1860s christmas

I know that what I am going to post about here may seem a bit early. After all, it's only the beginning of November as I write this, but bea...

During the Civil War, Christmas became a season of longing for soldiers and their loved ones waiting at home.

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It's hard to imagine now, but at the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated. Many businesses did not even consider it a holiday. However by the end of the century it had become the biggest annual celebration and took on the form that we recognize today. The transformation happened quickly, and came from all sectors of society. Many attribute the change to Queen Victoria, and it was her marriage to the German-born Prince Albert that introduced some of the most prominent…

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You Found It! A fascinaint harper's Weekly Civil War newspaper on Christmas Morning, 1864

by Paul R. Spitzzeri As the last post in this series noted, the use of Christmas trees in America was just starting to take root (!) in the late 1840s and early 1850s and the first appearance of a …

The ‘door was thrown open leading into the great exhibition-room. Here was a magnificent Christmas-tree hung all over with colored wax tapers; here were tables covered with white cloths, and glittering from head to foot with the most bewitching doll-babies, work-boxes, card-cases, silk dresses, rattles, penny whistles, shawls, sashes, drawing-implements, and I don’t know what … Continue reading The Victorian Christmas Tree →

Victorian era engraving depicting party around Christmas tree. c 1840s. Life Magazine collection.

Writing this series on Christmas Traditions, I was shocked to find how more than any other time in history, Victorian England shaped our modern-day version of Christmas. So you'd be surprised how easy it is to have your very own Victorian Christmas this year! In fact, some of your favourite Christmas customs might indeed have