2 Events beyond living memory
Victorian Christmas
In 30 seconds...
Midwinter festivals, which were celebrated for thousands of years, gradually mixed
with Christian celebrations that remembered the birth of Jesus Christ. However, the
modern tradition of Christmas Day and Boxing Day is rooted in more recent times; at
the start of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837, nobody had heard of Santa Claus! As the
Victorian period progressed, the modern idea of Christmas gathered pace; Christmas
trees, crackers and presents became part of the festive period. Turkey replaced
goose or beef as the dish of the day, and Santa Claus made his first appearance
around 1870; Christmas as we know it was finally here!
What do I need to know?
Early beginnings
The time around what we now know as Christmas was originally a pagan midwinter
festival, where people marked the changing of the season with celebrations. This
tradition was gradually adopted by early Christians, who started to celebrate the birth
of Jesus Christ. In the Middle Ages, gifts were exchanged on New Year’s Day to
celebrate the start of the next year and a good time was had by all! Some naturally
disapproved of such debauchery, most famously the Puritans under the rule of Oliver
Cromwell, and it is reported that he actually banned Christmas in 1647.
Early Victorian times
Queen Victoria was married to Albert, who was born in Germany. It was this German
influence that introduced the Christmas tree to Britain, and a picture of Queen
Victoria and her family in the Illustrated London News in 18481 helped spread the
idea to the public. The publication of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol also helped
popularise the idea of Christmas with its themes of charity, goodwill and celebration.
Modern traditions
It was during Victorian times that many of the traditions we celebrate today first
appeared. Henry Cole commissioned the first Christmas card and his idea quickly
caught on, although many people started to make their own, which they still do today.
Christmas cards were very popular in Victorian times, and the arrival of the halfpenny
stamp meant they could be sent to friends and relatives; in 1880, 11.5 million were
sent. A London sweet maker, Tom Smith, invented the Christmas cracker in 18462,
an idea that he got from French ‘bon bons’, which were wrapped in colourful paper.
Gradually, he added more features to his crackers: a bang, paper hats and small
toys. Turkey replaced goose as the Christmas meal, providing a more substantial
dinner to feed the whole family. With the celebration of Christmas becoming a more
important occasion to the Victorians, they started to change the time when they
opened gifts: instead of exchanging them on New Year’s Day, they did it on
Christmas Day.
Christmas gifts
When presents first started to be given at Christmas, they would be hung on the
Christmas tree. As the idea caught on and gifts got bigger, they started to be put
under the tree instead. Richer children would have received toys, whereas poor
1 Some sources give the date as 1848, others 1846.
2 Sources vary as to when they were invented, citing 1846, 1847 or 1848.
children would have had a piece of fruit or perhaps a simple toy in their stocking.
Many gifts were handmade, but cheaper toys could be purchased in penny bazars or
from street traders.
Victorian games and activities at Christmas time
Blind Man’s Bluff
Charades
Snapdragon
Magic Lantern
Plays and pantomimes
Key words
Christmas: Taken from the words ‘Christ’s Mass’, aka. the Last Supper.
Father Christmas: A character originating from old midwinter festivals.
Santa Claus: From the Dutch for ‘St Nicholas’, the Bishop of Myra, who gave gifts to
children.
Important dates
1822: Clement Clarke Moore writes A Visit from St Nicholas (more famously known
as Twas the Night before Christmas), and it is published the following year.
1833: First published set of carols appears.
1840: Prince Albert puts a Christmas tree up at Windsor Castle.
1843: Henry Cole introduces the first Christmas card.
1843: Charles Dickens publishes A Christmas Carol.
1846: Tom Smith invents the Christmas cracker.
1870: Santa Claus stories are mixed with those of Father Christmas to create the
character that we know today.
Important people
Queen Victoria: Queen of England from 1837 to 1901.
Prince Albert: German-born husband of Queen Victoria.
Henry Cole: Made the first Christmas card.
Tom Smith: Invented Christmas crackers.
Interesting fact
Father Christmas was originally a character from old midwinter festivals, dressed
in a green cloak and with a piece of holly, ivy or mistletoe. Santa Claus was
somebody entirely different, based on St Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, who was
Greek and lived in Myra which is in modern-day Turkey. Over the years, Father
Christmas mixed with tales of Santa Claus, until the two became seen as the
same person. However, their origins are very different and Father Christmas is
much older than St Nicholas.
Useful links
www.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtml Good overview of the topic.
www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/christmas/santa.shtml Origins of Santa
Claus and Father Christmas.
www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/A-Victorian-Christmas/ A
site that is split into easy-to-follow sections.
www.victoriana.com/Victorian_Christmas/Christmas_in_the_Victorian_Times.h
tml More comprehensive information on a dedicated Victorian site.
Lesson 1 What goes on at Christmas?
Starter
• Ask the pupils what they look forward to at Christmas. Then ask them what they
think adults look forward to at Christmas. Record answers to both on the board.
Main activities
• Ask pupils how long they think traditional Christmas activities have been around
for. Explain that many of the things we do today originated from Victorian times.
• On a timeline on the board, plot important Christmas inventions and things that
happened during the Victorian era.
• Pupils design and make their own Victorian Christmas card, complete with
message inside.
Plenary
• Which point on the timeline are pupils most surprised or not surprised by?
Lesson 2 Victorian Christmas activities
Starter
• What do pupils do on Christmas Day? In groups, they list the activities/games
they enjoy.
Main activities
• Out of the activities that pupils listed in the Starter, divide them into those that
could be done in Victorian times and those that could not.
• Look at pictures of various toys from Victorian times. Pupils sort them into those
that would have been given to a rich child and those that would have been given
to a poor child.
Plenary
• Clear some space and have a game of Blind Man’s Bluff.
Further activities for pupils
Lesson 3 Victorian Christmas
Starter
• In groups, pupils feed back what they do as a family on Christmas Day.
Main activities
• Watch a PPT of a Victorian Christmas. Discuss similarities/differences with a
modern Christmas.
• Pupils organise a list of Victorian activities into chronological order of how they
would be celebrated on Christmas Day. (Bloomsbury Online Resource 2K)
Plenary
• In groups, pupils write ways in which our Christmas today is similar to a
Victorian Christmas.
• Pupils design and cut out their own Victorian Christmas decorations. Explain that
many people in Victorian times made their own cards and presents.
• Pupils make a Christmas cracker and write a message for parents in it.
• Pupils write their own verse to the tune of a chosen Christmas carol and perform it.
Further research for pupils
There are a large number of books available on Victorian Christmas; it depends what
pupils are interested in – memorabilia; recipes; history etc.
Cross-curricular links
Art and design: Draw, decorate and colour a Christmas tree or even decorate one
as a class.
English: Imagine you are a rich Victorian child and write a diary entry on Christmas
Day. Then repeat the exercise, this time writing as a poor Victorian child.
Religious studies: Investigate the real meaning of Christmas from a Christian point
of view.
Computing: Create your own Victorian Christmas wordsearch.
Geography: Investigate where Santa Claus originally came from.
Science: Research what makes a Christmas cracker go bang! Draw and annotate
how it works.
Drama: Adapt a modern-day version of A Christmas Carol – how would the story be
portrayed today? Act out in small groups or as a class.
Progression
1. Pupils can name one tradition that originated from Victorian times.
2. Pupils can name a difference/similarity between Christmas today and in
Victorian times.
3. Pupils understand that many modern traditions at Christmas come from
Victorian times.
4. Pupils can identify specific traditions that originate during Victorian times.
5. Pupils can explain the different ways that rich and poor people celebrated
Christmas in Victorian times.