Christmas Traditions in the

Edwardian Era

An Edwardian Era Christmas Postcard - Wendy

Craig

From 1901 to 1910, the Christmas traditions of the

Edwardians featured new sorts of decorations, lavish
spreads of festive food and popular entertainment.

Christmas celebrations in the Edwardian era of the early

twentieth century continued the customs of the Victorians
and created new traditions that embraced the
technologies of the times. With the emergence of a
growing middle-class and mass-production of a variety of
items that lowered prices, Christmas became affordable
for many more families to celebrate in style.

Christmas Tree Decorations in the Edwardian Era

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert brought the Christmas

tree to England. The Edwardians continued with the
custom of placing a tree at the centre of their homes'
festivities.

Many of the Christmas tree decorations were hand-made.

Children spent many happy hours in their nurseries
making paper festoons, ribbon bows and strings of
popcorn. A favourite decoration was the gilded walnut.
Large walnuts in their shells were chosen, washed,
brushed with beaten egg-white and rolled in gold leaf.
When dry, the gilded shells were hung on the Christmas
tree with thin ribbons.

For those who could afford them, manufactured Christmas

tree ornaments from Germany came to be widely used
during the Edwardian era. Some were made of gold and
silver embossed cardboard in a variety of three-
dimensional shapes, such as animals, carriages with
horses, and the more familiar bells and stars.

Glass tree ornaments were especially popular, the best

being made in the village of Lauscha in southern
Germany. Even the Edwardian inventions of the teddy
bear, airship and aeroplanes were mass-produced in
miniature by the glass-makers to hang on Christmas trees.

Small presents such as toy soldiers or penny whistles were

also hung on the tree amongst the other decorations.

Perhaps the things that most made the Christmas tree, cut
and decorated on Christmas Eve,special were the candles.
Metal candle holders could be bought that clipped to the
tree's boughs to hold candles safely upright. What a
magical, sparkling sight the Edwardian Christmas tree
was!

Edwardian Christmas Cards

The first twenty years of the twentieth century were the

boom years for the sending of postcards. More advanced
printing, photographic and colouring techniques during
that time, especially in England and Germany, saw the
mass-production of high quality cards. Most people, and
many businesses, took advantage of the reliable, cheap
and efficient postal system to send postcards instead of
letters to friends and loved ones.

Christmas postcards were sold in the millions. Sentimental

in tone, they often featured children, outdoors in snowy
scenes or inside with toys or pets. Many of the postcards
were real photos; others were drawings. The depictions of
Santa Claus on the postcards showed a tall, thin chap in a
long, red coat, rather than the rotund gentleman we are
used to seeing today.

Entertainment at Christmas in the Edwardian Era

From going door-to-door carol singing to gathering round

the piano in the parlour, music played a big part in the
festive entertainment. Many middle and upper class
Edwardian families had an upright piano and sing-alongs
were common when family and friends came together,
especially at Christmas events.

Pantomimes and the cheaper music halls featured

seasonal programmes in December. And at Christmas in
1904, J.M.Barrie's play Peter Pan was first performed in
London. Described by A.B.Walkley in The Times as "from
beginning to end a thing of pure delight," the play became
the most popular on the English stage at Christmas time.

Parlour games caused great merriment. Charades, "Blind

Man's Buff" and "Dumb Crambo" were popular as were the
more grown-up "kissing games" of "Postman's Knock" and
"Shy Widow!" The most dangerous (to our modern eyes)
and eagerly anticipated game, to be played on Christmas
Eve, was "Snapdragon." This involved soaking raisins in
brandy, setting them alight, then snatching raisins from
the flames!

Children were encouraged to dress up in makeshift

costumes and perform little skits and tableaux to the
delight of their relatives. And a special scary treat
reserved for this time of the year was to sit in the dark
and tell ghost stories.

Christmas was also the season for lavish parties, balls and
a popular time for marriages in Edwardian times.

Christmas Food in Edwardian Times

After attending church on Christmas morning, families
would return home for a Christmas feast. For those who
were household servants, the morning would have been
spent cooking. Perhaps later in the day, after their
employers had eaten, they would have a special meal
then time off to visit their families if they lived close by.

A Christmas Day menu would feature:

• a soup course, perhaps of pheasant, oysters or

chestnuts.
• a main course of roast goose or perhaps a turkey.
Geese were stuffed with apple, chestnut and sausage
forcemeat and served with apple or gooseberry
sauce. The giblets were stewed and the fat saved for
preserving cold meats and roasting potatoes.
Leftovers from the roast turkey were made into
croquettes or served cold with mashed potatoes the
following day.
• the traditional plum pudding which would have been
made weeks before for the flavours to mature. It was
served with brandy butter.
• other desserts such as Stars of Bethlehem and Yule
Pastries, an Edwardian version of modern day
Christmas mince pies.
• beverages may include mulled ale and mulled wine
as well as red wines and champagne, followed by
brandy and port for the gentlemen

The Edwardians celebrated Christmas and its traditions in

great style. Poorer families were often the recipients of
Christmas hampers of food and presents from the upper
and middle classes. Giving to others less fortunate than
oneself was a tradition well-practised in Edwardian
society, especially at Christmas time.

References:

Hotchkiss, J., ed. A Family Christmas. Pleasantville, NY:

Reader's Digest, 1984.

Hollis, S. The Country Diary Christmas Book. NY: Henry

Holt & Co., 1993.