Christmas Customs and
Traditions of the 1860s.
By Linda Trent
Copyright held by Linda Trent and the Citizens' Companion magazine
Vol. VI - Number 5. December/January 1999-2000
Footnote 1 opens a new window displaying all the footnotes, so leave it open for quick access to references.
There are many excellent books out there about the history of Christmas, and I am not going to compete with them. From a twentieth century view these books present many wonderful facts, however, what I am most interested in was what information was out there available to our 19th century characters, and what would they have known about Christmas customs.
Christmas Dinner.
According to an article entitled “Festivities of the Imperial City,” 1852, “As a Christmas turkey is with us, and roast-beef and plum pudding with John Bull, so is a Christmas hare with the Viennese…” It appears as though the traditional Christmas dinner was roast turkey, not only in the North, but in the South as well. In December 1864 one Virginian wrote, “We had aspired to a turkey, but finding the prices range from $50 to $100 in the market on Saturday, we contented ourselves with roast-beef…”1 Also eating well was a lieutenant colonel of the Army of Northern Virginia, who in December 1864 sat down to a Christmas dinner of “oysters, fish, roast turkey, various vegetables, corn bread a-la-Tuckahoe, and tropical fruits and the inevitable eggnog.”2
The most common dinner menus included roasted turkey, great round of beef, and flanking fowl, crowded with side dishes, and, of course, plum pudding. Some of the side dishes included pumpkin pies, stewed beets, coleslaw, turnips, salsify, winter squash, mince pie, lemon custards, cranberry sauce or pie, and fried celery.
Kris Kringle, St. Nick, and Santa Claus.
The evolution of Santa Claus is a very complex story that actually was composed from various legends and transformed in the mispronouncing of names. For example, a German correspondent of the Saint Louis Union wrote to the editor of the Ladies’ Repository and said
“you native-born Americans spell this work in a way to make it not only lose its lovely sense, but even to make it entirely senseless… ‘Kris Kringle,’ you spell it; and if nobody checks you in this obnoxious orthography, a stupid, senseless word will receive the privilege of augmenting the English vocabulary, when by a very little care, it could be enriched with a beautiful, friendly, and sensible expression. Christ Kindel means, the little child pp Christ…”3
There was also a person known in Germany as Pelznickel, Rupert, or Ruprecht. He might be somewhat like our mall Santa. He came to houses about a week before Christmas and asked children if they had been bad or good. The good ones got something good out of his basket (nuts, apples, cakes), the bad ones got a rod. He was a forerunner to the coming of Christ Kindel who would deliver gifts, and light the tree on Christmas Eve.4
Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas seem to have been considered one and the same. Descriptions of him differed slightly at least during the first half of the century. No discussion of Santa would be complete without saying something about the book, “The Visit of Saint Nicholas by Clement C. Moore. According to the Ladies’ Repository in February 1859, “no other literary production is so widely popular among us and though a quarter of a century has passed, its popularity is still increasing.”5
Moore was the man who basically gave us the Santa that we have all come to know and love. Santa was the bearer of gifts, rode in a miniature sleigh pulled by Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen (NO Rudolph!) Santa came down the chimney was dressed all in fur, and was described by Moore as a chubby, plump, jolly, elf.
In 1852 Santa was described as being “a gentleman much resembling Punch in the frontispiece – only besides the hooked nose and droll, benevolent, quizzical face, he is hung round with shooting-bags, fishing-baskets, long wallets and short, all protruding in a promising manner, with pretty things, toys and candy…”
The author continued by saying that, “Some think [Santa comes in] down the chimney, some through the key hole, some have a shrewed suspicion that Mamma and he have some treaty about it.”6
One concluding source on Santa comes from the Ladies’ Repository in February, 1859
“Santa Klaus… extends his favors especially, though not exclusively to the children… the legendary saint, who, on Christmas eves, rides with his sleigh and reindeer on the house-tops and comes down the chimneys to put toys and gimcracks into their stockings, which are duly hung in the chimney-corners for his accommodation. Of late years the introduction of stoves and grates, instead f the ample fireplaces and broad chimneys of the past age, has sadly interfered with these arrangements; nevertheless, the stockings are still duly suspended, and the holiday presents of the household very generally make their appearance under the constructive purveyance of the genial little saint.7
Stockings.
