Home for the Holidays

Ever wondered about the origins of your favorite Christmas traditions? Many of the time-honored holiday traditions we have grown up with actually began in the Victorian Era. From Christmas trees to cards and gifts, the merrymakers of the 19th century paved the way for a modern American Christmas.

Christmas has been celebrated in various ways for centuries; however, it was not until the late 1800s that our modern idea of Christmas became widespread. In 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant declared Christmas as a federal holiday, cementing its place in American culture. [1] The holiday in the United States was influenced by immigrants who brought their own traditions and often celebrated very differently. With growing technological advances, people of varying backgrounds could travel, communicate, and consume new goods and ideas more than ever. Many of the traditions we know today have European origins, but Americans have made them into their own over time.

The Körner Family: Jule, Doré, Gilmer, and Polly Alice.

Altogether, Victorian Christmas celebrations were family-oriented and seen as a time for both parents and children to celebrate and give thanks for the blessings received throughout the year. What kinds of Christmas customs might the Körner family have enjoyed in the late 19th and early 20th century?

Christmas Trees

Like the Körner family’s roots, modern, decorated Christmas trees can be traced to Germany. There is speculation surrounding the exact origins of the Christmas tree. Some believe that the earliest evergreen trees were brought into homes to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a reminder that warmer times would come. Others believe Martin Luther to have the first decorated tree with candles. [2] Regardless of its roots, by the 16th-century in Germany, Christmas trees were common, often decorated with fruit, flowers, and gingerbread.

By the late 1800s, Germany experienced extensive deforestation due to the rising popularity of Christmas trees. As a result, inventors made the first artificial Christmas trees, known as feather trees. Craftsmen would dye goose feathers green and attach them to sticks to imitate local pine trees. This precedent led to the eventual creation of the artificial trees we know today. [3] German immigrants are also credited with bringing the tree tradition to America.

With the addition of festive Christmas trees, Americans now had a holiday focal point in their homes. People began hanging small presents on the tree; however, over time, as Christmas presents grew larger and more expensive, they began to lay them underneath the tree.

 Before the 1800s, gift-giving during the holiday season was modest. However, with technological advances, American Victorians had unprecedented leisure time and spending money for newly manufactured goods. Consumerism and commercialism across the nation led to an increase in store-bought presents and the custom of gift exchange grew. Department stores began advertising with larger window displays and even created special holiday hours. Soon, Christmas shopping became a big part of the economy. While families could give handmade presents, people could now purchase mass-produced gifts, such as dolls, stuffed toys, like the teddy bear, and wooden toys, like trains and cars. [6]

Over the years, the Körner family exchanged gifts with one another. Click below to see some of their most memorable presents.

An Excerpt from “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” now commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas.” [8] The Körner family might have read this poem in celebration of Christmas, just as we still do today.

Christmas cards became the ideal gifts for friends and relatives. In his 1914 diary, Gilmer’s Christmas Day entry remarked that the weather was “cold and disagreeable.” However, on a more cheerful note, he commented that he received a “great many cards from friends.” [9]

The first Christmas card was created in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole in the United Kingdom with the formation of the “penny post”. [10] Louis Prang, a printmaker, also known as “the father of the American Christmas card,” saw a market opportunity for these types of posts in America. In 1874, he began creating lithograph Christmas cards at his factory in Boston. Advances in printing technology allowed people to purchase cards easily. [11] Early Christmas cards usually contained images of flowers and animals. Collecting and displaying greeting cards became a very popular Victorian pastime.

In 1915, the Hall Brothers Company, which later changed its name to Hallmark, printed the first 4 X 6 folded cards inserted into an envelope. Celebrants found they wanted to write more than what the postcard style Christmas cards allowed. As a result, the Hall Brothers created the “Christmas letters,” or as we consider them, greeting cards, as well as modern gift-wrapping paper. [12]

Another tradition the Körners enjoyed was Christmas food and beverages. In 1912, Gilmer wrote that their “beautiful, clear, cold” Christmas day began with a classic Christmas drink. Gilmer noted, “Papa just received an order of fine Xmas liquor and we made egg nog 1^st thing.  Then he and I went after oysters… M. Milch came down in and took dinner with us. We had a jolly day together.” [13]

