Christmas Traditions of

the Victorian Era

By Kyle Germann, Erin Villanova, and Sarah Meyer

Who is credited for introducing the

Christmas tree to England? Where is
the tradition originally from?
Prince Albert, Queen Victorias husband, is credited for
introducing the Christmas tree to England. He brought
the tradition over from his childhood in Germany.

How were Christmas trees typically

decorated during the Victorian Era?
When decorating Christmas trees, small gifts were hung
on the tree along with candles, sweets, fruits, and
homemade decorations.

What is a Christmas Cracker?

A Christmas cracker is a sweet treat, also known as a bon
bon. Messages, paper hats, tokens, small toys, and other
interesting things are inside.

What did Father Christmas originally

symbolize? How did he eventually
became known as Santa Claus?
Father Christmas, who was dressed in a green, fur
lined robe, was originally part of an old English
midwinter festival.
He is a sign of the returning spring.
When the Dutch introduced him to the
Americans, they called him Santa Claus.

How did the tradition giving gifts come

about? What were some typical gifts.
Christmas became more important to the Europeans, so they
switched it from New Years. Some of the typical presents at
first were fruits, nuts, sweets, and small handmade gifts.
When Christmas became more popular, the gifts became
bigger and store bought.

How did the tradition of Christmas cards

begin?
The Christmas cards began began bye a man named Henry
Cole who asked an artist to make cards. The next thing that
happened was that over 1000 of those cards were printed.
After that the Christmas cards became Christmas card
history.

Sources
Source 1: http://www.bbc.co.
uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtml
Source 2: http://resources.woodlands-junior.
kent.sch.uk/customs/xmas/santa.html
Source 3:http://www.northpolesantaclaus.
com/victorian_christmas_traditions.htm