How the ‘Handy Books’ Inspired Our Foremothers

January might seem bleak after the bright lights of Christmas and Hanukkah. But Mrs. Sharp believes this season of King Jack Frost offers families enriching opportunities for “getting to know you,” both healthy outdoor games and relaxed indoor pleasures.

Just the other day Mrs. Sharp was enjoying a cup of tea by the fire with her old friend, January. “Well thankfully, the hectic pace of December is behind us,” she murmured.

“I do believe, if you don’t mind my saying so, Mrs. Sharp, that sometimes the holidays can give family traditions a bad name,” January observed with a cool air but bright sunny smile. Yes, dear readers, even Mrs. Sharp will admit to feeling a bit weary after all the celebrating. Isn’t it a relief that what lies ahead is the reassuring renewal and comforting rhythm of slow winter days?

Outside, the snow is a chance for family entertainment and creativity. Victorians were extremely inventive and this is most evident in our snow and ice creations. At the turn of the century, building elaborate crystal palaces, sometimes as high as 60 feet, was all the rage.

Mrs. Sharp can assure you that (clever as she might be) she’s never built a structure like that in the backyard. However, all her children know the fine art of snow creation, thanks to two well-loved and dog-eared Handy Book volumes. As she gazes out at her children’s rosy cheeks, this Victorian mother can’t help but wonder what she would have done this last century without the imaginative inspiration provided by the Handy Books!

But what is this, you’ve never heard of the American boys and girls Handy Books? No wonder you feel adrift for activities to charm the children when winter comes. There are now contemporary reprints of these 19th-Century children’s classics. By dipping into them, your family can take a nostalgic trip to those halcyon days when children could occupy themselves for hours with seasonal pastimes and amusements of their own creation.

“The American Boy’s Handy Book: What to Do and How to Do It” was written by Daniel Beard ($9.95, David R. Godine, Boston), one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. From the time it first appeared in 1882, this manual, full of hobbies and activities arranged around the year, was considered the quintessential guide to boyhood: from unraveling the mysteries of homemade fishing tackle in spring to the how-tos of sleigh-making, snowball warfare and Tom Thumb iceboats in winter.

Its companion volume is “The American Girl’s Handy Book: How to Amuse Yourself and Others” ($9.95, David R. Godine, Boston), written by Daniel Beard’s two very talented sisters, Lina and Adelia Beard. Here for modern youngsters is a Victorian cornucopia of what great-grandmother did with her friends when she was young: games, toys, recipes, decorations, projects and amusements.

While some of the activities may seem quaint to modern readers, the Handy Books are much more than charming period pieces. Rather, they are passports to a long-ago, all-but-lost world, when American childhood meant a time of innocence, imagination and wonder. Both volumes are also, as one Victorian reviewer astutely observed, valuable antidotes “against that insidious decay in the art of self-amusement which affects today’s bored youth.” Mrs. Sharp could hardly put it better herself a century later.

Once the children are back inside, savor one of winter’s indoor pleasures: an old-fashioned taffy pull! Would you care to join us? Courage, dear parents, courage. It is not quite as bad as you imagine. Messy, yes. But fun for all.

Here’s how: First, all adults should don aprons and get out smocks for the little ones. In a large saucepan, combine 1 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 cups light molasses, 2 tablespoons mild white vinegar, 4 tablespoons butter. Stir together slowly over a low flame until the sugar dissolves. Keep on stirring until a small spoonful dropped into cold water forms a hard ball. At this point, add one-half teaspoon vanilla, a small pinch of salt and a pinch of baking soda. Mix quickly and pour this fabulous sticky glop onto a large greased platter. Let it cool enough to handle, about five minutes.

Next grease everyone’s hands with butter. Poke the taffy with your finger. Does the hole remain? Then you’re ready to begin. Roll the taffy into a ball. Form two teams of helpers and start pulling. Role it into a ball again. Pull some more. Repeat this process. Keep on pulling until you think you’ll collapse with laughter because by now what isn’t in your hands is in the children’s hair, on the floor, on kitchen counters or on the dog.

After all this pulling, the taffy should be light and firm. Stretch it into a twisted rope, cut into small pieces with buttered scissors and enjoy. What’s left over should be stored in a buttered tin with a tight lid. In Mrs. Sharp’s house, however, the taffy never makes it that far.

Now who says you don’t have a close-knit family?