No other holiday conjures up such an emotional link to home and family as Christmas. Thanks to Dicken’s Christmas Carol and the continued popularity of the art and literature of his time, many of our Christmas images and traditions are still linked with the Victorian era today.

Decorating the home for Christmas was serious business in the late 1800’s. If the Victorian hostess did not follow the very strict rules prescribed by the decorating authorities of the time she ran the risk of affecting her (and her husband’s ) position in society. (See side bar). However,  because of these rules it makes it much easier today to know how to recapture some of the nostalgia of the era in our decorating at Christmas. Here are some ideas for your own home:

The Entrance:

Decorating the entrance of your home is extremely important as it sets the stage for the rest of your holiday décor.

• If the space is large enough, place a table, the more ornate the better, in the centre of the room. On it, place a large, lush floral arrangement in the colors of the season – dark burgundy, rich greens, deep gold or plum tones.  Totally authentic to the period, it nevertheless is perfect for contemporary homes with a large foyer.

• If space is at a premium, simply hang swags of greenery interspersed with poinsettias and ribbon over the doorways. Create a focal point by choosing one doorway to frame with the largest arrangement (usually the door to the living room). Decorate the other doorways with a simpler style or leave bare.

• If your space includes seating consider a slipcover made of holiday fabric or simply add toss pillows in the deep rich tones of Christmas.

• Entwine garlands of greenery in your chandelier – and remember the kissing ball!

• If you have a stairway in your entrance you have the perfect opportunity to create a particularly grand entrance. The idea is to “drape”. Use garlands of pine, spruce or cedar decorated with ribbon, flowers, and beaded fruit – a typical Victorian touch.

The Living Room:  

The living room or parlour was usually dominated by the fireplace mantle and the Christmas tree – just as it is today.

• Buy a real tree – nothing else brings the scent of Christmas into the home like natural greenery.

• Don’t be afraid to combine all sorts of decorations in one tree. Victorian women made a lot of their own decorations, as did their children. They also bought commercial Christmas decorations. Decorating the tree in one color only is a modern concept and would not be authentic.

• Buy vintage decorations. They are often available at antique stores and generally  range in cost from $5 to $20 each.

• Give your fireplace mantle a supporting role. If you don’t have a mantle you can use a long sideboard to create the same effect. Cover it with a mantle scarf made of lace or velvet. Drape swags of greenery or cascading ribbon and flowers. Hang a framed mirror above the fireplace and put candles of varying heights in front of it – the mirror will reflect the soft glow of the candles and create instant ambiance. 

• Use topiaries made of fruit or flowers on either side of the mantle for an elegant, more formal look.

The Dining Room:

This room took pride of place in the hearts of our Victorian ancestors. Fine bone china, sparkling crystal, polished silver, and snowy white linens ironed to perfection combined with the twenty or thirty dishes that constituted a proper meal produced a memorable experience for both family and guests.

Visual panache was created by the dining table’s centerpiece. Designed with exotic flowers, fruit and garlands of greenery, this authentic expression of Victorian taste indicated in one glance the social standing, wealth and style of its hosts. Botany was a new science and flowers in winter were prohibitively expensive. The common poinsettia (today) was considered rare and exotic then and priced accordingly.

Many arrangement were arranged “en plateau” , a French term indicating the flowers were placed on a tray.To create the look, place your Christmas floral arrangements on a mirrored or silver tray .

Add candles for a sumptuous reflective effect. If space is an issue, place a small bouquet, posy style, at each place setting that your guests can take home at the end of the evening. Decorate your chandelier with greenery, sparkly garlands, or crystals.

Place your platters of food on the sideboard or other piece of furniture, and serve from it. Formal meals during the Victorian era never had platters of food on the table as we tend to do today. That was the purpose of the sideboard.

Use place cards and napkin rings. The Victorian hostess agonized over who to sit next to whom as this arrangement could make or break the success of her event.

Christmas is the most magical of celebrations. Recreating some aspects of vintage holiday décor allows us the opportunity to reconnect with our roots, and  create new memories and traditions of our own.

Merry Christmas!

If you would like to be the first to receive other articles on collecting antiques and collectibles as they are written for this web site click here to subscribe. Please forward this article or our web site address to someone who might enjoy it and don’t forget to add us to your favorites! Thank you!

From Times Past