Christmas costumes dazzled Victorian Holidays. We’re not talking about Christmas outfits in glorious shades of red and green in celebration of the season. These are joyfully bonkers costumes that were actual Christmas trees, Snowmen, Santas, and a few other Christmas favorites.
If you have any pictures of your own, please forward them through the comment section. We would love to post them.
People Dressed As Christmas Trees Took Center Stage
Christmas trees were not always in the center stage inside homes like they are today.
Prince Albert was born in Germany where evergreen trees were traditionally brought into the home and decorated with toys, candles, sweets and fruits. While Queen Victoria was familiar with the custom from her childhood and even wrote about it in her journal for Christmas Eve, 1832, it was Albert who brought his love of the custom to their marriage—and to England. Ultimately it was because of their union that Christmas stole presents from New Year’s.
Some people took the new custom to extremes with Christmas Costumes that mimicked German Tannenbäume. Without Amazon, who started the trend with so many of these costumes that look similar? Possibly, a women’s magazine started the trend by including patterns and directions in its Christmas Costume edition.
The next two Christmas Costumes are decades past the Victorian Era, but we could not resist sharing them. What Christmas spirit!
Snow Ladies and Gentlemen Also Made An Appearance
Snowmen and snowladies were nothing new in the 1800s. The first known image of one dates to a prayer book in 1380. In 1494, Michelangelo was commissioned to build a giant snowman in the Medici courtyard. As winter holidays became more widely celebrated in the Victorian era, snowmen became a favorite part of festivities.
While most images depict snowmen built from actual snow, a few people donned Christmas Costumes to become flesh-and-blood snowpersons.
Santa Suits: Is He Real Or Is He An Impostor?
It’s no secret that our beloved Santa is an amalgamation of centuries-old characters and legends from multiple cultures and across continents. In England, Father Time was the man. In the West, Father Time blended with a Victorian Santa. A jolly round man in a red suit eventually coalesced with decades of marketing campaigns. But it took some time for Santa’s makeover to be finalized.
In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast used elements from Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” to create what became the definitive Santa we know to this day. It first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. By now, Santa’s style was clearly defined. He wore a red suit trimmed in white and had a workshop at the North Pole teeming with elves. And yes, there was a Mrs. Claus.
At Racing Nellie Bly, we’re die-hard believers in Santa Claus. We see the real guy everywhere. But some of the early Santa Claus Christmas Costumes missed their mark, revealing the fake Santa beneath.
Following are a few of our favorite Christmas posts.
Victorian Santa Kept Current With Travel Trends Of The Industrial Revolution– Skeptics have questioned the science of Christmas Eve deliveries. These images show how Santa kept current with travel trends of the Industrial Revolution to get his job done. MORE
How Christmas Stole Presents From New Year’s Day-Thanks in part to Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. MORE
Kidnapped Santa Triggered Christmas Stories – The author was Frank Baum. Yes, the inventive genius who brought us The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) also put an edge on Christmas. MORE
Victorian Christmas Shopping Boomed- With industrialism came mountains of affordable gifts. Improvements in transportation enabled consumers to buy them. Shiny new department stores with showcase windows made the gifts irresistible. MORE
First Electric Christmas Lights Sparked Holiday Cheer– Then in 1882, Edward H. Johnson strung the first electric Christmas tree lights. MORE
Charles Dickens Spread Christmas Carol Spirit-Christmas underwent a joyful revival during the mid-1800s. Charles Dickens became one of the leading yuletide trendsetters, as his novella drew instant success. MORE
The Christmas Pickle Launched Holiday Dreams And Woolworth’s Dynasty- Parents would wait until Christmas Eve to hide a small pickle-shaped ornament on the tree. The first child to spot it on Christmas morning received a special treat. MORE
Santa Editorial Thrilled Virginia- The Santa Editorial was printed in The Sun newspaper on September 21, 1897. It answered an eight-year old girl’s letter asking if Santa Claus was real. MORE
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