No doubt Victorians went Christmas-shopping - but articles emphasized the importance of exchanging hand-crafted gifts. And since Victorian ladies were already talented in a variety of arts, crafts, and needlework, creating something by hand was a natural use of such skills. One might create one's own cards (perhaps decorated with pressed flowers) or purchase one of the many greeting cards now available on the market.

On the Art of Giving Presents (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Christmas Presents (Demorest, 1879)

How the Christmas Cards Are Made (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

One gains a new appreciation of the beauty of a Victorian greeting card when one realizes that every color depicted thereon was hand-carved into a piece of stone!

Christmas Toys (Demorest, 1880)

Some Hints on Giving Presents (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

Tips on choosing the right gift, with suggestions about suitability and economy.

Christmas Presents, and How to Make Them (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

Home-made gifts, both useful and decorative, were a staple of the Victorian Christmas - and many of these ideas would still bring joy today.

Christmas Gifts, by B.C. Saward (Girl's Own Paper, 1887)

A variety of simple gifts to make.

Christmas Season: Gifts & Entertainment, by Laura Willis Lathrop (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

Tips on choosing the right gifts, and preparing the Christmas dinner and entertainment.

Some Pretty and Inexpensive Christmas Gifts and Novelties (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

Little Gifts for Christmas-Tide, by Ruth Hubbard (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1889)

A number of ideas for Christmas gifts that can be made by all ages.

Christmas Crackers (The Strand, 1891B)

Step into a British store at Christmas time today, and you'll see row upon row of "crackers" - not the kind you eat, the kind you pull to get a bit of a pop and a gift. These were just as popular in Victorian days, and this article explains how they were made - eight to nine million per year for Britain alone, with more distributed to overseas colonies.

Home-Made Christmas Gifts (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1891)

Christmas Presents in Art Needlework, by Helen Marion Burnside (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

Looking for the perfect gift? These craft projects may give you some ideas!

Needle-work Suggestions for the Holidays (Ladies' Home Journal, 1892)

Christmas in the Shops, by Emma M. Hooper (Ladies' Home Journal, 1893)

A look at the types of gifts available in the stores for 1893.

Flowers as Christmas Gifts, by Phebe Westcott Humphries (Ladies' Home Journal, 1893)

Gifts at Christmas-Tide, by Elisabeth Robinson Scovil (Ladies' Home Journal, 1893)

My Christmas Shopping, by Robert Burdette (Ladies' Home Journal, 1893)

A man's unhappy experiences at the holiday shops.

Christmas and Birthday Cards, by L. Fanny Rose (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

How to make them with dried botanical specimens.

Private Christmas Cards, by Gleeson White (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

When Christmas cards became popular, so did the custom of designing one's own personal greetings to friends and loved ones rather than buying cards at the shop.

Christmas Card Poets, by W.J. Wintle (Windsor, 1897B)

500 Suggestions for Christmas Presents, by Francis E. Lanigan (Ladies Home Journal, 1898)

Gift ideas for children, parents, grandparents, servants and friends.

Christmas Cards: Their Origin and Manufacture, by Leily Bingen (Windsor, 1898A)

Novelties in Christmas and New Years' Gifts, by Leirion Clifford (Girl's Own Paper, 1898)

A variety of gifts to make in needlework.

On Giving Presents, by Verbum Sap. (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Though not specifically a "Christmas" article, its tips certainly apply!