There are so many Christmas traditions that the Victorians gave the world. Christmas cards, elaborately decorated trees, even wrapped gifts under the tree. It bares saying that most of these traditions were only enjoyed by the well-to-do and wealthy Victorians, but that makes these special traditions no less beloved. Let’s explore a few of them.
The Christmas tree became most popular after Queen Victoria’s German born husband, Prince Albert, brought a tree into Windsor Castle and had it decorated with the typical decorations of the era – sugared fruits, candies, cookies, cones of nuts and sweets and small gifts. The tradition spread when an engraving of the scene with the royal family around the tree was published. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were loved by their subjects and wielded much influence in Victorian England. Even Americans were impressed with the royal Christmas tree, and the tradition swept the country.
Christmas cards were also born in Victorian times. Henry Cole asked J. H. Horsely to create a card that he could send to his many acquaintances instead of his regular Christmas letter. The cards were sold for a shilling each, and quickly became extremely popular.
Victorians valued the family and family time. Later in the Victorian era, many of the family traditions were born such as decorating the tree, caroling, and wassailing. Gifts were handmade by all the family members for each other. They had to be decided in the fall so each family member had time to make them. Popular gifts included scarves, mufflers, embroidered handkerchiefs and small wooden toys. The Christmas tree was decorated by the adults in the family as the children eagerly awaited the doors to the parlor to fly open revealing the decorated tree. In the late Victorian period, the tree might have been lit with electric lights instead of candles.
Gifts in the early Victorian era were mainly attached to the tree as part of the decorations. As homemade gifts gave way to larger store-bought gifts that could not be attached to the tree, they were laid under the tree. Gifts would be wrapped in colored paper and tied with beautiful ribbons.
Decorating with evergreens is a centuries old tradition that dates back to Pagan and Druid traditions. The greenery in the wintertime represented the new life and warmth that would come after the cold, harsh winter was over. Even mistletoe had a Druid legacy. But the Victorians turned it into fun holiday tradition. Kisses under the mistletoe were dealt out based on the number of berries on the bough. A berry was taken off the mistletoe bough as each kiss was taken. When the berries were gone, the game was over.
We’d love to hear about your holiday traditions and customs! Next week, we’ll explore the Christmas dinner from the Victorian era.