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Tradition and History of Christmas Ornaments

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Christmas ornaments have become intrinsic part of Christmas tree adornments and home decorations for hundreds of years. Go through the content and know more about Christmas decoration and ornaments.

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(Image: Getty Images)

It's a good bet that on December 25, turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies will be on your menu.

But it's not always been that way - in fact, in years gone by, the make up of Christmas dinner was very different indeed.

Here we take a look at how Christmas dinner would have been served in five different periods of history, starting with the Medieval period and finishing with the Second World War.
Medieval
The rich would have eaten goose and woodcock for Christmas dinner and, with the king's permission, swan.

The birds were covered with butter and saffron and then roasted.

The poor could sometimes get goose from the Church, although it would cost up to 7 pence - then around a day's wages.

Venison was also on the menu for the rich and sometimes the poor would be allowed to have the deer's leftover parts - such as the heart, liver, tongue, ears and brain - known as 'umbles.

Mixed with whatever else a cook could get, they were made into a pie - known as 'umble pie.

Christmas puddings known as frumenty were also made from thick porridge, currants, dried fruit, egg yolk and spices.
Elizabethan
During the reign of Elizabeth II, a highlight of the festive season was the Christmas feast.

In households that could afford it, such feasts concluded with a banqueting course of sweet and colourful delicacies.

Sugar, which was very expensive at the time, was the key ingredient of most of the elaborate dishes in this so-called sweetmeat course.

These dishes included 'collops of bacon,' made from ground almonds and sugar and 'leech,' a milk-based sweet made with sugar and rosewater.

As for drinks, these would include 'lambswool' which was made from hot cider, spices and applies which exploded when hot to create a white woolly top.
Georgian
In the 18th and 19th century, January 5, or Twelfth Night, was one of the most important dates in the festive calendar - thanks largely to the sweet delicacy known as Twelfth Cake.

The dessert was the centrepiece of the era's popular Twelfth Night parties which involved eating, drinking and playing games.

A forerunner to today's Christmas cake, Twelfth Cake traditionally contained both a dried bean and a dried pea.

The man whose slice contained the bean was elected King for the night; the woman whose slice contained the pea became Queen.
Victorian
When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, few families could afford turkey or chicken for Christmas dinner.

In northern England, roast beef was commonly served on Christmas Day while in London and the south of England, goose was a favourite.

Those too poor to afford beef or goose made do with rabbit.

By the end of the 19 century, most people feasted on turkey for Christmas dinner.

At the start of the Victorian era, mince pies were made from meat but as the 19 century progressed mixes without meat became more popular, leading to the creation of the pies we are familiar with today.
Second World War
During the war, turkey was not available so those families who could get it had chicken for Christmas dinner instead.

If chicken was not available, then people had to make do with mutton or rabbit.

Other foodstuffs now common at Christmas - such as chocolate, fruit, sweets and sherry - were also in short supply due to rationing.

To keep spirits up however, many families created fake Christmas food such as mock turkey, made from lamb.

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Christmas dinner through the ages: Festive food from the Medieval period onwards

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It's a good bet that on December 25, turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies will be on your menu. But it's not always been that way - in fact, in years gone by, the make up of Christmas dinner was very different indeed.

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The popular Christmas tradition of putting up Christmas trees actually started in Germany, during the 1840's. And it was popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
As both Victoria and Albert were German, it was expected that they would bring over some traditions, although it was feared by the public. They didn't want to be ruled by Germans, instead wanting a British Monarch who came from a truly British background.
Below is an engraving of the Royal Family celebrating Christmas in Windsor during 1848