How Queen Victoria Invented Christmas as We Know It

In December 1848, London newspaper The Illustrated News published an image of the royal family gathered around an 8-foot decorated fir tree at Windsor Castle. This German tradition had been introduced to the royal household by Prince Albert, the beloved consort of Queen Victoria, who was then a young queen, only 11 years into what would be her era-defining 64-year reign.

The image captivated the public, popularizing not just the Christmas tree but the entire concept of Christmas among British households.

In true Victorian fashion, the rise of Christmas trees spurred a booming industry for tree ornaments. Factories and workshops of the industrial revolution produced synthetic angels to crown the trees, shimmering stars, baubles and other decorations. Trees were often adorned with candles— occasionally with catastrophic (and predictable) results.

The newspaper image’s popularity also inspired royal artists to create countless depictions of Victorian and, later, Edwardian Christmases, many of which remain part of the royal collection.

One of the most iconic depictions of Victorian Christmas, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, had been published in 1843, just five years into Victoria’s reign. The story highlighted the tension between the professed ideals of the festive season and the realities of life for many at the time. The focus in particular was on Ebenezer Scrooge’s reluctance to close his business on Christmas Day—not an unusually Grinchy move given the day was only declared a public holiday in 1834 and not legally ratified until 1871.

(Ultimately, charity, compassion and civic goodwill triumph in the tale, of course.)

Remarkably though, by the end of the 1850s, Christmas had evolved from essentially a special day in the church into the most important social and domestic event in the British calendar.

This transformation was driven to a considerable extent by Victoria and Albert’s enthusiasm—verging on mania—for Christmas. They were the first Christmas influencers, spreading traditions and Christmas cheer.

Gift-giving, which was traditionally reserved for New Year’s Day, shifted to Christmas Eve due to Albert’s Germanic customs, further cementing the holiday’s traditions. Indeed, the royals still exchange gifts on Christmas Eve and are noted for their love of gag gifts: In his book, Prince Harry recalled his great aunt Margaret once giving him a novelty Biro decorated with a plastic fish.

Christmas cards and crackers are also Victorian inventions which the royals evangelized.

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, the first director of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, printed 100 festive cards featuring the message “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You” when he fell behind on his “Christmas letters.” The practice of sending Christmas cards was turbocharged by the advent of the penny post, whose introduction Victoria had overseen in 1840, allowing a letter to be sent anywhere in the kingdom for a penny.

That same year, London confectioner Tom Smith invented a quintessential British Christmas accessory, the Christmas cracker; a twist of paper containing a tiny toy threaded with an explosive “snapper” that went bang when pulled. His invention so impressed Victoria that he received a royal warrant. No traditional Christmas table in England is complete without crackers today, nor the novelty paper crowns they contain.

Christmas pudding and mince pies, desserts made with suet, brandy, dried fruits, and other imperial delicacies are also the very essence of Victorian triumphalism, symbolizing abundance.

To this day, the royal family leverages Christmas and its iconography to present themselves as a model of harmony. From the carefully stage-managed walk to church, to the Christmas cards and the charitable works, they owe it all to King Charles’ great-great-great-grandmother, Victoria, the queen of Christmas past, present and, most likely, future as well.