The manner of spending _Christmas Eve_ can hardly be better described than by the celebrated Wilkie's sketch under that title. Christmas is not now what it was formerly. Wilkie's painting relates to the present time, and I do not know where Christmas is more cheerfully observed in these days than in London--still there is an alteration--no boar's head--no pageantries, no wassailing. In the north of England its approach is denoted by the country people having their wood fires, consisting of huge pieces of stumps of trees piled upon the grate, and by entwining branches of holly over their doors, and by _school boys_ acting some play to a school full of auditors; the yearly one at Brough was _St. George_, which is now put down by some strolling players who exhibit in the town every Christmas. These are signals for Christmas, and although there is but one Christmas day, yet the week is generally over before any thing like quietness appears. The morning is ushered in by the ringing of the _church bells_, and the little maidens playing at the game of _prickey sockey_, as they call it. See them all dressed up in their _best_, with their wrists adorned with rows of _pins_, running about from house to house inquiring who will play at the game. The door is opened, and she cries out, "Prickey Sockey, for a pin, I CAR not whether I LOSS or win." The game is played by the one holding between her two fore-fingers and thumbs a pin, which she clasps tightly to prevent her antagonist seeing either part of it, while her opponent _guesses_. The head of the pin is _sockey_, and the point _prickey_, and when the other guesses, she touches the end she guesses at, saying, _"this for prickey_," or "_this for sockey_;" at night the other delivers her two pins. Thus the game is played and when the clock strikes twelve it is declared _up_, that is, no one can play after that time. The Christmas dinner consists of large pork or goose pies, which Brand mentions as peculiar to this county; the goose is put in whole; they are all marked on the top by a fork with the owner's initials; formerly it was a religious inscription. In the afternoon (be it spoken perhaps to their shame) they sally forth for a game at foot-ball, the first day on which the game is played, the ball is what they call _clubbed up for_, and he who can run away with the ball may keep it; but this seldom occurs, as it is kicked to pieces before the game is over. And this is Christmas Day here. At Kirby, a man named _Tom Mattham_ (since deceased) used to go round the town on Christmas Eve, about twelve o'clock, with a bell, and chant a few carols; this was too solemn to be compared to the London waits, but the custom still exists.