Every December, as the evenings get shorter and the mornings darker, we all cling to the light relief of Christmas. Parties, friends, sparkle and a mulled wine or two become the season’s unofficial survival kit. This year, the Field Grey Christmas card takes its cue from a piece of festive history that revelled in exactly that spirit of playful escape.
But Christmas revelry is nothing new. Its roots reach all the way back to Roman celebrations and thread through centuries of feasting, music and welcome disruption to the everyday.
The Lord of Misrule
As English Heritage notes, one of the earliest personifications of the season appears in a 15th-century carol. A cheerful figure called Sir Christëmas strides in to announce the good news and remind everyone to “make good cheer and be right merry.” It’s an invitation that – then as now – was rarely refused.
But perhaps the most intriguing character in this festive lineage is the medieval Lord of Misrule. Appointed to preside over Christmas festivities, he was charged with stirring up harmless chaos: turning hierarchies upside down, encouraging games and silliness, and giving people permission to step outside the usual order of things. For a brief window each year, the world was playfully reimagined.
There’s something in that spirit that resonates with us – the idea of loosening the seams of the everyday to make room for imagination, joy and a little seasonal sparkle. Celebration works best when it’s unexpected, when it lifts people off-script and reminds us that tradition and creativity have always danced together.
Wishing you a season filled with warmth, light, and just the right amount of misrule.
Main image courtesy of English Heritage