Creating a Victorian Christmas Tree

A Victorian Christmas Tree: Get the Look for Your Home

A Victorian Christmas tree is all about over-the-top opulence and excessive detail. The Victorian Christmas tree style started in 1841 when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert put one up and all of England followed suit. Victorian Christmas trees do not use the traditional red and green coloring that is typical today. Instead, more elegant colors were used, such as dusty roses, brilliant blues, deep burgundies, delicate ivories, and sparkling gold.

Victorian Christmas trees were often decorated with small toys, candy, popcorn strings, fruits, nuts, handmade ornaments, and baked goods. Individual candles were originally used, but with the invention of string lights the use of clear white lights are a much safer option for today’s Victorian Christmas trees.

Victorian trees were also frequently adorned with gilded ornaments. You can purchase gold coated ornaments and decorations or you can easily make your own. Gather together some pinecones from the yard, cut out cardboard stars, or buy inexpensive toys and Christmas ornaments at a discount store and simply spray paint them with gold paint. Attach a velvet ribbon to each item and hang them on the Christmas tree.

Making handmade ornaments was a common Christmas activity in Victorian times and using decoupage was a popular method. Buy inexpensive round Christmas ornaments that have a smooth, somewhat flat surface to them. Cut out pictures from holiday magazines or old greeting cards and decoupage them to the ornaments. Once completely covered, brush on a thick coat of decoupage medium on the outside and let them dry. Hanging them by their hooks in an open area will help them dry quicker.

Victorians loved using ribbons and lace of white, gold, and ivory on their Christmas trees. Wrap your tree with beautiful ribbons after you place the lights on it, but before you add the ornaments. You can attach several strips at the top and let them hang down vertically all around the tree or wrap the ribbon around in a spiral manner from top to bottom. Using wire edged ribbon is a good way to create a wavy, flowing look.

Add edible elements to your Victorian tree by stringing popcorn and cranberries, gluing ribbon to nuts and hanging from branches, or baking homemade cutout Christmas cookie and using them as ornaments. Make sure you poke a hole at the top of each cookie before you bake them to create a place for a ribbon to pass through. You might want to spray these cookies with lacquer if you’re worried about attracting bugs, but make sure everyone knows they’re not for eating!

Popular Victorian decorating themes were angels and roses. Fill your tree’s branches with angel ornaments and top it with a beautiful angel tree topper. Using all ivory, white, or even blue will really make your tree stand out. You can also add silk roses in soft pinks and natural baby’s breath for a stunning look. Wrap long pieces of white organza or strings of pearls in-between the roses for a soft and beautiful Victorian look.

©2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard