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Victorian Christmas

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 3 months ago

Victorian Christmas

By Nicole W Class B

Christmas in the Victorian Age was a very important holiday. Most loved it and decorated their houses

in lavish decorations. On Christmas Day their was always a grand dinner and of course you can't forget the gifts!

This took a lot of preparation and usually everyone joined in the fun of getting ready for Christmas Day.

Decorating The House

Although they did not have much money to decorate the house the Victorians loved to.

In order to make their house look festive for Christmas they turned to nature. They

collected flowers(In the south),berries, greenery, pinecones, holly, and mistle toe. Once

inside everything from cabinets to mirrors are deccorated with homemade decorations

like paper chains, lace ornaments, and everything else they collected from outside. A

popular way to decorate the dining table was to hang bright ribbons in the middle above

the light and drape them to the corners of the table.

Dining Table decorated for the Christmas season with Victorian style parlor decorated with a Christmas tree and

ribbons hanging from the ceiling. This was a popular popular Christmas toys. (Dolls, Rocking Horse, and Teddy

way to decorate the main dining table. Bears)

Christmas Carols

The Victorians also loved music so they revived the concept of singing Christmas

carols. They sang these carols in their parlors surrounded by family and friends.

Most had a piano or an organ to play along with singing the carols. However

eventually they started the idea of outdoor caroling. They would sing at people's

homes in exchange for food or other forms of gratitude. The carols were related

to both religious and non-religious concepts relating to Christmas. Some popular

carolsthat were writen during the Victorian age were "Good Christian Men

Rejoice", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", "Away

in a Manger", "Jingle Bells", "We Three Kings", and "Silent Night".

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Carolers would bundle up and sing for people in exchange This was a favorite activity durring the

for warm food or another small treat. Christmas season.

Popular Christmas Gifts

Many of the Victorians made most of their gifts for their family but, the ones

left under the tree were store-bought. Some popular gift ideas for the father

of the family were a scarf, cigar case, slippers, or homemade cookies. The

mother of the family would often get an apron, a comb, a magazine subscription,

or sewing scissors. Grandmother would recieve things such as bookmarkers,

plants, or a photo frame. You might give your sister hair ribbons, a book, a doll,

or clothing for her doll. Ideas for your brother might be marbles, a sled, wooden

animals, or toy soldiers. The Victorians were also fascinated by toys that made

pictures move.

Christmas Recipies

Christmas dinner was one of the best parts of the Christmas celebration.

There was always either a roast beef or goose, Christmas cake and pudding.

What was interesting about the pudding was that before Christmas everyone

would take turns stirring the pudding clockwise and then they would make a

wish. Then either a ring, coin, or a thimble was added. The ring symbolized

marrige, the coin symbolized wealth, and the thimble symbolized a single happy

life. This is what it meant for the person who had this in their slice of pudding.

Here is the recipie.

Christmas Plum Pudding

Note: You will need an 8 C pudding container i.e. a Round metal bowl,a cover, Steamer basket trivet or Rack and a roomy soup kettle Count on steaming pudding For at least 6 hours

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups Crumbs from good quality White bread lightly packed (about 1/2 loaf)

1 cup Each of raisins,yellow raisins Currants chopped

1 1/3 cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Each of mace cinnamom & nutmeg

8 oz Butter melted

4 large Eggs lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

1/2 cup Bitter orange marmelade

FOR SERVING:

1/2 cup Rum or bourbon heated Slighlty before serving

2 cups Zabaione Sauce **

Holly sprigs to garnish (optional)

Toss the crumbs in a large mixing bowl along with the two types of raisins, currants,sugar and spices. Then toss with the melted butter and all remaining ingredients except for the holly,rum/bourbon and zabaione. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Pack mixture into the container and cover with roundof wax paper and lid. Set the continer on steaming device and add enough water to come up 1/3 up the sides of puding container. Cover kettle tightly bring to a simmer and let steam for 6 hours,checking water level now and then. Pudding is done when dark walnut brown in color and fairly firm to touch. Let pudding cool and then store in a wine cellar or the fridge. At least two hours before serving resteam the pudding. Unmold onto a hot flameproof serving platter and decorate with the holly. Bring to table along with the warmed booze and pour booze around pudding. Ignite and let flame.Serve with the zabaione.

Here is the recipe for Plum Pudding taken from "The American Domestic Cook Book For 1868"

Plum Pudding - Take half a pound of flour, half a pound of raisins, stoned and chopped, and some currants washed picked and dried; use milk enough to stir easily with a spoon; add half a pound of suet chopped fine, a teaspoonful of salt, and four well beaten eggs; tie it in a floured cloth, and boil four hours. The water must boil when you put it in, and continue boiling until it is done.