Snap-Dragons

In Short

Juliana Horatia Ewing’s volume couples a sharp satirical fable with a quiet autobiographical memory. In the title story, the Skratdj family’s endless petty squabbling triggers a surreal Christmas Eve nightmare, where young Harry is dragged into a wild dance with sky-blue Snap-Dragons made of living flame. The second piece, "Old Father Christmas," shifts to the nostalgic narrative of an aging sailor named Mr. Garbel, who recalls how a illustrated book and a chance encounter led him and his sister to believe an old parishioner was the real mythical figure. It endures as an inventive, witty exploration of childhood temperaments and festive magic.

The Story

The chronicle opens in an English household inhabited by the Skratdj family, whose distinguishing characteristic is an inability to agree on any matter, large or small. Though Mr. and Mrs. Skratdj are fundamentally attached to one another, their domestic life is an ongoing volley of unnecessary corrections, trivial contradictions, and absurd debates over wind directions or room temperatures. While the adults view this constant friction as harmless habit, it exasperates visitors, demoralizes their household servants, and transforms their dog, Snap, into an irritable beast that barks incessantly at every passerby.

Predictably, the two eldest children, Harry and Polly, inherit this conversational disease. Their nursery is a battleground of biting retorts, accusations, and deliberate provocations. A visiting friend—a blunt, hot-tempered gentleman who frequently boxes Harry’s ears for his rudeness—warns the siblings that their constant bickering is deforming their tongues. He cautions them that if they do not mend their ways, they will inevitably "go to the Snap-Dragons."

On Christmas Eve, following the family’s holiday festivities, young Harry remains alone in the dining room with the bowl used for playing snap-dragon. Impatient for more blue flame, he foolishly pours brandy directly from a bottle onto the lingering ember. The bottle shatters, and the room instantly fills with leaping, sky-blue, snake-like dragons with forked tongues. These glowing creatures, who feed on spirits and dried fruit, embody the very spirit of spiteful contradiction. They drag Harry into a frantic, chaotic dance, snapping at him, mocking his retorts, and tearing out clusters of his hair. The ordeal lasts until the clock strikes twelve, leaving Harry unconscious on the floor with a bleeding forehead.

The horrific experience permanently cures Harry of his urge to quarrel. His sudden gentleness and refusal to engage in verbal sparring prompt Polly to reform her own behavior, effectively banishing the habit of snapping from the nursery entirely.

The book then transitions to "Old Father Christmas," narrated by the elderly sea captain Mr. Garbel. Looking back on his eighth birthday, Garbel describes his childhood longing for the sea, his playtimes with his sister Patty, and a cherished picture-book given to him by his godmother. The book contains an illustration of Father Christmas holding a lighted tree, an image that deeply captures the siblings' imaginations. On Christmas Eve, the children spot an unfamiliar, deaf old man named Reuben walking down the lane carrying a small fir tree to the nearby Hall. Convinced he is Father Christmas himself, they engage him in conversation and later welcome him and his little spaniel into their kitchen. When their parents surprise them with a real, illuminated Christmas tree in the parlour, the children attribute the wonder entirely to their aged guest. Reuben dies a week later, leaving his spaniel to live with the children and preserving their magical illusion untouched by mundane reality.

How It Unfolds

The chronic disagreement Mr. and Mrs. Skratdj maintain a household governed by non-stop verbal contradiction, irritating their friends and setting a poor example for their children.

Nursery warfare The eldest siblings, Harry and Polly, elevate snapping to an art form, constantly arguing over chairs, walking routes, and toys until a hot-tempered family friend warns them of dire consequences.

A fiery apparition On Christmas Eve, Harry pours brandy onto a dying ember in the snap-dragon bowl, shattering the glass and summoning a room full of leaping, sky-blue dragons.

The midnight ordeal The blue creatures force Harry to join their chaotic, bickering dance, plucking his hair and mocking his answers until the clock strikes midnight.

A lasting reformation Found bleeding on the floor, Harry abandons his sharp tongue forever, which leads Polly and the younger children to give up squabbling as well.

Memories of a sea captain Old Mr. Garbel reflects on his eighth birthday, his godmother's hand-drawn picture-book, and his childhood dream of becoming a sailor.

