"Two jellies and a glass of wine"
It is one of the evenings between Christmas and the New Year and a family are taking tea in the parlor after supper. They are sipping cordial, a strong alcoholic drink, with their tea. The cordial is served in glasses with a small bowl on a tall stem. A friend has called on the family and, because he has missed supper, he is offered two jellies and a glass of wine to make up for it.
By the eighteenth century, the ancient customs associated with Christmas were in decline in towns and cities. Christmas was marked by going to church, entertaining, and giving alms and presents, often of food. A visitor to England from France noted the following about how Christmas Day was celebrated in the 1720s:
...the English have many customs we do not know of. They wish each other a Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year, presents are given, and no one may dispense with this custom. On this festival day churches, the entrances to houses, rooms, kitchens and halls are decked with laurels, rosemary and other greenery.