by Jennifer Claerr

Created on: December 03, 2010

Decorating a Victorian Christmas tree is a great way to celebrate the holiday season. The best way to decorate a Victorian Christmas tree is to use homemade and antique ornaments. It's best to study a little bit about how the Victorians deorated their Christmas trees before you get started. Here are some quick and easy ideas for decorating your own Victorian style Christmas tree.

The Victorian Christmas Tree: What Kind to Use?

When Prince Albert brought the Christmas tree from Germany to England in 1841, the popular Christmas tree was a Norwegian fir tree used on a tabletop with an attractive tablecloth. The floor-to-ceiling Christmas tree wasn't used in England until the late Victorian period. When creating a Victorian Christmas tree, you can use either the table top tree, the flor-to-ceiling tree, or both. However, in the interest of preserving the environment, be sure to recycle or mulch your natural Christmas tree at the end of the holiday season. To keep your Victorian Christmas tree truly authentic, it's best not to use an artificial tree, since only natural trees were available during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Candle Lights

Candles created a beautiful aura on Victorian Christmas trees. Unfortunately, they also started fires. Today, we can create the look of a Victorian Christmas tree by applying electric clip on candle lights to the branches of the tree. Victorian-style Christmas tree candle lights can be found in plug in and battery powered versions. If candle lights aren't available, use regular Christmas string lights with a cord that matches the color of your Christmas tree.

Ornaments for the Victorian Christmas Tree

Victorian ladies exhibited an amazing attention to detail when making their homemade ornaments. They made attractive decorations for the tree using a variety of materials. German glass ornaments were also a feature on the Christmas trees of wealthier Victorians. Victorians also made homemade cornucopias to hang from the tree, then filled them with fruit or candy. They also enjoyed making garlands of raisins and nuts. Tinsel was made from cleverly cut tin foil gleaned from the florist's shop or from bars of chocolate. Today, we can make these ornaments with metallic Christmas paper, craft foil or pieces of paper with aluminum foil glued to each side. You can also spray paint acorns and walnuts gold, create garlands from cut paper, make ornaments from pine cones and small toys.

For more Victorian Christmas ideas, visit Victoriana.com.

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