Christmas in Mull Around 1860

A crofter's wife returns to the croft on Christmas Day after feeding the sheep in the mid 19th century

In the Highlands and Islands, Christmas was still not widely celebrated as a public holiday in the way it is today. A 1640 Act of the Scottish Parliament and strong Presbyterian sentiment discouraged or banned Christmas celebrations for hundreds of years.

Christmas Day was often treated as a regular work day with very limited public festivity, especially when compared to Hogmanay (New Year), which was traditionally the big winter celebration for Scots.

In the 1860s, even though Britain had Victorian Christmas customs such as trees and carols elsewhere in the UK, these had not fully taken hold in remote Gaelic crofting communities like Mull. Those customs (e.g., decorated trees, elaborate feasts) were more common among wealthier townsfolk or in the Lowlands and had gradually spread only later in the 19th century.

Did you know that Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958!

What Christmas Day Might Have Actually Looked Like

For a crofter family on Mull in the 1860s:

The family would wake early in a dark, cold cottage — the hearth fire would be the center of warmth and light.

There would not necessarily have been a public holiday from labour — there may have been some rest from routine work, but other tasks like feeding animals and tending fire were essential.

Regular church attendance was deeply important to Gaelic crofters. On a day like Christmas, the local kirk (church) service would be a focal point — even if festive celebration was subdued.

Crofter families relied on what they had raised and stored: root vegetables, oat porridge or bannocks, perhaps a modest piece of meat if available.

Special foods tied to older winter “Yule” customs — such as simple rich breads or seasonal dishes, might be shared within the family, quietly rather than as a grand feast.

The lighting of candles in windows, or burning a piece of rowan wood to bring protection and warm light through the dark season — could still be observed in areas, such as Mull.