Victorian Christmas – How We Got Here

By Edward Connolly, Broker Associate of Coastline Realty 
Christmas as we know it has its roots in Victorian times. At the beginning of the 19th century, Christmas was barely acknowledged. It was not recognized as a holiday by businesses and individuals alike. By the end of the century, it rose to being the largest annual celebration and began to resemble the Christmas of the present.
The evolution of the holiday is largely attributed to Queen Elizabeth. She married the German-born Prince Albert and subsequently introduced several prominent aspects of Christmas. In 1848, the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree as Prince Albert would have done in his youth. It wasn’t long before most homes would boast a tree decorated with candies, fruit, homemade ornaments and small gifts.
In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, a British civil servant and inventor, commissioned an artist to design a card for the holiday. The illustration featured a group of people around a dinner table with a brief Christmas message. The initial cards were expensive for the average person and did not immediately catch on. However, the idea was solid and children were encouraged to make their own Christmas cards. Being in the industrial age, printing technology became more advanced, reducing the production cost and reducing the price to the consumer. By the 1880s, Christmas had become so popular that 11.5 million cards were produced in 1880 alone.
Home decorations became more elaborate. Uniformity, order and elegance were encouraged. There were instructions on how to make your own ornaments and decorations for those living outside of the city. In 1881, Casell’s Family Magazine offered the following advice to the lady of the house: “To bring about a general feeling of enjoyment, much depends on the surroundings; it is worthwhile to bestow some little trouble on the decoration of the rooms.”
Gift giving had traditionally been done in the New Year, but was eventually moved to Christmas. In the beginning gifts were small – fruit, nuts, sweets and handmade items. They were usually hung on the tree. As gift giving became more prevalent, gifts became larger and were moved under the tree.
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