Separate eggs, keeping whites cold until used. Beat the yolks until light. Add the sugar, a little at a time, beating well as you add it. Then add the whiskeys a teaspoon at a time. It is important to add whiskey slowly so that the egg yolks get well cooked and won’t have a raw taste. Whip the cream, add to mixture, then the well-beaten whites – a grating or two nutmegs according to taste, and the vanilla. Allow to ripen for at least 12 hours, which improves the taste. Keep in a cool place ‘till ready to use and mix well before serving. (It was thought whiskey “cooked” eggs in the way vinegar cooks raw fish in seviche (sic)). [14]

The Körners enjoyed oysters as a Christmas dish. Here is an 1897 Christmas Dinner menu published in the Ladies’ Home Journal [15]. 

Oysters on the Half Shell, Clear Soup, Custard and Spinach Blocks, Olives, Celery, Deviled Spaghetti, Roasted Turkey, Chestnut Stuffing, Cranberry Jelly, Sweet Potato Croquettes, Peas Served in Turnip Cups, Ginger Sherbet, Lettuce Salad, Cheese Balls, Toasted Crackers, Plum Pudding, Hard Sauce, Coffee, Bonbons, Almonds.

Moravian Christmas Celebrations

In the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, the Körner family and many others celebrated Christmas in the Moravian tradition.

The Moravian Church, also called Unitas Fratnum, “Unity of the Brethern,” was founded in Moravia, present-day Czechia, in the 15^th century. The Moravian community later moved to Germany seeking religious freedom. In the 1720s, the Church began sending missionaries to North America, with settlements established in Pennsylvania and later North Carolina, notably the Wachovia Tract, which included Bethania, Bethabara, Friedland, and Salem. [16]

Joseph Körner, Jule’s grandfather, emigrated from Germany in 1785 to America. Though a practicing Roman Catholic, Joseph was drawn to the Friedland Moravian community, because they were German-speaking, and he found them to be peaceful and welcoming. Joseph and his family went on to adopt the Moravian faith, and eventually found the Town of Kernersville. [17]

A Lovefeast celebration at the Kernersville Moravian Church.

In a note inscribed in the children’s book Candle Love Feast to her granddaughter, Doré Körner wrote that she wished her grandchildren could “go with us to the Love Feast in the Moravian Church in Kernersville…That is where I have gone to Love Feasts since I was a little girl like you.” [18]

Likewise, in his 1912 diary, Jule Gilmer wrote that on Christmas evening, “Mama, Papa, and Milch went to the Moravian Church…”, likely to Candle Lovefeast. [19]

Lovefeasts, “a modern version of the “agape” meals held in homes during the New Testament early Christian era,” includes a simple meal, traditionally a sweet bun and coffee, in the spirit of the birth of Jesus Christ. For most American Moravian churches, the service primarily involves an opening prayer, hymns, and food. During the service, the congregation lights beeswax candles, symbolizing Jesus as the light of the world. [20]

This is how the coffee was prepared for lovefeasts in the early years at the Moravian Church across the street from the Folly.

Put the ground coffee into flannel bags, each holding half a pound, and set up tightly. When the coffee is wanted, put as much water in a wash boiler as will be required, when it boils throw in a couple of the bags and steep long enough to extract the strength. Then take out bags. Add boiling water when necessary, and throw in another bag, letting it remain as before. In this way, by removing the old and adding the new, the beverage will be kept aromatic as well as strong, and the bitterness of long-boiled coffee prevented. [21]

Christmas at Körner’s Folly Today

Today, Körner’s Folly honors the Victorian Christmas with its own traditions. From the day after Thanksgiving to the New Year, visitors from far and wide can tour the Folly at its most extravagant, bedecked with holiday decorations and full of merriment. Every year, volunteers from Kernersville and beyond adopt one of the 22 rooms to transform the home into a holiday spectacular. These dedicated decorators offer their skills as gifts to the community, delighting in filling the Folly’s seven different levels with wreaths, garlands, lights, trees, beautiful ornaments, and exquisitely wrapped gifts. A new theme is chosen each year to present a unique version of a Victorian Christmas – so no two years are exactly alike!

Take a look at the Folly at Christmastime through the years!

The Folly also hosts popular events such as Christmas by Candlelight, an extra-magical evening experience, Christmas puppet shows, and a Holiday Market. Körner’s Folly also annually joins forces with other Kernersville treasures, the Kernersville Museum, and the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden a make Main Street Kernersville an enchanting holiday destination with Kernersville Yuletide.

