The Spirit of Christmas Past

The celebration of Christmas as we know it was introduced in England in 1841 by Prince Albert. He brought to England, German Christmas customs, such as the Christmas tree, that he had known in Germany. German immigrants had brought the same customs to America much earlier. The Christmas tree eventually became more popular in America than in England due to the availability of evergreen trees.

The tree was usually place on a table and decorated with candles. The decorations consisted of baskets of candies, fancy cakes, gilt gingerbread, eggs filled with sweetmeats. They were hung from the tree by colored ribbons. Also small gifts, such as small dolls, watches, doll furniture made of tin, miniature musical instruments, books, work boxes, paint boxes, pincushions, enchanted rings to tell you fortunes, pen wipers, real and imitation fruit, smelling bottles, conversation cards, bouquet holders and humming tops were hung from the tree. Apparently the theme of the Victorian tree was "everything and more."

Publications of the time usually had directions for making an assortment of decorations. Children made paper chains, paper roses were mixed with stars, hearts and other designs. Cornucopias were made to hold candy and nuts, and gilded walnuts and acorns added sparkle. Paper garlands of shapes, tinsel ornaments, and "scrap ornaments were also popular.

Other decorations were used in addition to the tree. Wreaths of evergreens hung at windows. Evergreen garlands hung from the ceiling and sometimes criss-crossed the room and decorated stair railings and posts. Evergreen shapes of rings, stars, and crosses were also used. Kissing balls of mistletoe were also popular decorations.

Not everyone had trees such as this. If you read accounts of Christmas celebrations of ordinary people, their celebrations were simpler. Gifts were generally homemade and practical. They decorated with what was available, often paper garlands and colorful scraps of fabric.

Even in well-to-do families, homemade gifts were encouraged. There was great concern that the holiday was becoming too commercial and a "festival of store-keepers", but little attention was paid to the admonition. Some gifts could be purchased from "fancy fairs." These fairs raised money for worthy causes and it was a form of recreation. Needlework items were popular at these fairs, along with handkerchiefs, pen wipers, pincushions, fancy-work, scarves, mufflers, and needlecases. A "wonder ball" was a popular item for mothers or grandmothers who knitted. A ball of yarn was unrolled and then rewound with many small gifts hidden inside. The gifts were revealed as the yarn was used in knitting. Boys enjoyed receiving tool boxes, sleds, skates, stamps and stamp albums, lanterns, jackknives, marbles, adventure books, and cap pistols. Girls received gifts of fans, simple jewelry, sachets, note paper, books, or dolls. Both boys and girls often received articles of clothing such as mittens, socks, mufflers, aprons, and waistcoats. Men and women received gifts that were useful such as umbrellas, cigars and cigar cases, mufflers for the men and doilies, silver tea balls, photograph frames, fancy boxes, fans and vases for women.

Gifts were distributed in many ways. Some were hung from the tree. Other small gifts were hidden in a "Christmas Pie" which was a deep dish filled with bran and gifts were imbedded in the pie with colored ribbons attached to the gifts. Each person was assigned a color and they pulled on the ribbon and the gift was retrieved. Stockings were hung from the mantle and small gifts were placed in the stockings. Sometimes "cobweb parties" were used to distribute gifts. Small gifts were attached to yarn and hidden around the room. Each person was assigned to a color of yarn, and as they began to wind the yarn and their gifts were discovered. The yarn may have been strung over and under furniture, passed across the room many times, forming a maze of yarn and small gifts.

Most children received oranges in the toe of their stocking. Children in the South could look forward to Chinese firecrackers, which were exploded all day.

Christmas dinner was a bountiful affair. Turkeys, hams, potatoes, stuffed vegetables, dressing of oysters, chestnuts and corn-meal, rich gravy, pickled mangoes, brandied peaches, beef roast either warm or cold, oysters, relishes, breads, and plum puddings were often part of the meal.

Santa Claus or Father Christmas were also a part of the Christmas celebration. Santa Claus has evolved from the earliest pagan festivals to a benevolent, jolly man who distributed gifts. Each country in Europe had their own "Santa Claus" type of gift giver and time of gift giving. When people in Europe immigrated to America, they brought their Christmas traditions with them. The most popular figure of St. Nicholas was a tall, saintly figure. Americans decided to up-date has image about 1820 giving him his red outfit, sleigh and reindeer, and standardized his arrival time to Christmas Eve. Charles Dickens described a jolly old soul in 1843, but Thomas Nast is probably the most responsible for our image of Santa Claus. He did drawings of a fat, jolly and rosy cheeked man dressed in red in Harper's Weekly for many years.

Of course, during the Civil War, Christmas celebrations and gift-giving were more limited. People tried to keep as many traditions as was possible, and many wrote of their attempts in letters and diaries. They did the best they could with what they had.

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