Victorians loved Christmas - and loved looking back on the history and traditions of this favorite holiday. The articles below look at the history of Christmas traditions and folklore in Britain and Europe.

Christmas (Illustrated London Almanack, 1845)

Brief roundup of Christmas topics.

Christmas/December Lore (Illustrated London Almanack, 1846)

December: Christmas Waits, by Thomas Miller (Illustrated London Almanack, 1849)

"Those are the village waits... those who bring no other instrument excepting their voices... who go from hamlet to hamlet all night long, chanting such carols as our forefathers loved to listen to..."

Christmas and Its Customs, by Charles J. Peterson (Peterson's, 1858)

Ancient Yule-tide customs of the British Isles.

The Christmas Ingle (Leisure Hour, 1860)

Christmas Throughout Christendom (Harper's Monthly, 1873A)

A lengthy look at the history and folklore of Christmas throughout Europe.

Christmas Mummers (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

Christmas in the Olden Time, by Henry Vernon (Peterson's, 1879)

A look at the history of Christmas customs from ancient days.

Christmas in Sussex in the Olden Time, by Charles Fleet (Glimpses of Our Ancestors in Sussex, 1882)

Christmas (Century Magazine, 1883A)

Perhaps a better title would be "Christmas and Christianity."

Our Yuletide Evergreens, by S.F.A. Caulfeild (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

The history and lore surrounding the holiday's most popular types of greenery, including the bay, the box-tree, the cypress, the laurel, the holly, and the mistletoe.

What We Used to Do at Christmas, by Ruth Lamb (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

Memories of Christmas celebrations in the earlier part of the Victorian era.

A Christmas Mystery in the 15th Century, by Theodore Child (Harper's Monthly, 1889A)

The tradition of the European Christmas mystery pageant.

Christmas Parties, by T.F. Thiselton Dyer (Girl's Own Paper, 1889)

How Christmas was celebrated in the 1700's.

Christmas and Modern Ritualism, by William B. Chisholm (Century Magazine, 1894A)

A reminiscence about Christmas "in the old days."

Christmas Customs Here and Elsewhere, by William Cowan (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

Customs "elsewhere" include the feast of onions, the dragging of the bachelors, the Polish "Christmas-guest," and the hunting of the wren.

Christmas in History (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

Some glimpses of Christmas throughout British history.

Some Curious Christmas Pies and Other Pasties, by Lina Orman Cooper (Girl's Own Paper, 1897)

A history of Christmas pies, including one that "contained as much rump steak as would half supply the Navy"!

Carols and Carol Singers (Home Magazine, 1898)

A brief history of caroling.

The First Christmas Presents, by Rev. Amory H. Bradford (Ladies Home Journal, 1898)

On the significance of the traditional gifts given to the Christ Child.

The Mistletoe, by Sutherland Walker (Home Magazine, 1898)

A bit of the natural history of this intriguing plant.

Christmas Customs, by Nora Hopper (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

Christmas in Old London, by Sir Walter Besant (Cassell's Magazine, 1900)

Merriment, mumming, church plays and a "boy bishop" were all part of London's great Christmas traditions!