Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...
- The history and traditions of the holiday.
- The décor that filled our homes.
- The toys that defined each decade.
- The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
- The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).
Welcome back! Thanks for sticking with me as we enjoyed time with our family. As of today, there are 222 days left until Christmas 2026. Yikes! It seems like the older I get, the faster time flies. Speaking of time, let's journey back to 1885 to see what the world and Christmas holidays were like.
The year opens with the Battle of Abu Klea and the Battle of Abu Kru in the Sudan, where British forces fought the Mahdists. The Mahdists would later attack the city of Khartoum, capturing it and killing British General Charles Gordon.
In February, the Washington Monument was dedicated, and Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then in March, Grover Cleveland was inaugurated, making him the first Democrat elected since the Civil War. And over the summer, Civil War General and former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant passed away.
In the spring of 1885, the magazine Good Housekeeping was founded in Holyoke, Massachusetts, less than half an hour from where we live. I was today years old when I learned this bit of history. The spring also saw the completion of the first skyscraper in Chicago and the arrival of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
Heading into fall, the Georgia Institute of Technology was founded in Atlanta, and the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. The end of the year brought with it the completion of the first practical gasoline-fueled automobile, thanks to Karl/Carl Benz, and the first successful appendectomy was performed in Iowa.
By 1885, Christmas was widely celebrated in the United States, the United Kingdom, and most of Europe. Homes were decorated with Christmas trees and greenery, and gifts ranged from toys to practical needs to small luxuries. Stores, like those featured in this December 23, 1885 edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, were open evenings until Christmas and featured sales (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Families and friends would gather around to eat roast goose and turkey, indulge in plum puddings, mince pies, and fruitcakes, and play games, tell stories, or carol.
While still a deeply religious holiday, Santa Claus had become a well-established icon of American culture after the 1823 publication of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore. The " right jolly old elf" appeared in publications such as Harper's Weekly.
Through the triumphs and trials of 1885, the glow of Christmas joy shone brightly across the world, bringing with it a message of peace and hope.
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