© By Blaine Whipple
By the time of Amy‘s birth in 1606, the Matthew Whipple, Sr. family should have been able to celebrate Christmas in grand style. The citizens of Bocking and Braintree joyously celebrated the birth of Jesus. The inns, taverns, and alehouses were wreathed with Christmas greenery and within those warm, noisy, crowded places, good beer and ale and all the best wines were served. All houses from leading citizens to the lowly rat-catcher were open to hospitality. Few if any went hungry, including prisoners who received baskets of good things to eat and drink.
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