Today, most Christmas cards are digital, opened with a click. But when I was young, they arrived in the mail. After opening them, we’d line them along the mantle, their cozy winter images in red and green adding to the holiday décor.
Now, imagine opening a card and being greeted by a frog dancing with a beetle, a procession of birds carrying lighted matches, or pigs circling a giant pig-faced snowman. What on earth were the Victorians thinking? And how does this relate to Christmas?
The Strange World of Victorian Cards
Historians and collectors call these unusual cards “grotesque” or “absurd.” In Victorian terms, “grotesque” didn’t mean ugly or scary – it meant odd, exaggerated, or humorous. “Absurd” captured the playful humor found on these cards.
Why are they so weird?
The Victorians had a very different idea of holiday cheer. Early Christmas cards weren’t meant to bring comfort and joy. They were meant to be memorable and funny – even if some of the humor is lost on us today.
But memorable? What could be more memorable than a mouse riding on a lobster or people dressed in Victorian fashion with rooster heads having fun in the snow?
For example, if the folks on the above card had normal heads, this would be a nostalgic scene that would fit right into a modern Christmas. To the Victorians, this was a visual pun: To “crow” was to boast or celebrate, so these well-dressed sledders are given poultry heads to illustrate the expression. Basically, it’s saying: “Here’s something to crow about.” It’s absurd, cheerfully smug, and far from cozy sweetness.
Animals behaving like humans were all the rage
Animals behaving like humans were a staple of Victorian Christmas cards. Foxes serving Christmas dinner, monkeys painting dog portraits, dogs reading newspapers.. These playful scenes often poked fun at human behavior and conveyed good wishes with a wink.
On Christmas cards, animals frequently represented people, turning holiday greetings into visual jokes that Victorian viewers would have understood and found amusing.
Christmas wasn’t always warm and cozy
Our modern Christmas emphasizes warmth, family, and comfort, but historically, Christmas celebrations had been rowdy and chaotic. The Victorian absurd Christmas cards, showing animals behaving like people, echoed those older traditions of role reversal and topsy-turvy holiday fun. They were a visual signal of a brief, seasonal moment when normal order was cheerfully turned upside down.
And what about those spooky snowmen?
The Victorians liked contrast; They liked pairing jolly greetings with danger. And Victorian snowmen were dangerous – not the nice, friendly “Frosty the Snowman” type. They actually represented the harsh winter season – and winter was a dangerous time. It could bring illness, slips, falls, frostbite, and even death. So, I think a jolly greeting on an image of a dangerous situation might be a way of saying: “Take care of yourself this holiday season.”
Lost jokes and forgotten references
Many Victorian Christmas cards might have related to current events, popular songs, political jokes, slang, or visual puns that are now lost on us. For us modern folk, without that cultural context, these Victorian cards just seem odd and definitely un-Christmassy.
From Absurdity to Sentiment
By the early 20th century, tastes had shifted toward sentimental, religious, or picturesque cards. As the culture settled on a more sentimental version of the holiday, the weirder cards began to fade away.
The legacy of Victorian weirdness
Victorian Christmas cards were playful and mischievous. With animals behaving like humans and warm, holiday sentiments paired with absurd or dangerous images, they remind us that the past was often far more curious and delightfully weird than we might have expected.
NOTE: The Victorians also sent equally weird Valentines cards which you can read about here: Vinegar Valentines
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
What do you think? Have you ever received a really weird card? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you want to read more of my curious histories, subscribe to my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).
Follow Me on Social Media:
- The Great Paris Mustache Strike of 1907: A Close Shave with History – 1 February 2026
- A Hilarious History of Farting – 13 January 2026
- Gnomes of Cologne, Germany: Legend of the Little Helpers – 2 January 2026
COMMENT HERE: What do you think? Leave a comment..