Decorating Christmas Trees

Decorating trees at Christmas became a festive tradition popularized by Prince Albert. Inspired by his German heritage, the royal household adorned trees with lit candles and trinkets, filling their interiors with evergreen decorations.

However, Victoria and Albert were not the first royals to introduce what we know today as a Christmas tree. George III's wife, Queen Charlotte, also of German heritage, is credited with bringing decorated evergreen trees to England. In 1800, she introduced the first Christmas tree at Queen's Lodge in Windsor.

Victoria and Albert are closely associated with the tradition because they were famously depicted standing beside a decorated Christmas tree with their children. The engraving, published in the press in the 1840s, captured the national imagination and firmly established the Christmas tree as a beloved holiday tradition.

Turkey or Festive Bird for Dinner

Like many of us today, Victoria and Albert enjoyed turkey at Christmas. They would gather as a family for their main meal, feasting on turkey with all the trimmings.

As you might expect, the royal family enjoyed several courses during their holiday meals. These included mince pies, various starters, soups, the turkey, sausages, and later, plum pudding. The food was rich and could also feature beef, boar’s head, or a selection of cold meats.

For most families in Victorian England, Christmas dinner depended on their finances. The majority were not wealthy, but a festive bird often remained central to the celebration. For many, this meant a goose, as Charles Dickens illustrates in A Christmas Carol. Some families even joined "goose clubs," allowing them to pay in installments throughout the year to afford the bird.

Today, Christmas dinner remains remarkably similar to the Victorian tradition, with turkey or a festive bird continuing to take center stage on the holiday table.

Gift Giving

While giving gifts at Christmas wasn’t a tradition started by the Victorians, they certainly embraced it as part of their family festivities. Unlike today, presents were exchanged on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day.

In the royal household, Queen Victoria preferred unwrapped gifts to be spread out on tables, a tradition also observed during royal birthdays. The queen’s diaries often referenced the gifts she gave and received during the holidays. Victoria and Albert famously exchanged jewelry, works of art, sculptures, and paintings.

The children and grandchildren often gave Queen Victoria handmade gifts, such as paintings, embroidery, or other handicrafts, adding a personal and sentimental touch to the celebrations.

For most Victorians, elaborate gifts were beyond their means, but the act of sharing simple, thoughtful presents was a cherished part of their annual Christmas traditions.

Christmas Charity

Queen Victoria didn’t just give gifts to her family; she also ensured her servants and staff were remembered during the holidays. Deeply invested in their well-being, Victoria took the time to show her gratitude through thoughtful presents.

On Christmas Eve, before the royal family opened their own gifts, they would gather in the servants’ hall to share presents with the household staff. These gifts often included books, clothing, or food. Close personal servants, such as dressers and pages, received more personal tokens of appreciation from the queen.

This tradition of giving to others as an expression of gratitude and support was a key part of Victoria’s Christmas celebrations. Today, this heartwarming practice lives on as we show our Christmas spirit through acts of charity and support for those in need during the festive season.

Christmas Cards

In 1840, the introduction of the first postage stamp in England, known as the “Penny Post,” revolutionized communication by allowing letters to be mailed for just a penny. Only three years later, Sir Henry Cole created the first commercial Christmas cards, selling them for one shilling.

The tradition of sending Christmas cards quickly gained popularity. Many children, including members of the royal family, enjoyed crafting their own cards to send to family and friends.

By 1879, less than 40 years after the first Christmas card was sold, the Post Office issued its first call to “post early for Christmas,” marking the growing demand for this festive tradition.

Christmas Crackers

For many of us, one of the joys of Christmas is indulging in sweet treats like candy canes, chocolates, cookies, and pies.

In the 1840s, London sweet maker Tom Smith invented a festive new way to package sweets for Christmas. Wrapping them in colorful twists of paper, he created the first-ever Christmas Cracker!

As the years passed, Smith’s invention gained popularity, especially after he added the fun features we know today—mottos, jokes, and the signature “bang” that makes crackers so exciting.

Christmas Caroling

Although carol singing began long before Queen Victoria’s reign, it was the Victorians who brought this beloved tradition back into popularity. Many new carols were written during this time, including classics such as "Away in a Manger," "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Once in Royal David’s City." The Victorians also revived older carols by setting traditional lyrics to new tunes, and they published the first major carol collections, making it easy for families to gather and sing at home.

Victorian carol singing traditionally took place on December 21st and Christmas Eve. However, carols were not limited to Christmas time. References to caroling at other festivities, such as Twelfth Night (January 5th), show that singing was believed to bring good health and ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

One such activity, known as wassailing, dates back to the 16th century. Wassailing involved singing around a particular fruit tree to encourage a good harvest, often accompanied by passing around a communal bowl of ale or cider.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters titled “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” more commonly known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Moore’s poem is largely responsible for shaping our modern image of Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf” with a round, cheerful figure and the magical ability to ascend a chimney with just a nod of his head. While some of Moore’s imagery was inspired by earlier sources, his poem helped popularize the now-familiar vision of Santa Claus flying from house to house on Christmas Eve in “a miniature sleigh” pulled by eight flying reindeer, leaving presents for well-behaved children.

In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast built on Moore’s poem to create the first depiction of Santa Claus that closely resembles the figure we know today. Published in Harper’s Weekly, Nast’s illustration showed Santa as a cheerful, rotund man with a white beard, dressed in a bright red suit trimmed with white fur. Nast also introduced elements such as Santa’s North Pole workshop, his elves, and even Mrs. Claus, cementing Santa’s iconic image in popular culture.

Image Credit: English Heritage.org