"..LOL... to walk through the town to sniff out Christmas cooking. There was a punishment if you were found celebrating.

Thank you for a fine overview of Christmas in 'your time period.'

Lewis and Clark began their journey from Camp Dubois (also known as Camp Wood) on the Wood River Creek very close to where I live in southwestern Illinois near St. Louis, Missouri.

💖🧚‍♀🌌Merry Christmas Everyone!! Thank You Townsends and associates for all of your hard work that goes into sharing your knowledge of our country's history😊

episode idea. Perhaps you could do an episode about what kind of taxes early Americans paid? Tax collection has evolved to take many forms over the years..A good example is the type of beer called Gruit .

Merry Christmas to you, Jon, and all the good folk at Townsends.

In 1840, the young Queen Victoria married the German Prince Albert, who introduced many of the Christmas traditions he had enjoyed as a child when he came to live in England. Also, this holiday was taken from the pagans. Winter equinox aka Yule was the celebration of the SUN not the SON. Also, in Appalachia it is old christmas and new christmas. New christmas is celebrated on Dec 25th.

I waited for this!

Very fascinating to see how it was long ago, in North America for Christmas celebrations. Thanks for the great content. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Cheers!

In England it was (and still is) strictly forbidden to shoot on Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, or Sundays, the idea being not just that these were days of rest but also that gentlemen shouldn’t shoot while people were travelling on foot to church and back. (Keeping in mind that before the mid-19th century only wealthy landowners and their guests were allowed to shoot game). Since most parishes had morning and evening services, the prohibition lasted all day long.

Interesting how the NE colonies/States had people still wanting to celebrate Christmas. Coming from East Anglia, Calvinism would predominate but Lincolnshire had a strong Catholic tradition too and would have explained why many in the NE still wanted to celebrate Christmas. My preference would be for the celebration of the Anglican or the devout Catholic (as opposed to the Scots Irish, for whom it was a more raucous affair, or the miseryguts Puritans out to ban it). Merry Christmas everyone.🌲

Thanks for the history lesson, Jon. Wishing a very Merry Christmas to you, your family and staff!

Love this series, please keep them coming Mr Townsend

These videos are so great!

I love every video you guys make. But, I especially love your holiday videos. Warms my heart every year.

Merry Christmas to Townsends and family!🎅

Merry Christmas! Thank you for the feast!

Thank you to all at Townsends- the best channel out there. Merry Christmas all.

Thank you so much for this insight into history. It honestly kind of put me in the spirit of Christmas, which I didn't expect. Personally, your warmth and that of those you share with your audience is always pleasant, and your enthusiasm for these stories is infectious. Merry Christmas ❤

Best program in RU-vid! Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! As always a fantastic video!

Merry Christmas Townsends!

Merry Christmas Townsends and Friends. Thanks for all the great work you do.

However you all celebrate the holiday: Merry Christmas to All ! I love this channel, thank you and the crew for all these wonderful videos . ❤

Merry christmas. Thank you for making these nice and informative videos.

Oh, thanks, I really needed this today. Merry Christmas to you, your family, your team and all your fans. Happy Holidays to others as appropriate. 🌟 🎄🎁🥰💕❤️👍👍

I love the hearty history lesson I get every time I watch. Thank you!

I adore your channel - thank you so much for everything you do! Have a happy holiday and remember to savor the flavors and aromas of the 18th century

Thank you foryour videos and Merry Christmas ❤

Glorious! This was fantastic to watch. Thank you Townsends

Love your channel, Townsends. You do awesome work.

Thanks for the awesome content and great videos!!

Merry Christmas Mr. Townsend, to you and your family. Thank you for all you do and many happy returns.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and your family! And anybody who reads this.

Jon at his best; the cheerful teacher! That's why we love him. Merry Christmas!

I just want to say you're doing an amazing job with this channel, down to the vibes. Please never change

Thank you. Merry Christmas to all and a blessed New Year 🙏🙏🙏

Merry Christmas Townsends. I just rewatched Jon's recital of Charles Dicken's, The Christmas Carol. It was wonderful. Jon is a great reader. Thank you for keeping the old videos and streams available.

Blessings to all, Merry Christmas to all. Thank you to the Townsends family. Peace be with you.

Receitas incríveis de um tempo tão difícil... vocês são incríveis! Amo este canal!

I really like this channel. Best Patreon money ever spent.

This is absolutely fascinating. I love this stuff. This is history that would be lost all together if you didn't present it to us. It makes you stop and think

Merry Christmas to the whole Townsends Team and thanks for all the cool videos

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. Merry Christ Mass to one and all from Wiltshire, England

Happy Christmas to you and your team

You're the man. Merry Christmas good sir

I wish you and your team a very Merry Christmas, Mr. Townsends, and a peaceful New Year!

The homless are getting jolly!

That was a fantastic good christmas video.

Happy Holidays...thanks for the videos.

Merry Christmas Townsends and everybody else on here!!!

Oh my gosh.... thank you. This is satisfying to the soul to watch, think back and imagine how life was like back them. Thank you.

Love your videos! Merry Christmas!

Love what you are doing! Been watching your shows for quite a long time and they leave me wanting more. Love to watch the meals you cook up from that time. Keep up the excellent work!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your entire crew! Thank you so much for these videos!

As Christmas wasn’t the main winter celebration in Scotland, that was New Year, I would make the assumption that the Presbyterian Scots ran with the possibility of extending the New Year celebrations by a week and loved it. Even when I was a kid in the 70’s and 80’s it always seemed that Christmas was a celebration for the kids that adults joined in with and the Hogmanay was a celebration for the adults that the kids joined in with. From a very young age I can remember being washed and dressed in my nicest Christmas clothes with a watered down alcoholic drink in hand (normally about a thimble’s worth of martini in a wine glass that’s then filled with fizzy lemonade) and along with my parents and siblings watching Andy Stewart or a Lucky White Heather Club type TV programme leading up to ‘The Bells’ whilst singing or dancing along. Then a short while after ‘The Bells’ we’d have our ‘First Footer’ before heading out to be the ‘First Foot’ for our next door neighbour. I’d even hazard a guess that most Christmas ‘traditions’ in Scotland are actually English or Irish in origin as most of the things we were told were traditional were for New Year.

Merry Christmas, Townsends Friends!

Merry Christmas to you Jon, and all of the Townsend family.

Really like your videos, so very realistic of all our histories past. This one, in particular, defines why we are here today and how this was brought about. Great video!

I’m happy as long as I can put food on my table

Well said and i love the explanations.❤

Hi, Mate . I hope you and your family have had a great Christmas and may peace and plenty be with you for years to come

Merry Christmas, Jas & Sons! 🎄✝

Thank you Townsend's for the history lesson! Merry Christmas.David Back.

Wholesome content as always a toast to Townsends! Merry Christmas.

Thank You! Heres to You and Your Family this Christmas!

Thank-you very much for another outstanding story. 👍

I love this channel, damn I have no idea why, I'm not even American but your content just makes me feel cozy and warm.