Christmas Tree Ornaments from the Victorian Era

The long period (1837-1901) during which Queen Victoria ruled England – known simply as the Victorian era – is normally associated only with England, but the United States was also hugely affected by Victorian tastes and morals. Victoria was famously rigid, yet her era also saw extremely fine decorations, and Victorian Christmas tree ornaments often reflect this.

For most of the Victorian era, electricity was not available or very rare. So instead of strings of Christmas lights, candles were used to light up the tree. While very few candles survive from that time, the candles themselves were set in brass candle holders, and those candle holders are now prized as classic Victorian Christmas tree ornaments.

Another example of classic Victorian Christmas tree ornaments are those depicting Father Christmas. Although Father Christmas and Santa Claus are really the same person (who was really Saint Nicholas), they do not look at all alike. Instead of the familiar red suit with white trim and a black belt, Victorian era “Father Christmas” ornaments show figures of a man with a long white beard and flowing robes, giving him an appearance that we might associate more with an ancient philosopher or wizard. A fairly large number of Victorian Christmas ornaments that depict this image of Father Christmas are still out there, and you can find them — if you’re willing to look.

One type of Victorian Christmas tree ornaments that are rather hard to come by these days are velvet ribbons. Crimson colored velvet ribbons were prized tree ornaments, and were placed decoratively throughout the Christmas tree. Velvet does not last well over time, so if you are lucky enough to find any examples of these antique Christmas tree ornaments in a shop, chances are they will need some restoration.

Thus, an easier option is to simply go to your local fabric supply store and purchase new velvet for your Christmas decorations and ornaments. In fact, if you or someone you know can sew, you can purchase a piece of velvet, cut some strips out of it, then just sew the sides, and you’ve just made your own velvet ribbons. Whichever method you choose, have fun decorating your Christmas tree! Don’t forget that the Internet always has plenty of sites that will help you with all of your holiday decorating needs.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I just feel so tired lately. I was planning on getting presents for all my list this week, but if I’m not in the right mood I just can’t go shopping.I always try to my best to have a cheerful demeanor because I believe that when you shop happy you buy gifts that make people happy. To make matters worse, Jim just told me that their boss liked the dinner party we gave a few months ago so much that they “sort of” invited themselves again tonight.It must have slipped my husbands mind to tell me again yesterday. 

So aside from the gifts I still have to buy and the Christmas stress I have to get out of, I have to prepare a dinner party that will top the one I gave before. I’d like to switch the toggle to turn myself into Superwoman. Nothing’s happening. I’m just too tired. I hope I’m not coming down with the flu or something.That would be hard on the children. They’re really expecting my usual upbeat self during Christmas season. I don’t want to bring down the party.

Ugh. I truly don’t feel very good.  Excuse me…. WHAT!? I’m officially out of my Christmas stress. 

I just got the news that me and my husband are having a baby! Bring on the festivities! I guess the holiday garland might get hung this year.

For an instance, there was a time that I wished for two gentlemen to court me on Valentine’s Day, and it happened. A goofy smile came over my face later that month, because I was thinking Santa made it happened. I thought I would try my luck again the next year, so for a second year I thought I would make a big wish, I wished with all my heart that I would meet the man of my dreams when I took my trip to Germany. And then three days before the next Christmas day, when I went to Germany on the train, a man spilled dark coffee at me. That man became my husband, Ralph. Now that is a great gift no one gets under their LED pre lit christmas tree.

I figure after so many years of great presents that Santa has delivered to me I would ask for something for someone else. I would like to wish something great for one of my patient who is suffering from diabetes. She is scheduled to have an amputation on the 28th of December, after she acquired a diabetic foot . She is a Native American, and a mother of six girls; the eldest is only twelve and the youngest is two and a half. Her husband died of myocardial infarction two years ago. Her life will be a lot different if she has the operation, since I don’t even know how she will make money if she can’t continue to work at the grocery store if she ha no foot.

If I can decide what I really wanted this Christmas season, I would ask that I do a good job on the operating table, and I can give the best advice to her family so that other complications of diabetes will be prevented. A less realistic wish is that people in powerful positions like government would care more about disadvantaged groups.

This year I want to buy a car for myself, so that when I go somewhere I liked, I could easily just drive there and get through it. I do drive a car, but it’s reserved for use during work hours since it is a company vehicle. And usually we are not allowed to use company cars in driving or attending to our personal needs. My hubby Labron drives his car to the office every day, but we don’t work in the same direction so I have to take the bus. Aside from that, I would like to have a new and handy digital camera so I could take pictures whenever I happen to go to a place that is unfamiliar. Along the way, I see some great scenes that I could include in my collections of pictures, and it will be a great idea if I could have something that testifies my kind of passion.

After many years of delivery driving the road has become my best buddy. And it’s far better to have some type of a hobby while I go off to work. It surely doesn’t bore me at all or let me think of something else rather than thinking about some problems or being alone in the road. These are the things that I want for Christmas, and now I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll find them under my pink christmas tree.

Christmas is about giving, and changing lives. Doctors are forced to make life and death decisions on a daily basis on behalf of our patents. The doctors job is to try to raise their spirits, especially when we can give them hope for recovery. Doctors do everything in their power to make clients feel better, when when recovery is near impossible, we just do our best to help them accept their situation and make them make the best out of the time they have left.

That’s why all the days of the year are like Christmas, and it really does make for a lot of stress on ones person, it’s a major thing when you’re being part of someone’s last breath. It gets really hard some times to be tough in front of someone who is dying, and all that you can really do is be sympathetic, or most of the time just letting them be with family is best. That is very nerve-racking in my part. Indeed, Christmas stress is different when you are in a medical profession, because you cannot get away from it, instead you need to learn to accept it as a normal part of your life. So this year when you’re sitting under the lighted christmas tree just relax and think it could be worse.

The holidays can bring a lot of fun and happiness, but along comes stress as well. Yearly, I have to go through the stress of this festive season. When I think about it, I view Christmas in two lights, as both the happiest and most tiring day of the calender year. Why? Due to that I think about something that I haven’t done at all this year, and with another one approaching quickly I don’t know if I’ll be able to make my goal. Me having my baby isn’t making the season any easier on me. My husband Labron, just always keep it cool for me and make sure that I don’t think about it too often during these times. Everything down to picking up my new upside down christmas tree stresses me out!

I always think that the reason could be that Christmas shows me the things I’m lacking and that leads to more Christmas stress, both because I shouldn’t be thinking such things and because it’s sad to think about. Every year when Christmas eve arrives things seem like they will be ok. I get to see people I don’t always see often, especially my parents, since they live in New Orleans and we are in the state of California, and even my nieces and nephews. That being said, on occasion we don’t push them to come to our house over the holidays for the reason that I know they have a lot of stuff to do as well.

Before all this, I do a lot of stress busting techniques to get my mind off of it. Often I try to look into the future and write down everything I need to get done for Christmas day. My hubby tries his hardest to help me by making suggestions on how we can stretch our dollars even further during the holiday seasons. And next year we are hoping to spend Christmas abroad, at least that could be a less stressful for us. I look forward to things I have coming that will bring me pure enjoyment, for example I have my chandelier christmas tree.