by Gail Kavanagh

Created on: December 11, 2011   Last Updated: December 17, 2011

In 1840, the young German Prince Albert became the consort of Britain's Queen Victoria. The couple were ideally suited, and had nine children, which meant that Christmas was lavishly celebrated at Windsor Castle. While Prince Albert is largely credited with bringing the Christmas Tree and many other customs to Britain, in fact the Christmas Tree had

already made its appearance at Windsor Castle during Victoria's childhood. 

But while the tree was a novelty when Victoria was a child, it became more widespread and popular thanks to Albert. The young father loved Christmas, and the way it was celebrated in his homeland, and the Royal Family were setting the standard for domestic life in many ways in Britain - not the least in their celebration of Christmas.

In 1848, The Illustrated London News published a drawing of the Royal Family gathered around a Christmas Tree bedecked with glass baubles, sweets and decorations. Albert was frank about wanting to recreate the kind of Christmases he and his brother enjoyed as children, but he did not restrict the goodwill to his own family, Albert sent out Christmas Trees to schools and to the army as well. He enjoyed decorating the family tree himself, and was lavish with presents for his wife and children.

The Victorian ideal of Christmas as a family centered celebration in which the highest aim was to bring smiles to the faces of children really started with the doting Prince Albert. With the tree came many new crafts and pastimes, creating decorations that quickly became family heirlooms. The glass baubles that Albert loved and imported from Germany became very popular and treasured items. 

Many other customs also made their appearance during his wife's reign. He had nothing to do with the introduction of Christmas cards, but perhaps the sense of goodwill and kindness he brought to the season was a factor in the idea that occurred to Sir Henry Cole of using the emerging post office as a means of sending greetings to distant loved ones.

It did not take the young royals long to catch on however, and they encouraged their children to make their own cards to send to friends. Prince Albert enjoyed sending Christmas cards as well, and this helped to spread the custom to the rest of Britain. Cheap printing methods also brought down the price of cards so that more people could affords to send them.

Christmas crackers, or bon bons, were also introduced around this time, and quickly became popular, especially when their inventor, Thomas Smith, added the 'snap' to his paper bon bons to simulate the crackling of the fire at Christmas. Santa Claus was another German tradition that Prince Albert brought with him to Britain. The kindly figure of St Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, soon became the jolly old elf Santa Claus, especially when Coca Cola adopted him as their Christmas symbol and created the roly poly red cheeked figure so well known today.

But while the traditional Victorian Christmas has now become a huge commercial enterprise every year, and many people can't help feeling cynical about it, the fact is that it all began with a kindly papa who just wanted every child to have as happy a Christmas as he and his brother had enjoyed.

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