While we think of the British Royal Family as a typical English family most of the time (notice I said English, not British), with generations and generations of marriages, there are elements from many different nations and cultures. This is no different with the Georgian dynasty. After the Scottish Stuart dynasty, we arrive at the Germanic Georgians who brought their own holiday traditions. And sadly, their traditions are largely eclipsed by the Victorians but that does not make them any less interesting. Let’s settle for the history of Georgian Christmas!
The First Royal Christmas Trees
It will forever be my pet peeve that everyone credits Prince Albert with the introduction of the Christmas tree to the Royal Family because he didn’t. Queen Charlotte did! Yes, that’s right- the Bridgerton matriarch that we have all come to love.
Charlotte brought the Germanic tradition of bringing a yew bough into the home and decorating it for the holidays with her when she moved to England to marry King George III. She carried on this tradition with their family, and by 1800 it had merged with another German tradition, decorating trees outside with candles, candies, and paper decorations. Surviving journals from 1800 show that Queen Charlotte hosted a party at Windsor for many of the families there where everyone gathered to decorate yew tree that had been brought inside.
Some Fun, Festive… Gambling?
During the reigns of King George I and King George II, the holidays were spent somewhat differently. “At the Hanoverian courts of George I and George II…, gambling was the most fashionable festive pastime in which the whole royal family would be involved.” (Royal Christmas*, 86) While a good game of cards (or five) might not seem particularly festive to us now, gambling was incredibly popular during the Georgian period. Some historians refer to it as an epidemic as gaming houses were found pretty much everywhere, and it transcended classes. However, it is much easier to gamble when you have the status and wealth of the royal family behind you!
*Cooling, Louise. A Royal Christmas. London: Royal Collection Trust, 2018.
Were you familiar with the history of Georgian Christmas?
Cheers,
The Historian
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