There are parts of Christmas that we tend to imagine have always been central to the season, such as twinkling decorations and, of course, the Christmas tree.
However, festive trends have changed a lot over the years. Read on to learn more.
The Tudor Period
This was the era when at least one of our festive traditions began – namely, the Christmas turkey.
Up until the 16th century, wild boar was what people commonly dined on at Christmastime. In those days, Christmas was largely celebrated in public gatherings, rather than at home with the family. People shared mince pies back then, too, although these were rectangular variations of the pastries we enjoy today, and were filled with actual mincemeat instead of suet and dried fruit.
The Victorian Period
Many of our current festive traditions date back to the Victorian era.
This was when people began sending cards to each other, sharing crackers and putting up trees. They would have been real back then, rather than the artificial Christmas trees we sometimes use now. This time period was also when most of the popular Christmas carols were written, so much of the festive season we know and love now is down to the Victorians.
The First World War
This war is famous for its 1914 truce between soldiers in the British and German trenches, which began on Christmas Eve and continued until Boxing Day.
However, it may also be where the idea of Christmas presents began. The same year, Princess Mary supported a scheme to send gift boxes with items like chocolate and tobacco to the soldiers. This proved a hit with the public, and could be the source of modern gift giving we use now.
