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Today’s Blog Post
The Transition of Christmas – from Then to Now – what a difference!
In my short life time of 66 years I have witnessed a huge change in Christmas Celebration. I often hear people complain that, “It isn’t the way it used to be… it is so commercial now!”
They likely are remembering the times that we were all poorer than we are now. I can remember those times well. When one gift was there for each of us… not many gifts for each person. And that one gift was amazing.
I can remember the gifts as they followed the Po Culture of the Time. Whatever was the “in thing” then was what we wanted and would likely get as a Christmas Gift.
When we played a lot of outdoor hockey on the local community rink, we cleaned the ice off ourselves and then used our brand new skates and hockey sticks that we had received for Christmas Gifts that morning. It was always a big deal to show off our new skates and sticks to our friends.
A few years before it was a new wind up car that had a steering wheel that actually moved the front tires left and right… and a gear shift acted like you were shifting. The car was about 8 inches long.
Then there was the years that Davy Crocket was big on TV and I got a fake Coon Skin Hat with a tail hanging down. It was just like Davy Crocket’s hat. Davy was famous hunter-gatherer that lived in the early American Frontier between Tennessee and Texas from what I remember. Eventually one movie had him dieing in the Alamo in Texas as they tried to defend the frontier from the rotten Mexican invaders.
Christmas for me was amazing as each year became a little better in our home. Dad not only worked at his main job six days a week but also worked at night – almost every night – fixing other people’s cars… just so we could buy more things at Christmas.
Christmas Presents that I received when I was old enough to remember were some where in the late 1940s and early 1950s. As time went on the transitions took place. From Meagre to Unbelievable as what we can buy or give… from one store in a small community to the Huge Mall Experience where almost everything a person could ever dream about is available at the swipe of a Credit Card.
In late the 1940s and the early 1950s no one knew about the Credit Card that would come one day… there was a layaway program where the store owner would allow you take home what you had bought and pay later each month… but that was only for absolutely necessary things that a family would need to use. It was never for Toys or Christmas Stuff.
When we were married in 1967 the Layaway Program was there for a Bride to get her dress… and when she ordered it she save money to pay for it over the months to come before the wedding date. That could be as much as a year in advance from what I remember. Couples actually planned that far in advance!
Now today the Mall is filled with Shoppers picking up something big or small for your loved one(s).
Now today you are also encouraged to “Gift Yourself”. That can happen before or after the ones that you buy others. Gift Yourself? Yep – plan to buy that one special thing for yourself… and put it on your credit card to pay for it later… oh boy… how things have changed.
Over the last two evenings I have watched with great interest the TVO (TV Ontario) station as they have presented the Victorian Farm Christmas TV Show. In the show three people have committed themselves to live on an old estate that makes it possible to live like people did in the Victorian era. – the mid 1800s.
Did you know that the “Rule of Thumb” was a Miller’s way to tell if the grain he had just ground was fine enough? He would take a pinch to the ground flour between his thumb and finger to feel the grittiness of the powder. That rule of thumb told him how much more he had to close the gap between the grinding stone to make the flour finer. (There is a Rule of Thumb explanation below… that doesn’t mention this one that the Victorian Folk revealed.)
I am quoting the whole article published on the BBC’s Web site and asking you to read it all. I am also asking you to go to this site and read more about the simple ways that people once lived and see how in the Victorian era things radically were being transformed from what the old days were like to the ways we know it today. The story is absolutely amazing.
The Victorian Christmas – from the BBC’s Web Site…
Quote…
History of Christmas
It's hard to imagine now, but at the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated. Many businesses did not even consider it a holiday. However by the end of the century it had become the biggest annual celebration and took on the form that we recognise today.
The transformation happened quickly, and came from all sectors of society.
Many attribute the change to Queen Victoria, and it was her marriage to the German-born Prince Albert that introduced some of the most prominent aspects of Christmas. In 1848 the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the royal family celebrating around a decorated Christmas tree, a tradition that was reminiscent of Prince Albert's childhood in Germany. Soon every home in Britain had a tree bedecked with candles, sweets, fruit, homemade decorations and small gifts.
