Christmas has become the most celebrated public holiday in the UK. Under normal circumstances, it is a non-stop frenzy of shopping, cooking, parties and events, eventually culminating in a family orientated couple of days where everything slows down.
It’s hard to believe, but this hasn’t always been the case. As recently as the early 19th century, Christmas was barely celebrated here in the UK, with many businesses staying open on the 25th December.
It was during the 1800s and Queen Victoria’s reign that Christmas as we know it started to take shape. Here, we take a look at some of the aspects we consider quintessentially Christmas, and how the Victorian era brought them to be:
Christmas trees
Mistletoe and ivy used to be the foliage of choice in the early 19th century, and are indeed still synonymous with Christmas today. However, these days it’s the Christmas tree that takes pride of place in most homes. These trees became popular when Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were pictured in Illustrated London News around a decorated Christmas tree with their children. Bringing a tree indoors to decorate was the custom in Germany, Albert’s country of birth. Over the years, many families followed suit, and eventually it became the norm.
Christmas cards
In 1843, Henry Cole gave rise to what we now know as the Christmas card. He commissioned an artist to design an image for a card and printed off copies to sell in his shop. The original image depicted a family around the table with a Christmas message. They went on sale for one shilling, which was quite expensive for the time. However, as production and postage costs reduced, the Christmas card industry took off. Nearly 200 years later, we still send Christmas cards, although there is now a leaning toward digital greetings.
Christmas crackers
Who can imagine Christmas dinner without some bad jokes and a paper crown perched on your head? Again, it was a Victorian who brought this item into being. Tom Smith, inspired by a trip to Paris, invented the Christmas cracker. On his visit, he saw bon bons wrapped in tissue paper, and extended the idea to include a snapping sound when the paper was pulled apart. Sweets became small presents, and over time, the Christmas cracker was born.
Christmas dinner
Feasting over the Christmas period was not a concept created the Victorians, but the traditional Christmas dinner we eat today became popular during Victorian era. While it’s thought that Henry V ate turkey, it certainly wasn’t a common dish until it started to be regularly consumed in the 19th century. Prior to that, it was more likely for goose or beef to be the main Christmas meal. Mince pies, a tradition from Tudor times that were originally made with meat, were also given a makeover into the sweet pastry treat we enjoy today.
In another couple of hundred years, Christmas will likely look very difference once again, but for now, we have Victorians to thank for making it into the family orientated, fun and festive celebration it is today.
