A glimpse of Christmas at Whitten House. The tradition of bringing greenery and light into the house during the solstice, the darkest time of the year, is ancient, predating Christianity by thousands of years. The tradition was largely lost in northern Europe by the 19th century, except in some Germanic communities. Following her marriage to German Prince Albert, England’s Queen Victoria reintroduced the Christmas tree to Britain when an engraving was published featuring the Queen, the Prince, and their children decorating a tree in 1848.
This was just five years after Charles Dickens had published “A Christmas Carol,” introducing the world to Mr. Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, and the ghostly Christmas Eve visitors to Scrooge’s chamber. Between Dickens and Prince Albert, Christmas as we know it was born.
The Victorian tradition lives on at our old house. We hold an annual open house for family, friends, and neighbors to share the spirit of the season and the splendor of Whitten House decorated for the holidays. Here is a view through the front hall, looking from the parlor to the sitting room, to share a glimpse of the house with all of you.
The restoration of Whitten House provided example projects and many images for “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our shop, YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries select preservation and restoration titles by other authors. Save with our multi-book combo packs!
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