Leslie Deakin, writing for The Tatler in November 1951, explains how ‘Christmas has its own traditions in games,’ and so, in this special blog, we are going to look at 20 Christmas party games from years gone by, all taken from our newspapers. From the familiar games that we know and love today, to those that have fallen out of fashion, we will explore 20 different Christmas party games that may or may not provide you with some inspiration for …
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As Christmas is once more upon us, and the world slowly starts to go back to normal after several years of lockdowns, Christmas parties are again back in vogue. It got us wondering here at The Archive how the Christmas party has changed and developed over time. Naturally, we turned to our newspapers to discover more, learning how the key components of food, drink and music have always been part of historic Christmas celebrations. So in this special blog, we …
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Imagine yourself back in December 1925, with Christmas fast approaching, in London where: All the pavements are alive this week with purchasers moving in ceaseless procession from window to window as they search for the particular Christmas gift for the particular person who is to receive it. They wander down street after street, for London nowadays is the finest city in which to purchase a gift – humble, rich, or rare – that the world knows. It’s time for Christmas …
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Our familiar Christmas customs – decorating our houses with holly and ivy, enjoying chocolate yule logs and giving presents – have, for the most part, their origins in ancient pagan practices. In this special blog, using articles taken from the rich pages of the British Newspaper Archive, we take a look at how our Christmas traditions have evolved through time, with Druid, Roman and Norse influences. Want to learn more? Register now and explore The Archive From Saturnalia to The …
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On Christmas Day 1906 the city of Sheffield in the north of England saw the ‘heaviest Christmas snow for 25 years,’ as the Sheffield Daily Telegraph reports: On the evening of Christmas Day the snow began to fall, and yesterday morning the city was covered in a beautiful mantle of the purest white. Snow lay on the ground to the depth of about six inches, and, except in the streets, so remained until last night, when there was a further fall. Long …
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Imbued with Christian symbolism and yet born out of pagan tradition, the Christmas tree is an integral part of Christmas celebrations across the world. With between six and eight million real Christmas trees now sold in the United Kingdom alone, it is hard to think of a time when it was a new and exotic Continental import. In this special blog, using articles from the British Newspaper Archive, we will take a look at the history of the Christmas tree, …
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Illustration of Christmas tree unveiled at Windsor Castle in 1840s | The Tatler | 11 November 1955 
Gathered around the Christmas tree | The Graphic | 30 December 1911 
Christmas at Children’s Hospitals | The Graphic | 4 January 1908 
Tie-ups for the Christmas tree | Britannia and Eve | 1 December 1949 
Yuletides of the Allies | Britannia and Eve | 1 December 1942
O, Christmas tree! Today we ask, ‘how have trees been decorated in the past?’ Photographs and illustrations offer great insight into this, as well as articles on specific decorations and accounts of Christmas celebrations. No Christmas tree? No problem! Subscribe today and discover history as it happened
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We are now counting down the days until Christmas, and there are only a few days of shopping left. Many of us are looking for inspiration for that perfect gift. The newspapers found in The British Newspaper Archive can provide a number of gift-giving guides. We can see an increase in Christmas advertising and gift guides from the late 18th century as mass consumerism became a trend of Christmas. Before the days of social media, Pinterest, and Amazon wish lists, …
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Register today! It is that time of the year. The trees have been decorated, the lights strung up around the windows, nativity scenes assembled, and stockings hung (by the chimney with care). It also means that it is time to start planning your Christmas dinner. For many of us, that means making travel arrangements, but for the hosts of these pivotal dinners, it means creating an efficient plan, ordering the turkey, picking the best vegetables, and food preparation. To help you …
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During this Christmas season, we’ve had the pleasure of finding some phenomenal images of outdoor street decorations from years past. These large lanterns can be seen hanging in the image below, in the lower-righthand corner.