Far outnumbering the sources for Christmas trees would be the stockings that “were hung by the chimney with care.” These stockings were filled with various things ranging from toys to candy. Some of the items mentioned in sources gimcracks, bon bons, a box of marbles, a whip, a silver cup, tin trumpet, wooden pail, and a number of miniature barber’s poles (smelling strongly of peppermint).
Decorating for the Holiday.
The practice of decorating our houses and churches with mistletoe and holly at Christmas is merely a custom of the time, having no relation to the festival. It belongs to Paganism – not Christianity: it is a relic of the Druids – not of the Messiah. Yet somehow Christmas without the green leaves and red and white berries, any more than it would wear its own character divested of roast beef, plum-pudding, mince-pies, and snapdragon.8
Some of the most common decorations included hemlock and evergreen garlands, evergreen wreaths, mistletoe boughs with their pearly berries where hung over doorways, holly and ivy and greenery draped upon walls. Several sources even mentioned how long evenings were spent in weaving the wreaths.”9
To Tree; or Not to Tree:
That is the Question.
When we look at history we are constantly looking back. Many of us even tend to compare the present with the past as a means of better understanding the origin of certain beliefs or customs. This means we take something like the Christmas tree and try to document its existence. There is little doubt that we can “prove” the existence of many things; but too often we are caught up more in its mere existence than in its popularity.
Stephen Nissenbaum in The Battle for Christmas wrote: “It was by reading about Christmas trees, not by witnessing them, than many thousands of Americans learned about the custom. Before they ever saw such a thing, they already knew what Christmas trees were all about – not only what they looked like, but also how and why they were used.
My research has indicated that unless a family was of German origin, or of the highest social status in a city like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. they more than likely had not witnessed first-hand the beauty of the Christmas tree until mid-century.
According to Christmas in America the first Christmas tree concession was set up in New York in 1851, and shortly thereafter concessions began to spring up in other large cities. Whether or not this means that the tree quickly caught on among those of the more moderate classes I do not know.
In doing this particular article I felt that it was only fair to use articles that discussed how a home was decorated for the Christmas season. And of some 100+ articles, only about 28 mentioned the tree, and of these 28 only 18 went on to describe the tree. Following is a brief synopsis of my findings.
The custom of the Christmas tree is rapidly extending to other countries, and especially to England, as Queen Victoria has introduced it into her household for the amusement of the Royal family, no doubt in compliment to Prince Albert, who is a scion of the German house of Colburg.10
Trees tended to be tope of young firs, branches neatly trimmed, or small cedar trees. All my sources have the trees located in the finest room of the house and they were most generally table top, although there were a few exceptions. Articles about Christmas trees in period periodicals state that the Christmas tree in Germany and Austria (as early as 1850) tended to range anywhere from one to twelve feet in height, depending upon the family’s ceiling height and finances.
Tree holders ranged from large stone jars filled with wet sand to thick boards weighted with lead. Whatever a family used tended to be covered either in evergreens or with cloth. The stem of the tree was usually surrounded with moss. Occasionally a piece of cloth or carpet spread out under the tree was mentioned.
