I can’t quite believe that it’s been a year since I was posting about the last Advent calendar, but here we are in December 2025 already!
As always, I’ve got some Tudor history treats in store for you. They’re so much better than chocolate, or gin, or whatever else they’re putting in Advent calendars now!
You can enjoy my Tudor history delights either by going to The Anne Boleyn Files Advent Calendar 2025 each day from now until 24th December, or by subscribing to The Anne Boleyn Files YouTube channel and clicking the bell to be notified as my Tudor Christmas and Advent videos go live.
I do hope you enjoy this countdown to Christmas!
I look forward to this every year, and now at last I know what Advent means, as over the years I have often pondered on the matter.
The Tudor feasts at Henry V111s court were particularly splendid and yes it was all about extreme wealth and power, many people who are not informative about Tudor England believe Turkeys have always been eaten at Christmas but it was more popular in Victoria’s reign, it was goose that large game bird that was always eaten at christmas along with partridge pheasant and many many more, but Henry did introduce turkey to the dinner table, in those days before factory farming and freezing, birds and meat would have tasted much better, I recall my father bringing home a woodcock once, and he said ‘you are now eating the dish of kings’, he knew nothing about history but somehow he knew that woodcock once graced a kings banquet, to this day I have never tasted a more succulent meal, and sadly I have never had the opportunity to savour another woodcock since.
The giving of new years gifts was political it was a means of toadying up to the current monarch, and how lavish those gifts were, the refusal of Katherine’s gold cup to Henry is well recorded, it shows how determined she was to continue her role of queenship, because in her eyes she was still his true wedded wife, Henry however simmered with rage, the beautiful fountain Anne Boleyn bestowed on him was particularly lavish and must have taken a good deal of time effort craftsmanship and wealth, but Henry lavished such gifts on his darling gifts of money as well, that she was by now an extremely wealthy woman, the ceremonial act of gift exchanging must have taken quite some time, they were led in one by one and one can imagine how the courtiers felt, those nobleman and ladies who curried favour with the king, were they filled with trepidation in case the king was displeased with their gift? The wrist watch Robert Dudley gifted Queen Elizabeth must have been the earliest wrist watch in this country, how beautiful it must have been, is it in a museum somewhere? I have never seen a picture of it and have never heard of it until this moment, looking forward to Dec 4ths treat Claire!
I’m finding it difficult to to access the advent calendar comments page so will add my comments on here, in fact I couldn’t access day 5 of the advent or day 6 so havnt been on here for a few days, neither could I contact you Claire but it doesn’t matter now, the drinks sound delicious especially the lambswool and buttered beer, I think I’d try the latter, I was wondering in fact why the spicy drink named lambswool was given that title, now I know, most interesting thank you!