By Tiggy Johnson.

 

It’s that time of year again and many of us are celebrating or getting ready to celebrate (or just looking forward to some quiet time to get stuck into research!).

 

While it’s generally accepted that people celebrate this holiday season in different ways, there are different reasons for celebration. For some, anyway. For example, most of us know someone whose birthday is upon us, someone who probably misses out on proper celebrations most years because everyone’s too busy with their own things.

 

The other day, I came across this blog post over at findmypast. Did you know it used to be common for couples to wed on Christmas Day? It was one of the only days of the year many workers knew they’d definitely get the day off. Some churches even offered the service free of charge. It all suggests we are somewhat likely to have a Christmas Day marriage somewhere in our tree, and while I am delighted to say that, yes, I have one, I can’t help but be a little disappointed that them having chosen this date is less special than I would have liked to have thought.

 

On the other hand, it gives me a wonderful insight into their lives. And leaves me speculating as to whether they had Christmas pudding or Wedding cake.

 

Whatever you’ll be celebrating – or not – I hope you enjoy the season. And perhaps find a few sneaky hours over the next couple of weeks to move forward with your research.