Probably the most universal ornamentation on a Christmas tree was the candles. I have found mention of candles of “fancy colors”11 as well as “a hundred red, blue and white lights.”12 There was also one mention of “home dipped candles.”13
According to the Christmas Tree Book thinner tapers were “flexible enough to be tied around a branch… When thicker candles were used they were painstakingly tied or wired to the bough… A U.S. patent was issued to [Charles] Kirchhof [of Newark, New Jersey] for his invention [counter-weighted candleholders] on Dec. 24, 1867. His candleholder eliminated the need to wire or skewer a candle and cup to a branch.14
An example of putting candles on the tree before the use of candle holders is found in the December 1860 issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book:
“Grace and the Doctor arranged the tiny tapers… Long pieces of fine wire were passed through the taper at the bottom, and these clasped over the stem of each branch and were twisted together underneath.15
No Christmas tree would be complete without the sweetmeats, confectioneries, fruits, etc. Of the eighteen Christmas tree articles consulted, “candy,” in general, was the most popular sweet, while gilded fruits ran a close second. However, the following were also mentioned: comfits, lozenges, barley sugar, sugar-plums, glittering bonbons, nuts, cakes, confectionery, apples, and oranges.
Some of these sweets were hung on the tree with the assistance of gay paper cornucopia; gilded egg cups; jolly little men who, when their head were removed, were found to contain sugarplums; colored paper baskets; lace bags filled with colored candies; little nets cut out of colored paper filled with confectionery; and artificial apples, pears and walnuts, crammed with surprises.
Other decorations mentioned for the tree included ribbon, flowers, flags, gilt balls resembling apples, colored paper strips (which were less expensive than ribbons), garlands, little angels in silvery-flowing robes, strings of holly berries, strings of beads, stars and shields of gilt paper and puppets that looked like real men. Although commercial decorations were not typical, Virginia Penny, in her book, Employments of Women (1863) says, “I called in a factory where men were blowing glass bells to color and gild for Christmas trees. The man, a German, said in Germany women make them…”16
Little was said about went on top of the trees, however I did find two references for angels: one with outstretched wings holding a wreath in each hand;17 and the other “with golden wings that hovers over the top of the tree.”18 There was also a reference for a “star in golden tinsel.”19
Presents were typically placed on the tree, and these ranged anywhere from the typical dolls, drums, books, work-boxes, and pincushions to the more exotic “gilded cage for a canary bird.”20 Some other examples of hanging toys include watches (with working parts), domestic furniture [I assume for dolls?], dogs, fiddles, tambourines, teetotums, humming tops, trumpets, tea-sets, glass-birds, whips, large cart with two horses, and a set of wooden animals (actually the latter was under the tree on the moss). Other gifts that hung from the trees included: paint boxes, trinkets, work-baskets, needle-cases, pen wipers, smelling bottles, conversation cards, bouquet holders, needle-work, socks, mittens, hoods, comforts, school-books, and histories.
One other thing that appears in several of the writings about Christmas trees that tends to be overlooked today, and that is the manger scene. Four of my sources mention some form of manger located under the tree. All of them mentioned having shepherds, and at least two mentioned sheep and a stable; other parts of the manger scenes included a garden, dog, stag with gilded horns, manger with infant and Mary, star over manger, men riding on camels, tents, and the Judean mountains.
From The Two Ministers (1859)
[in speaking with some children in front of their Christmas tree]… now you can see that little stable near your Christmas tree? That is placed there to remind you where he was born. You have seen through the open door a little baby and its mother. They represent the holy babe, and his gentle, pure, young mother. But some good shepherds were one night tending their flocks just as those little shepherds near your tree seem to be doing, when suddenly a great light shone round about them… The light shed from your tree by those pretty tapers is meant to represent the glory of the Lord which shone down upon the shepherds when the angel brought the good news… wise men from the east [came] to worship him also. They followed a bright star that went on before them till it came to the stable at Bethlehem, and then it rested over it as that star seems to rest over your little stable. The wise men went in, and when they had worshiped the holy child Jesus they opened their gifts and presented them to him… You see, children, not far from your tree men riding on camels with gifts in their hands; these represent the wise men… The custom of giving and receiving presents on Christmas is a very beautiful one, and ought to remind us of the great gift our heavenly Father gave us when he sent the beautiful Christ child.21
The information that I have provided in this article is not meant to be a definitive work, but is supposed to help lay a foundation to go by in continued research on this topic.
This information is under copyright by the author and by the Citizens' Companion. For more information please contact Linda Trent or the Citizens' Companion