Meeting Father Christmas On a snowy Christmas Eve, young Garbel and his sister Patty spot an old man carrying a fir tree and become convinced he is Father Christmas.

The glowing parlour After hosting the old man and his dog in the kitchen, the children are led into a parlour filled with a bright, candle-lit Christmas tree, cementing their lifelong enchantment.

The People

• Mr. and Mrs. Skratdj want a comfortable home life, but their deeply ingrained habit of constantly correcting each other turns every conversation into a dispute. Though they remain genuinely fond of one another, their public bickering exhausts their guests and ruins the temper of their household.
• Harry Skratdj wants to win every argument with his sister and assert his cleverness. His habit of snapping leaves him vulnerable to the hot-tempered gentleman's physical discipline and ultimately draws him into a terrifying supernatural encounter. Painfully transformed by his night with the blue dragons, he returns to his family quiet, thoughtful, and determined never to quarrel again.
• Polly Skratdj wants to hold her ground against her brother's taunts. Driven by sharp-tongued pride, she matches Harry's insults line for line until his sudden, post-ordeal kindness makes her ashamed of her behavior, prompting her to embrace peace in the nursery.
• The Hot-Tempered Gentleman wants to enjoy his visits without enduring the constant, petty bickerings of his hosts and their children. Unafraid to box ears or issue stern prophecies, he serves as the rough catalyst for the children's moral awareness.
• Mr. Garbel wants to share the innocent wonders of his past with a younger generation. As an old, retired sailor, he looks back with fond clarity on the simple treasures of his childhood and the quiet beauty of an uncorrupted imagination.
• Old Reuben wants only to carry a fir tree up to the local Hall and enjoy a warm cup of tea. Deaf and affable, his simple nods and smiles accidentally confirm two children's belief that he is Father Christmas himself.

In Its Own Voice

"They were remarkable for the following peculiarity. They seldom seriously quarrelled, but they never agreed about anything."

This opening observation establishes the dry, satirical tone used to expose the Skratdj family's absurd conversational habits.

"If ever you find them becoming forked,' said the gentleman in solemn tones, 'let me know.'"

The hot-tempered gentleman uses this eerie warning to startle Harry and Polly into noticing how malicious their sharp retorts have become.

"The picture was nothing to the reality... when the parlour door was thrown open, and the tree, with lighted tapers on all the branches, burst upon our view, the blaze was dazzling..."

Mr. Garbel recalls the overwhelming enchantment of seeing his very first illuminated Christmas tree as an eight-year-old boy.

What It's Really About

Beneath its festive atmosphere and imaginative fantasy, the book examines how personal habits dictate domestic life and shape childhood character. The first story serves as a biting moral commentary on bad manners, illustrating how minor, uncorrected faults—like contradictoriness and petulance—can contaminate an entire household, infect servants, and ruin social harmony. The Snap-Dragons themselves represent the logical, terrifying culmination of self-indulgent bickering: a state where constant opposition becomes a painful, inescapable punishment.

In contrast, the second section explores the sanctity of childhood wonder and the delicate nature of belief. It argues that love, generosity, and unpretentious kindness are what truly give holiday traditions their power, showing that an old man’s modest presence can bring as much magic into a home as any genuine myth.

Why Read It Today

Juliana Horatia Ewing’s work offers a delightful double-feature that balances satirical domestic wit with heartwarming, period-rich nostalgia. Readers who appreciate Victorian literature, classic children's moral tales, or festive folklore will find much to admire in her clever prose. The narrative flows with natural rhythm, shifting effortlessly between lighthearted mockery of adult absurdities and genuine emotional warmth.

The text does present a few minor hurdles for modern readers. The dialogue relies on somewhat archaic Victorian phrasing, and the author's moralizing stance on child-rearing—expressed through the hot-tempered gentleman's physical discipline and Mr. Garbel's explicit complaints about "forward and greedy" modern children—reflects nineteenth-century standards that may feel rigid today. Furthermore, the abrupt transition between the satirical fantasy of the first half and the realistic memoir format of the second requires a shift in reader expectations.

Despite these period touches, the story retains its charm. Its vivid imagery—from the glowing, clawed blue dragons to the smell of Christmas cakes in a cold country kitchen—creates a memorable reading experience that reminds us of the lasting impact of simple kindness.