The day after Thanksgiving, the family brought the tree in and stood it up in the living room. All were expecting a chore of it because of the wonderfully large trees we usually get. They were surprised by the small and light tree this year, but all agreed it was sized perfectly for the room. Well, that is debatable as there is still plenty of room between the top and our nine-foot ceilings.

This mammoth 1469-1/2 pound pumpkin has gained notoriety as the purported largest pumpkin ever grown in Lehigh County, PA. I don’t know if that claim is true, but it is incredibly large and stops everyone in their tracks as they pass by. As I stood by watching people come and go, there was not one person, young or old, whose face did not light up when passing by this curious cucurbit. I sure wish I could claim it as mine, but I have never even come close to its size!

In the three millennia that have past since the Celts and their Druid priests and priestess first danced the “dance of life in the darkness,” Halloween has become a commercial enterprise rivaling Christmas in its commercialism. It has evolved from a simple festival celebrating life and death in the countryside to a $2 billion a year marketing extravaganza. At its root, however, lie the same basic principles that have endured and reincarnated themselves over the centuries.

Halloween originates as a pagan custom and ritual in the Celtic regions of Ireland and Britain. It marked the end of the growing year and the beginning of winter. At this great crossroads, it was believed that the veil between the living world and the other world, the Celtic afterlife, was at its thinnest and spirits could freely roam between the two. It was customary at this time to dress in animal skins and otherworldly accoutrement to blend in with the roaming spirits. Rituals of dancing by the light of a bonfire to celebrate life and death and to leave food for returning loved ones were the custom of the day. Divination was also a common practice and thought to be at its most powerful during this special time that was a gateway between times and worlds.

After more than a thousand years of spreading from Celtic tribes to other peoples, Samhain became permanently ingrained into mainstream cultural beliefs and customs. Much to the chagrin of the up and coming Christian movement, Samhain rituals involving communion with dead, were as popular as ever. Unable to abolish the ancient pagan customs, the church decided to adopt the concept, giving birth to All Hallow’s Eve, the evening of the hallowed or holy, to honor dead saints. Still, the old ways were too deeply rooted and continued to prosper. All Hallow’s Eve eventually became commonly known as Halloween and the church continued its commemoration of saints on All Saints Day. Later, All Souls Day was added to honor all of the dead.

When Irish immigrants came to America, they brought with them many of the ancient customs that stood the test of time and suppression by the church. The custom of carving turnips to create a beacon of light to guide the spirits of the dead on their journey was one such practice. Once here, they found that the native squash, in particular pumpkins, was much softer and easier to carve than turnips. Their customs, being reborn in the new world, led to Jack-o’-Lanterns and pumpkins being forever associated with Halloween.

Victorian culture also made its mark on Halloween. Victorian parties and amusement was a custom of a culture unto itself that lent perfectly to Halloween. During the reign of Queen Victoria, the divination once practiced by the ancient Druids to foretell the prosperity of the year to come, became a popular parlor game at Halloween fêtes, or celebrations. The forms of divination that were practiced are as numerous as Jack-0′-Lantern faces, however they all had a similar theme. The Victorians were obsessed with marrying off their daughters and making sure they would have good marriages. To that end, divining a girl’s future husband was the most common purpose for divination. One common method was staring into a candle flame in front of a mirror at midnight on Halloween. If you were lucky, you would be able to see your intended’s face in the mirror.

Despite the Victorian’s fascination with divination, Christian influence continued to transform the ancient customs. Leaving treats and food for passing spirits soon became superseded by “souling.” People would beg breads and cakes from others and in return offered up prayers for the giver’s departed loved ones. This gave way to our modern day trick-or-treat with people dressing up in scary costumes, just as the ancients did, to walk freely amongst the spirits “souling” for treats.

Through the ages Halloween has taken many twists and turns, been suppressed, has risen up, prevailed and transformed itself into a worldwide extravaganza of ritual and merriment. Though the exact details of its origins are still shrouded in the long-forgotten mysteries of the ancient Celts, we can only hope that they would be awed and delighted with how their festival once held by the light of a bonfire on a fragrant autumn night has become endeared and revered by the world.

For your own handmade ornaments, try making simple ones by hanging cookies on the tree. While the cookies are still warm, make a small hole with a toothpick. After they are completely cooled, feed a piece of ribbon through the hole to hang them. Also, try spray-painting pinecones gold or covering them with glue and sprinkling with glitter. If you are truly an obsessive person, try your hand at creating elegant jeweled baubles using an assortment of beads and sewing trims pinned to satin balls. During the holidays, kits can be found at most craft stores. Once you try one, you won’t be able to stop since beading is highly addictive. Finish your tree with strung cranberries or popcorn and natural elements such as dried flowers and seedpods. If you have a stash of antique leaded tinsel, don’t forget that as well. It is very different than what is generally available today and is weightier and more elegant.
No matter whether your tree is large or small, or you decorate with items of nature, antiquity or hand, a tree that is carefully planned and meticulously decorated will radiate brightly in the eyes of all who behold its majestic presence.

With the lack of commercial decorations, and the expensive nature of ones that were available, the Victorians relied heavily on greenery as the primary means of decoration. Adorned with berries, seedpods, dried flowers and ribbons, fresh greens, garlands and wreaths were the showstoppers of the Victorian Christmas.

The greenery used was determined mostly by geographic location, though holly and various types of pine, fir and cedar were generally available. Branches were placed everywhere. No spot was left untouched when it came to embellishing for the holidays. Holly was used to top off pictures on the wall by sliding the stems of a large bunch behind the top of the picture frame. Cedar was hung from lighting fixtures and allowed to cascade downward. Evergreens were also woven into wreaths and lush garlands that adorned widows and doors, bringing the warmth of life and summer into the home during the cold winter.
Making your own garland is a great way to gather your family together and rekindle the traditions of the past. Garlands should be full and lush and draped over curtain rods, hanging down the full length of the widows. Don’t forget to adorn doors, archways, banisters and mantles too with homemade garland!
To make a garland, begin with a length of twine about twice the length of garland you’ll need. Cut your evergreen of choice (cedar and boxwood work best) into sprigs about 6 inches long. Gather a few of the sprigs together in a bunch in your hand to approximately the fullness you want the garland to be. Attach the bunch with floral wire onto the end of the twine so that as you add additional bunches you will be traveling down the length of the twine. Continue adding bunches of greenery, overlapping the wired portion of the previous bunch and wrapping the wire three times around each bunch. Continue until you have the desired length of garland and then tie off the wire and trim away any excess wire, twine and woody stems. This is a good two-person job. One person can bunch the greenery and hold it in place over the twine while the other wraps the wire.

To compliment the gorgeous garland you made, use an ample amount of poinsettias throughout the house and particularly on the stairs. Consider one plant on each step! If your stairs are wide enough, place candles next to the plants on each step, but far enough away to ensure responsible burning. Never leave burning candles unattended.

Christmas would not be complete without mouthwatering sweets and a Victorian Christmas couldn’t be recreated without the grand finally, the plum pudding. A “plum” was generally any one of a variety of dried or candied fruits. A popular combination for this dark and extremely rich bread pudding usually consisted of raisins and molasses. This year, try your hand at making one. Modern variations can easily be located in holiday cookbooks and on the Internet. When serving, flame the pudding by pouring some slightly warmed brandy over it and lighting the pudding with a match. Its best served warm with heavy cream poured over top.

When holiday guests arrive at the front, dim the electric lights and light your candles. With the flaming Christmas pudding in hand, usher them into your holiday fantasy of a glorious Victorian Christmas.