Surviving the three-day Christmas daze, we should check in with ourselves: how many pictures were taken of us, of our beloved ones, or of the Christmas tree during the holidays? And how many of them were shared on social media? Before we would torture ourselves with self-loath, just chill out. Our ancestors had the same desire for creating Christmas memories.
Why do people love taking Christmas pictures?
1. Tiny pieces of joy: little kid with a little Christmas tree
Photography was usually the privilege of wealthier families, so in 20th century most Christmas photos were taken of them. These cheesy, rigid poses seemed to be the most popular. Photography was treated as creating live paintings, where everything needed to be neat and put-together.
Photo: Fortepan, 1906
2. All your wishes coming true
If you pay attention to the details, you can recognise that starting from the 1900s, more and more children’s toys appear on Christmas photos. This phenomenon is directly connected with the fact, that the “golden age” of children’s toys started in this era, when the mental well-being of children became more important.
Photo: Fortepan, 1909
3. The moment outshines the gift
It occured to me several times, that on these early 20th century photos, kids seem a little scared. The reason is probably the adults’ excitement about the photos, which caused the kids to stress about matching up to adults’ expectations. In my opinion, this picture’s value lies in showing contrast to the ones taken in a bourgeois interior.
Photo: Fortepan, 1909, Brigitta Kővári
4. Classics appear: rocking horse, dotted ball, humming top
This picture speaks for itself. As little girls were playing with nicer and nicer dolls, boys got fascinated by rocking horses (which were replaced by pedal cars later on). It’s worth to get lost in the details, especially in the amount of Christmas tree decoration!
Photo: Fortepan.hu, 1929, Tibor Simon
5. Rare moment captured: Christmas moments in champagne-haze
Let’s admit, this photo isn’t about the typical Christmas idyll we are used to. Otherwise, it feels like the people are really having a great time. If we have a closer look, we can recognise the more experienced participants posing according to the current fashion, but in the front, people are losing it due to the champagne bliss.
Photo: Fortepan, 1938.
6. The tree should reach up to the sky
“Finally we got home. As we took off our coats and washed our hands, the angel rang, the salons doors opened, and there was the sparkling, gorgeous Christmas tree, reaching up to the ceiling, with dozens of gifts, dolls, story books, and dresses underneath it. The Christmas tree was decorated with tree candies, chocolates, and geometric candy figures filled with liquor - for the adults. Sometimes I stole a few of them. It seemed too alcoholic for me, I didn’t understand why adults were liking them.” - a traditional description of the Christmas experience in the 1900s.
Photo: Fortepan, 1909, Tamás Cholnoky
7. Exclusive decoration
Whoever could afford it, was going for the most exquisite trees and put a high emphasis on the top decoration. Let’s have a look at this Baby Jesus topper! This photo was taken in the home of the famous photographer and successful building contractor Frigyes Schoch on Váci Street.
Photo: Fortepan. Váci Street 55. Apartment of Frigyes Schoch