For a chance to see this year’s delights, with decorators interpreting the Christmas theme, Victorian Christmas Carols, purchase your tickets in advance here. Each room contains interactive musical elements — so, be sure to bring your phone! There are QR Codes in each room to listen to the songs that inspired the decorating as you tour.

Christmas Peoplelized

When you decorate your Christmas tree, receive a Christmas card or give a sentimental gift, thank the Victorians! Our 21^st century Christmas traditions are a blend of the traditions brought forth by those before us. The American Victorians set the precedent of a united holiday, with different heritage conventions mingled with new customs to create a Christmas legacy we recognize today.

The Körner family certainly played their parts in it. From Christmas card-sending and present gifting, they participated and solidified the joy, love, and cheer among the community. As a small town, Kernersville has kept its own magic. ‘Somehow Christmas just isn’t commercialized in Kernersville the way it is in large cities. According to one merchant, ‘Buck’ Linville ‘Christmas isn’t commercialized, it’s peoplelized.’” [24]

From 1880 to today, Körner’s Folly represents the ingenuity of the Victorians, and the Körners would be delighted that touring their home has become a staple in many local family Christmas traditions.

Sources:

1. Waxman, Olivia B. “Christmas 2016: Surprising Story of the Holiday in America.” Time, Time, 23 Dec. 2016, time.com/4608452/christmas-america-national-holiday/.
2. Waxman, Olivia B. “The Real History of Christmas Trees.” Time, Time, 5 Dec. 2019, time.com/5736523/history-of-christmas-trees/.
3. Giamo, Gail. “Feather Christmas Tree – A Treasure From the Past.” Victoriana Magazine Christmas, 2016, www.victoriana.com/christmas/featherchristmastree.htm.
4. Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year’s Celebrations, 2nd ed. © Omnigraphics, Inc. 2003
5. “White House Christmas Traditions.” WHHA (En-US), www.whitehousehistory.org/press-room/press-backgrounders/white-house-christmas-traditions.
6. Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year’s Celebrations, 2nd ed. © Omnigraphics, Inc. 2003
7. Handwerk, Brian. “From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus: the Surprising Origins of Kris Kringle.” National Geographic News, 25 Dec. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/12/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-st-nicholas/.
8. “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” by Clement Clarke Moore, 1823.
9. Excerpt from Jule Gilmer Körner Jr.’s 1914 diary.
10. Brown, Ellen F. “Christmas, Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JSTOR Daily, 20 Dec. 2015, daily.jstor.org/history-christmas-card-holiday-card/.
11. Hanc, John. “The History of the Christmas Card.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 9 Dec. 2015, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-christmas-card-180957487/.
12. “Founding: 1910s.” Hallmark Corporate, 19 Sept. 2017, corporate.hallmark.com/about/hallmark-cards-company/history/founding-1910s/.
13. Excerpt from Jule Gilmer Körner Jr.’s 1912 diary.
14. Korner’s Folly Cookbook, by Beth Tartan, 41-42.
15. Olver, Lynne. “Historic American Christmas Dinner Menus.” The Food Timeline, 3 Jan. 2015, www.foodtimeline.org/christmasmenu.html.
16. “A Brief History of the Moravian Church.” Moravian Church In America, www.moravian.org/2018/07/a-brief-history-of-the-moravian-church/.
17. Joseph of Kernersville, Jules Gilmer Korner, Jr., 21-37.
18. Note from Dore Körner Donell to her granddaughter, Patty Wolfe Peeler.
19. Excerpt from Jule Gilmer Körner Jr.’s 1912 diary.
20. “Moravian Lovefeasts.” Home Moravian Church, www.homemoravian.org/index.php/who-we/tradition/moravian-lovefeasts/.
21. Korner’s Folly Cookbook, by Beth Tartan, 41.
22. “The Putz and Illumination.” Moravian Church In America, www.moravian.org/2018/11/the-putz-and-illumination/.
23. Leiser, Amy. “History of the Moravian Star .” Monroe County Historical Association, 12 Dec. 2008, www.monroehistorical.org/articles_files/120408_moravianstart.html.
24. Korner’s Folly Cookbook, by Beth Tartan, 78-79.