In 1843 Henry Cole commissioned an artist to design a card for Christmas. The illustration showed a group of people around a dinner table and a Christmas message. At one shilling each, these were pricey for ordinary Victorians and so were not immediately accessible. However the sentiment caught on and many children - Queen Victoria's included – were encouraged to make their own Christmas cards. In this age of industrialisation colour printing technology quickly became more advanced, causing the price of card production to drop significantly. Together with the introduction of the halfpenny postage rate, the Christmas card industry took off. By the 1880s the sending of cards had become hugely popular, creating a lucrative industry that produced 11.5 million cards in 1880 alone. The commercialisation of Christmas was well on its way.
Traditional Victorian crackers
Another commercial Christmas industry was borne by Victorians in 1848 when a British confectioner, Tom Smith, invented a bold new way to sell sweets. Inspired by a trip to Paris where he saw bon bons – sugared almonds wrapped in twists of paper – he came up with the idea of the Christmas cracker: a simple package filled with sweets that snapped when pulled apart. The sweets were replaced by small gifts and paper hats in the late Victorian period, and remain in this form as an essential part of a modern Christmas.
Decorating the home at Christmas also became a more elaborate affair. The medieval tradition of using evergreens continued, however the style and placement of these decorations became more important. The old custom of simply decking walls and windows with sprigs and twigs was sniffed at. Uniformity, order and elegance were encouraged. There were instructions on how to make elaborate synthetic decorations for those residing in towns. In 1881 Cassell's Family Magazine gave strict directions to the lady of the house: "To bring about a general feeling of enjoyment, much depends on the surroundings… It is worth while to bestow some little trouble on the decoration of the rooms".
Gift giving had traditionally been at New Year but moved as Christmas became more important to the Victorians. Initially gifts were rather modest – fruit, nuts, sweets and small handmade trinkets. These were usually hung on the Christmas tree. However, as gift giving became more central to the festival, and the gifts became bigger and shop-bought, they moved under the tree.
The Christmas feast has its roots from before the Middle Ages, but it's during the Victorian period that the dinner we now associate with Christmas began to take shape. Examination of early Victorian recipes shows that mince pies were initially made from meat, a tradition dating back to Tudor times. However, during the 19th century there was a revolution in the composition of this festive dish. Mixes without meat began to gain popularity within some of the higher echelons of society and became the mince pies we know today.
The roast turkey also has its beginnings in Victorian Britain. Previously other forms of roasted meat such as beef and goose were the centrepiece of the Christmas dinner. The turkey was added to this by the more wealthy sections of the community in the 19th century, but its perfect size for a middle class family gathering meant it became the dominant dish by the beginning of the 20th century.
While carols were not new to the Victorians, it was a tradition that they actively revived and popularised. The Victorians considered carols to be a delightful form of musical entertainment, and a pleasure well worth cultivating. Old words were put to new tunes and the first significant collection of carols was published in 1833 for all to enjoy.
The Victorians also transformed the idea of Christmas so that it became centred around the family. The preparation and eating of the feast, decorations and gift giving, entertainments and parlour games - all were essential to the celebration of the festival and were to be shared by the whole family.
While Charles Dickens did not invent the Victorian Christmas, his book A Christmas Carol is credited with helping to popularise and spread the traditions of the festival. Its themes of family, charity, goodwill, peace and happiness encapsulate the spirit of the Victorian Christmas, and are very much a part of the Christmas we celebrate today.
End Quote
My roots were solidly from this era… I realize now. Much of what we followed came from my Victorian heritage.
I am amazed to say the least.
I thank the TVO folk for their rebroadcast of the series the “Victorian Christmas”. I specially than the BBC and Alex, Peter and Ruth for a absolutely GREAT Job that was done so well!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Resource
TVO’s Videos –
Episode One
http://www.tvo.org/TVO/WebObjects/TVO.woa?videoid?702345467001
Episode Two
http://www.tvo.org/TVO/WebObjects/TVO.woa?videoid?695103191001
Victorian Christmas
http://www.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtml
http://southdumfrieshistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/2010/12/victorian-farm-christmas-on-tvo.html
Rule of Thumb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thumb
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