What Was the First Christmas Movie?

ByFabien

Well, Christmas is coming again. You know, it happened once a year! 12 months ago, almost to the day, I published an article about the invention of Christmas. Of course, I can’t do it twice, but I wanted to write something about this season anyway.

And yesterday, I watched Miracle on 34th Street (the original). This was not the first Christmas movie I rewatched this year. A few days ago, it was It’s a Wonderful Life, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and The Ref. More to come. Anyway, the question here is:

What is the very first Christmas movie ever made?

If you already read my article Who Invented Cinema?, you probably know that movies are a bit older than you might think at first. Indeed, for the first “movies,” we need to go back to the 19th century. Strangely enough, when you talk about watching old movies, people tend to think about mid-20th-century films. I do the same.

In the case of the first Christmas movie, we have to go back earlier. But was it really a movie?

Directed by George Albert Smith, the earliest known Christmas film is 1898 Santa Claus, but it’s not a feature-length movie, it’s only 90 seconds long. Technically, this British short silent drama film is the answer I was searching for when I asked the question, but it’s not really the one I expected.

Other Christmas movies came quickly after. We’ve got Georges Méliès’ 1900 The Christmas Dream, W.R. Booth’s 1901 Scrooge, or Marley’s Ghost, Edison Porter’s 1905 The Night Before Christmas, J. Searle Dawley’s 1907 A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus, and more like an adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 1908, and another one in 1910… But all of those were short films, less than 15 minutes long!

What Was the First feature-length Christmas Movie?

One of my favorite movies is 1934 The Thin Man, a delightful crime comedy that is set around Christmas time. I’m not sure it is a proper Christmas movie. But what is a Christmas movie? Everybody seems to have an opinion about that. I personally think it’s at least about Christmas—not just set during the season.

It’s hard to find and, maybe someone will provide a better answer. My research led me to the 1934 Laurel and Hardy musical Babes in Toyland. (Very Loosely) Based on Victor Herbert’s popular 1903 operetta of the same name, this movie was directed by Gus Meins and Charles Rogers, and produced by Hal Roach. The original cut is 79 minutes long.

Naturally, we found another adaptation of A Christmas Carol soon after. The simply titled Scrooge is a 1935 British film directed by Henry Edwards. It was the first sound version of the Charles Dickens classic (except maybe a lost 1928 short).

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Valued by the Romans for its medicinal and culinary uses, ginger vanished from Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. It wasn’t until the 13th century, when Marco Polo brought ginger back from China, that it regained popularity. Over time, ginger became more accessible and affordable, transitioning from a rare spice to a common ingredient.

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Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558 to 1603, loved throwing lavish royal dinners that included things like marzipan shaped like fruit, castles and birds. Her court included a skilled gingerbread maker who satisfied her sweet tooth.

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Queen Elizabeth I (circa 1575, source)

Among her gifts were gingerbread men. She instructed her gingerbread maker to shape them like her suitors, foreign dignitaries, and people in her court. These edibles were decorated with features and outfits, and then served to the very guests who could consume their own likenesses!

Queen Elizabeth also used gingerbread men as a way to assert power within her inner circle. By selectively distributing personalized gingerbread treats, she could confer status or withdraw favor. Receiving a gingerbread likeness from the queen was seen as a royal “stamp of approval” for both esteemed guests and suitors competing for her attention.

These edible works of art became cherished tokens, valued by those fortunate enough to receive them. However, falling out of favor with the queen had its consequences. Courtiers who lost her favor might have felt disheartened as they watched Queen Elizabeth biting off the head of their gingerbread likeness.

The Gingerbread Man Goes Beyond the Royal Court

The tradition of gingerbread men extended beyond the royal court, becoming popular tokens of affection exchanged at fairs in hopes of attracting potential partners. Legend has it that if a young woman could entice the man of her affection to consume one of these biscuits, it would spark love and possibly lead to marriage. Certain gingerbread shapes were believed to hold special meanings, with heart-shaped pieces bringing good fortune in love, and gingerbread rabbits associated with fertility.

However, not all associations with gingerbread men were positive. Superstitions arose, linking these figures with dark powers. Some believed that gingerbread men, especially in human form, possessed dangerous magical properties. Stories circulated about witches crafting gingerbread effigies resembling their enemies, causing death and destruction when eaten.

In Queen Elizabeth’s time, “gingerbread” described something fancy and elegant. But over time, the term took on a negative connotation and became a disparaging term. Gingerbread’s reputation suffered in the centuries after Queen Elizabeth I. Dutch authorities even banned the baking and consumption of molded gingerbread cookies due to fears of witchcraft and malicious intent.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert Loved Christmas and the Gingerbread Cookies

The Fairytail Comeback of the Gingerbread Man

Fortunately, gingerbread enjoyed a revival thanks to the tales of the Brothers Grimm. The tradition of decorating gingerbread houses with colorful candies resurfaced, and gingerbread men became cherished symbols of the festive holiday season.

In England around 1848, Queen Victoria and her German-born husband, Prince Albert, played a significant role in popularizing gingerbread cookies. They introduced these delightful treats as part of the German Christmas traditions they adopted, along with decorating Christmas trees and enjoying the Yule log. Since then, gingerbread cookies have become closely associated with the joyous celebrations of Christmas.

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I often write about Christmas it seems, you can also read about the first Christmas card. And to stay focused on food, did you know that Queen Victoria loved the apple crumble.

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