Christmas as a holiday has continuously evolved over the centuries and decades, but many modern traditions have deeply seated historic roots. Many Christmas traditions in England and America began during the reign of Queen Victoria who led the British empire from 1837-1901. After she married Albert of Germany, many German traditions such as decorated Christmas trees became increasingly common in England and soon spread across the ocean to the United States. Several years ago we wrote about many of the traditions that became stalwarts of Christmas during the Gilded Age (see previous Christmas essays here), but this essay looks forward to the 1920s. The post WWI world was changing, and new technology brought a new dimension to Christmas celebrations. But while the United States embraced the new, there was still the tendency to look backward and dream of wholesome Christmases past before the world was torn apart by war. Christmas was a comfort and communal celebrations of the holiday served as a balm to families (Christian ones, at least) finding their place in a new decade.
