Christmas Decorations

Are your Christmas decorations really posh, or have you put up some simple paper chains?

Paper chains have been popular in England since Victorian times. They were often made by children and glued together with flour and water paste.

It was a tradition to write the names of family members, relatives and friends on each link, and count down the days to Christmas by tearing off a link every day.

The names on each link would be read out, and the whole family would say prayers for each person.

Modern Christmas is a blend of many beliefs and symbols, many of them originally pagan, but reinvented by the Christian church.

Holly has been used for centuries to represent the crown of thorns Jesus was forced to wear during his crucifixion. Red berries symbolize the drops of blood Jesus shed for the world when he was crucified, while the green leaves represent the continuance of life through the winter and the everlasting life Jesus gives to his followers.

Christmas cards are a Victorian invention. The idea evolved from Valentine’s Day but the romantic connotation was dropped.