Quiz: Is This a Real Victorian Christmas Tradition or One I Just Made Up?

Much of how we understand Christmas today comes from the 1800s, when regional traditions became internationally popular, and the Industrial Revolution allowed more families to take time off from work and celebrate with their families. Try to see if you can tell which of the activities in the quiz below are real Victorian traditions and which are completely made up.

We continue to take many of our cues on Christmas from 19th-century stories, such as the 1823 poem The Night Before Christmas and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Queen Victoria’s long reign, which lasted from 1837 to 1901, cemented the holiday and its traditions in popular culture.

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But while many of the traditions popularized during this time, like Christmas carols and cards, continue to this day, there are others that are considerably less common.

How the Victorians Popularized the Christmas Tree

Aside from Santa Claus, the Christmas tree is perhaps the most famous symbol of Christmas in today’s world. But since it has no direct connection with the nativity story or the legends of Santa Claus, it takes a bit of context to understand where this tradition comes from.

Before Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe, many pagan traditions believed that evergreen trees symbolized eternal life, and some Nordic and Germanic cultures worshipped the trees themselves. When Christianity spread, dominant parts of pagan religion were layered over Christian holy days, preserving the customs without a direct theological explanation.

The first historical records of Christmas trees come from Germany and its neighboring countries in the 16th century, with popular legend citing Martin Luther as the first to put lit candles in a tree.

It stayed a fairly regional tradition for the next few centuries, but quickly grew in popularity as German princes and princesses were married into royal families around the continent. Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III and the UK’s longest-serving queen consort, introduced the Christmas tree to the royal family in 1800. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband (and a German prince), made it a central part of his family’s celebrations as well, which brought it into the popular consciousness.

In the United States, decorating Christmas trees was often seen as blasphemous, with some of the stricter religious communities actually creating laws against the supposedly-pagan practices. However, when a sketch of Queen Victoria and her family around a Christmas tree was publicized in 1846, the tradition soon became popular in the UK, the US, and other current and former colonies.

The increasing industrialization of these regions helped popularize the Christmas tree as we know it today. Early trees were decorated with popcorn snow and candied fruits, but as mass production became possible, we soon saw the development of unique Christmas ornaments.

The trees themselves came in a variety of forms. While a freshly-cut tree was the standard, it was not practical for most families to cut down a full-sized tree annually. Instead, some families would dry their trees over the course of the year, removing their needles and covering them with cotton to simulate snow. Others turned to artificial trees, the earliest of which were indeed made of feathers.

Some trees looked naturalistic, but many had toppers like we do today. While Victorians would often choose between an angel or a star, some US decorators would place large American flags atop their tree or would connect ribbons from their chandeliers to their trees to draw attention to their electric lighting. While the Christmas tree was supposedly a chance to show off one’s piety, it was also an easy way to display wealth and innovation to guests.

In the 21st century, Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year, taking over the radio waves and store shelves months in advance. But it was a minor holiday at best in the English-speaking world until the Victorian period, when it was transformed into an opportunity to take time off work, gather with family, and show off your wealth and heirlooms.

While several of their traditions have fallen by the wayside, it is useful to remember how Christmas became the commercial spectacle it is today.

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