Christmas in the Colonies

 

Ok let us move on to Christmas presents, something we all pretty much take for granted you get a present or presents on Christmas Day. However until the mid 1800's this wasn't the case and yes sentiment and charity played a part it was mostly due to commercial interest and the need to make money that it came about.

It was around the 1840's that the idea of a Christmas present had spread to the colonies, naturally local retailers took to the idea like house to fire, filling showrooms with all sorts of gifts for the buying public to purchase.

When the gold rush hit and people had more money stores would stock more elaborate and expensive gifts for their customers to buy.

It didn't take long before children became the focus of the festive season with toy bazaars and shilling shops where children were made happy at the cost of one shilling each, they opened in every city more or less.

Pretty much everything was imported from England and Europe, with the exception of some wooden toys. The types of toys sold were drums, spinning tops, rubber balls, buckets and spades, cricket bats and china tea sets. So pretty much the same type of cheap toys people can buy now days. I wonder how long they lasted before they broke.

Middle class families encouraged their children to take gifts to the less fortunate such as those in hospitals, orphanages and those stricken by poverty. The Sydney Mail stated in 1885 that it is a very sacred and Christian duty to the sick and that Christmas comes but once a year. Yeah I can l see that happening today.

By the 1890's home made Christmas presents were very popular and were strongly promoted in women's journals who printed detailed instructions for suitable “knick knacks”. So it was common for the women and children to spend time creating the daintiest little gifts out of all sorts of odds and ends.