The Nativity of Christ is traditionally a favorite feast of Orthodox Rus’. Everyone, both adults and children, prepared for it. In high society, the holiday was celebrated lavishly, with many gifts and a feast with all kinds of dishes for the guests, while in the lower strata it was celebrated more modestly. But everyone was united by the joy of the Christmas holidays.
Preparations for Christmas in the family of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, began long before the feast. The family’s favorite place was Tsarskoe Selo. According to the recollections of Anna Vyrubova, there were three Christmas trees in the palace: one downstairs in the great reception room of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the second upstairs in the children’s room, and the third upstairs in the corridor, for the palace servants. They lit the tree in the children’s room first. The children especially delighted in the magnificent decoration of the tree and the gifts stacked under it. They had fun, forgetting about ceremonial rigidity.
The Grand Duchesses were accustomed to labor and prepared Christmas gifts for their parents, each other, and friends with their own hands. Empress Alexandra did needlework—one of her favorite activities was embroidering aers and other Church items. Emperor Nicholas II was a deeply pious man who spent a lot of time in prayer. The relations in the Royal Family were extraordinary: The children idolized their crowned parents, who in turn loved their children sacrificially.
It seemed it would always be that way. But February 1917 came to Russia, and then October. Events unfolded at lightning speed. After his abdication, Tsar Nicholas II and the family were sent to Tobolsk. They were destined to celebrate the last Christmas of their lives in this distant Siberian city.
Winter was very harsh that year. The Royal Family was put in the governor’s house on the second floor. The conditions were cramped, but they all tried to support each other. In a letter to Anna Vyrubova, the Empress wrote: “The family members are so brave and good and never complain. The little one is an angel. I have lunch with him, and breakfast too… Things have been taken away and spoiled. Everything is in God, and nature never changes… I feel like the mother of this country and I suffer as if for my child; and I love my homeland, despite all the horrors now and all the transgressions. You know that love can’t be torn from my heart, nor Russia, despite the black ingratitude toward the sovereign, which breaks my heart—but then, it isn’t the whole country. It’s an illness, after which it will grow stronger. Lord, have mercy and save Russia!”
Closer to Christmas, the frost intensified. The temperature in the house didn’t rise above 53°F (12°C), despite the heated stove. The room where the Grand Duchesses slept “turned into a real icebox.” However, everyone prepared for Christmas and made gifts within their means. The girls did needlework, to give their embroidery to those who were with them during the holiday. Tatiana’s works particularly stood out, inspiring universal admiration. She was a skilled craftswoman and had excellent taste. Alexandra Feodorovna “shivered, and with numb fingers barely holding the needles, knitted wool vests.”
The adult members of the family understood their situation perfectly well, but they had enough courage to remain calm in front of the children, who were enjoying the upcoming holiday. Olga wrote to her friend: “The feast is already here. Our Christmas tree in the corner of the hall smells wonderful… There are no decorations except for tinseland wax candles—Church candles, of course, since there aren’t any others here… We had Vigil at about 10 PM, and the tree was lit up. It was cozy and lovely.”
Tsarevich Alexei’s tutor Pierre Gilliard writes in his memoirs: “That’s how we lived till Christmas. Her Majesty gave out several woolen vests that she had knitted herself. Thus she tried to express her gratitude, with touching attention, to those who remained loyal to them. On December 24 (Old Style), a priest came to the house to serve the All-Night Vigil: Everyone gathered in the great hall, and the children were delighted to present the “surprises” they’d prepared for us. We felt like we were one big family; we all tried to forget our sorrows and worries to have the chance to enjoy these minutes of peace and spiritual closeness without holding back, in full heartfelt communion. The next day, on Christmas day, we went to church. With the blessing of the priest, the deacon proclaimed “Many Years” for the Royal Family. It was reckless… The soldiers from the guard demanded that the priest be removed, threatening him with death. This incident overshadowed the pleasant memory we could’ve had of that day. The incident caused new degrading restrictions for us, and they started watching us even more strictly.”
However, on January 1 (Old Style), they allowed the Royal Family to go to church for the morning service. A new priest was serving, a Fr. A. Vasiliev, as the culprit of the Christmas mishap had been banished to the Abalak Monastery.1
We know what fate befell Emperor Nicholas II and his family. They accepted the murderers’ verdict without panic and without begging for mercy. “They had nothing to sacrifice except their lives. They preferred to give them up rather than submit to the enemy who had destroyed their homeland by stealing its honor. And death came. But it was loath to separate those whom life had bound so closely together, and it took all seven of them, united by one faith and one love”—this is how they were remembered by those close to them.
Today, standing before the icon of the holy Royal Martyrs, we entreat their prayerful intercession and thank them for their example of courage, faithfulness, and love. I would really like to wish that on Christmas, in every house, the whole family would gather at the table; that children, wherever they are, would go to their parents’ house and give their parents and each other attention and love. Then our long-standing Christmas traditions will be passed down from generation to generation and will be filled with their original Divine content.
