Description

Celebrate Christmas in true Victorian style with authentic recipes and traditions enjoyed across all social classes from everyday working families to the British royal household. Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, a descendant of famed author Charles Dickens, shares the captivating story behind the holiday customs that flourished during the reign of Queen Victoria. She reveals how, in 1843, just as Dickens was creating the iconic Christmas ghost tale, a civil servant in London commissioned the first-ever Christmas card, while Windsor Castle proudly presented artificial Christmas trees and served turkey dinners. Over the following five years, traditions rapidly emerged, with the first Christmas pudding recipe published, Christmas crackers invented, and a London newspaper introducing the Christmas tree to the public imagination.

In this beautifully researched book, Hawksley describes these and many other Victorian Christmas traditions, providing everything you need to recreate them authentically today. Delight in classic dishes including Roast Goose with Sage and Onion Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts on Buttered Toast, and rich Christmas Cake, paired with festive beverages such as a Cratchit Christmas Twist or Smoking Bishop Punch. Create timeless holiday decorations like Golden Walnuts, fragrant Kissing Bunches, and aromatic Pomander balls. Gather friends and family to enjoy historical board games like Balderdash and Pachisi, or entertain guests with lively parlor amusements including Charades and Snapdragon. Immerse yourself fully by taking a festive winter swim or singing “Christmastide” by Christina Rossetti.

Featuring 30 charming illustrations, this engaging and well-researched guide will bring the warmth, flavor, and joy of a genuine Victorian Christmas into your home, ensuring a truly merry holiday season.