Victorian Christmas: Traditional Recipes, Decorations, Activities, and Carols

by Lucinda Hawksley

Celebrate the holiday like a Victorian with authentic dishes and customs beloved by all, from the working classes to the royal family.

Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, a descendant of Charles Dickens, reveals the fascinating tale of Christmas traditions during Queen Victoria’s reign. In 1843, while Dickens was inventing the Christmas ghost story, a London civil servant commissioned the first Christmas card and Windsor Castle displayed artificial Christmas trees and served turkeys for Christmas dinner. During the next five years, the first recipe for Christmas pudding appeared, Christmas crackers debuted, and a London newspaper showcased Christmas trees to the world. Hawksley explores these customs and more so you can experience the season authentically to period. Feast on Roast Goose with Sage and Onion Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts on Buttered Toast, and Christmas Cake while sipping a Cratchit Christmas Twist or Smoking Bishop Punch. Craft Golden Walnuts, Kissing Bunches, and Pomanders. Play board games such as Balderdash and Pachisi or parlor games including Charades and Snapdragon. Take a Christmas swim or sing “Christmastide” by Christina Rossetti. Meticulously researched, this festive collection will make your yuletide merry.

30 illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Christmas, Historical, Cookbooks, History, Food, Victorian

208 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2024

About the author

Lucinda Hawksley is a British biographer, author and lecturer. She is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. Hawksley is an award-winning travel writer.
She also writes under the name Lucinda Dickens Hawksley.

Reviews

[Savannah Chorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book for the Christmas season, written by Dickens’s great-great-great granddaughter. The beginning was an informative introduction to the history of Christmas up to the Victorian period. The recipes, games, and list of Victorian Christmas stories were great! It’s also just a beautiful publication.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

From carols to garland, parlor games to geese, ornaments to mistletoe, candy canes to pantomime,
discover all the ways to give yourself a Victorian Christmas.

It was really interesting and I wish people would read this to find out just how much Germanic and Pagan influence has on these traditions. Even more interesting was how much impact the traditions of those in poverty (like garland chains or holiday meals) still hold today.

I really appreciated the classic recipes modernized and the explanations of the influences and the written contributions from the time that provide clarity on unique traditions.

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[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is compiled by the great (x3) granddaughter of Charles Dickens. It's a very accessible reference book. There are recipes (including "original" guidelines, along with modernized versions of the same recipes). There are carol lyrics with little snippets of background.
This isn't deep reading, but a cozy Christmas book to flip through. The quality of the paper was high and I really enjoyed the aesthetic of the book.

[Melissa Loy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book about Victorian Christmas and the origination of Christmas! It covers everything you need to know from the history to Christmas trees and their meanings in different cultures of Christmas that led up to Victorian Christmas. This was a great read for December very interesting recipes! Wonderful book to take out during Christmas!

[Taylor Blackwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little book that teaches you a bit about the history of Christmas and traditions, and gives practical ideas for ways to incorporate Victorian Christmas traditions. Pretty on a coffee table for the holiday

[Emily Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this look at the history of Christmas celebrations, written by a descendent of Charles Dickens himself.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the history, particularly the comparison between the old recipes and the new updated version. But some of the text seemed wasted/filler, like the reprinting of a bunch of carols.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love when I find a new Christmas book that I wasn't looking for. Nothing amazing here but I love the pages, illustrations and just reading about Christmas

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book with interesting history and great recipes and craft ideas.

[Gwen Kubberness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by Charles Dickens great, great, great granddaughter, what a delight to learn all the wonderful things they did in that era. Lots of history. I loved the way she wrote and added photos.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely slight, but a fun enough diversion at this time of year, and I wouldn’t mind trying out some of the recipes.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won a hardback copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway!

Really, really enjoyed this read. I especially appreciated the historical context provided for all of the sections. I learned a ton and found every bit of it fascinating. The color photos and illustrations were lovely and demonstrated just how much time and effort had gone into this book's making; the level of research was top-notch. The vegan and vegetarian versions were not only spot-on for me as a vegetarian who eats a bunch of vegan food, but in keeping with the Victorian period—in this way, the book's content and focus were in alignment, which was a nice parallel and inclusive to boot! The sections all included more basic and more complicated options (e.g., more extensive decorations and some very easy to make, quick carols and longer ones), which was wonderful to see depending on one's mood, availability, energy, etc. I've always wondered about facts like why Santa is generally dressed in red and white (hint: coca-cola) and who wrote what poems, stories, etc. (hint: a famous one was actually submitted anonymously, so it's impossible to say for certain!), and this book didn't disappoint in providing satisfactory answers. I could have read even more in fact, and wouldn't hesitate to pick up a volume two if ever Hawksley decided to write one.

Love this book and will likely happily gift multiple copies to friends. What a unique, fun and beautiful addition to the holidays!