Many of our best-loved Christmas traditions come from the Victorians. In this video we’ll
show you easy ways to add a DIY dash of Victorian magic to impress your guests this Christmas.
Crackers were invented by a Victorian sweet maker in 1847. They’re really simple to
make – and you can add whatever gifts you want!
You'll need: a thin sheet of A4 card, an A4 piece of wrapping paper, a ruler, double-sided
tape, normal sticky tape or masking tape, a cracker snap, a pencil, three toilet rolls,
scissors, ribbon, gifts and a message or joke.
Place the toilet rolls on the wrapping paper, leaving a three-and-a-half centimetre gap
in-between. Draw a mark where they meet the edge of the paper.
Using the mark you made to edge of the paper on the toilet roll, cut two pieces of card
to an equal width.
Place one piece of double-sided tape at the bottom of the wrapping paper, and three along
the top. Stick the middle toilet roll to the bottom piece of tape, then roll the wrapping
paper so it sticks in place.
Tape the cracker snap inside the cracker, then roll up the pieces of card and put them
into the cracker ends. Scrunch up one end and tie a ribbon around it. Put your gifts
and joke into the other end, scrunch it up and tie it with a ribbon.
And that’s all you need to make an authentic, personalized Christmas cracker.
Gilded walnuts are a beautiful Victorian Christmas tree decoration – and you can even hide
small gifts or a personal message inside them.
You'll need some unshelled walnuts, a sharp knife, gold leaf, PVA glue, paintbrushes,
ribbons, and a small treat or message.
To start, carefully split the walnut shell and remove the nut. Cover one half of the
shell in glue and stick gold leaf to it. Then do the same for the other half.
Wait for the glue to dry, brush away any excess gold leaf and pop your treat or message inside.
Tie a knot in the middle of the ribbon, and place the knot inside the walnut, leaving
a loop on the outside. Glue the shell back together then, once the glue is dry, finish
your decoration by sticking a small bow to the top.
The first Christmas card was sent in 1843, and the Victorians loved to make their own
cards with pin-pricked borders.
You'll need: a cork board, an A5 piece of white card or cotton
paper, sticky tape, ribbon, a template for your picture or design, and a drawing pin.
Fold the card in half, then open it back out. Gently stick your template on the left side
of the card.
Put the card on top of the cork board, then push the pin through the outline of the template.
Carefully unstick your template. Tie a length of ribbon along the edge, and finish it off
with a bow.
These pretty paper flowers were popular with wealthy Victorian women at Christmas – here’s
how you can make your own.
You’ll need green scrapbook paper for the leaves, and a different colour such as red or orange
for the petals, a pencil, and compass,
PVA glue, a thin dowel rod, a ruler, a green paper straw and scissors.
Draw three circles with a radius of five centimetres on a sheet of coloured paper, then cut them
out. Fold each circle in half three times, then
draw two semi-circles along the curved edge and cut along the lines.
Cut off the tip and then unfold.
Cut a one-eighth triangle from one, two-eighths from the next, and three-eighths from the
third.
Curl the edges of the paper, then glue them into cone shapes. Glue the cones together,
going from the smallest to the largest.
Then take a 10 centimetre square of green paper, fold it in half twice, then fold it
into a triangle. Draw a V-shape across the middle and cut along the lines.
Unfold it and cut a line to the centre. Glue two of the points together, then curl the
edges.
Draw a leaf shape on a five centimetre by 10 centimetre piece of paper, and cut it out.
Curl one end and pinch the other end together.
Make four one centimetre cuts into the top of the straw and fold out the segments. Glue
the leaves to the bottom of the flower, and glue this to the straw. Glue the small leaf
to the stem, and wait for the glue to dry.
You can repeat this with some different coloured card for a bouquet.
For more historic Christmas content,
head over to the English Heritage website.
Have a very Merry Christmas!