December 25 Monday – Christmas – The Clemens family celebrated Christmas in their Hartford home, with Xantippe (Tip) Saunders as a house guest for a week (see Dec. 18 and 20 entries; Saunders to Sam Dec. 23, 1877).

Moncure Conway wrote to Sam: “ ‘Peace on earth and good will to all’ except the Belfords! / I have received your lugubrious letter in which you rest your belief that it is hopeless to pursue those literary Bashi Bazouks because an English copyright must be registered sixty days before publication, in Canada.” He gave more details on the mess [MTP].