Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.001-027#015

Cambridge. Dec 28th 1857.
Dear Mary,
A happy New Year to you all! I fancy you enjoying the dear children, and having quite a home feeling with them about you. Your hotel must be almost become one as the associations cluster, for they build up the real house-walls more than brick & mortar. Still, I do hope some day you will have one of your own you can love as dearly as we do this old mansion. As I grow older I think I enjoy more and more my shell, like one of Mr Agassiz’ venerable turtles, whose physiognomies are so accurately painted in his wonderful great book, and I find it very hard to emerge from it for the attractions of other people’s. We very rarely, for instance, go out of an evening, we so dearly delight in our own fireside, [p. 2] and the boys utter such a lament if we do that I have not the heart to cut them off from their nightly readings. Perhaps when my three girls are young ladies we shall be again tempted into society.
We have had such a wonderful Italian winter, such sunny, balmy days, without either snow or ice, that I had none of the Xmas feeling when it came. However, cold snow came with it, & will now probably remain.
Christmas eve Erny displayed a tree for some of Alice's little friends, which he got himself from the woods, cutting it down & shouldering it home, like a young giant, & all the gifts and decorations were purchased & arranged by himself, none of us older ones being much in the secret. It was very pretty, & the slight gifts highly enjoyed by the juveniles. Many of these he made himself, such as baskets & paper dolls, the rage now among little girls.
[p. 3] Christmas night we all went to papa’s & had a very merry time, altho there were not many children, Harriot’s young cousins having grown up into young ladies. Naty dressed up as Santa Claus, with a mask & long white beard, and a pannier of presents on his back, & was a great fun to the youngsters, tho’ little Edie was half frightened by the motionless face. However, as he brought her a huge doll as big as herself, she soon made friends with him. Emmeline was there with her jolly little boys, having been prevented by a cold from passing Xmas with Mrs James in N. York, as she had hoped to do, & Mrs Bangs – looking very lovely in blue. Sir Charles Fox & his son were also present, & he complimented me greatly on the complexion of my children. He has been here some time. He was the engineer architect of the first Crystal Palace. Sam’s Carry is a fine bouncy girl, with a face full of char [p. 4] acter. His other children are very plain.
Mrs Wedgwood I hope found some ice at Niagara & enjoyed the party she hoped to muster there. I send by her a box for you & the children, containing a photograph from Rowse’s crayon sketch of Alice & Edie for you, a pair of sleeve buttons (carbuncles) for Ronny (for he is man enough for them I suppose) a simple brooch for Eva & an Indian rubber pencil (Yankee invention) for Angus. Some books from Uncle Tom will accompany them. She says she will have plenty of opportunities to send it from her house to 11 Park Place.
Mrs Bangs takes great interest in the fate of her relative Gen Outram. He & Havelock seemed in a dangerous trap, but they must have been relieved in time let us hope – so many troops have now gone. Our good friend Dr Kohl danced Sir Roger de Coverley with great glee at Papa’s – Tom dines him every Sunday. Sumner returned from Washington for the holidays & dined with us Xmas day. He feels much the fatigue of attending the Senate & his enforced idleness. It is sad, [p. 1 cross] sad to see him cut down in the flower of his days. I fear he will have to resign, & then what can he turn to? He puts no confidence in Douglas’ sudden virtue. We hear nothing of poor Mr Lawrence. Some say he has gone to Australia. His wife is quite crushed, but consented to his going. The young lassies are all turning out with Scotch caps & skates. Henry gives me the illustrated Kavenagh which has just come. Pretty, but absurdly English for such a purely Yankee story.
He sends much love & many good wishes to you & Robert as do we all. Yr loving Fanny.

• Keywords: correspondence; long archives; frances e. a. longfellow papers (long 20257); frances elizabeth (appleton) longfellow; people; document; holidays; christmas; subject; family life; Correspondence (1011/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Letters from Frances Longfellow (1011/002.001); (LONG-SubseriesName); 1857 (1011/002.001-027); (LONG-FileUnitName)