I'm Danish but my dad lives in England. Some of my best memories are of spending Christmas at his house, because I LOVE British Christmas! In Denmark we have our Christmas meal on the 24th, and afterwards we dance around the Christmass tree and then open presents. Often we were too tired as children to play with our presents afterwards. But when I had Christmas at my dad's, we opened the presents in the morning on the 25th in our pyjamas, and it was SO cozy and 'hygge'! We had mince pies and the whole day to play with our presents. We would also go for a long walk around noon with the dogs, and say hi to the neighbours who were also walking (my dad lives out in the country and everyone would go for a walk around the same time, it was magical!) I also love the cheesy Christmas TV shows! All in all I adore British Christmas!
You could start a Danish channel and teach us about "hygge." Garrison Keillor's second wife was Danish, and he wrote about their holiday, as you also did. It sounded so tender and joyous I teared up.
I remember my Austrian friend telling me they do the same thing where he's from, eat and open presents on the evening before xmas. There's nothing left to do on christmas!
2:54 'It's then soaked in alcohol, aged for several months, boiled again, soaked in alcohol again, and then set on fire'. Possibly the best description of Christmas pudding I've ever heard.
laura Bentley i made goose instead of turkey once.won't do that again. I also bought a mold for christmas pudding.bought many expensive in gredients.but I ultimately threw most of it out. It was so awful. You poor brits!
Also, side note on Scottish traditions - The Christmas pudding is called a "Clottie Dumplin" in some parts of the country. Because it's a dumpling (fruit cake) that was traditionally boiled in a rag, or a clottie. Originally these were two different deserts, made in different ways, but in some places the name stuck while the desert itself changed slightly.
#9: "Pretty much every theatre in the country puts on a pantomime." Oh no they don't! _Audience: Oh yes they do!_ Oh, and has anyone seen the villain around here? _Audience: He's behind you!_
Also to make the Queen's Christmas message more interesting, what we do choose words or events that you think she will say i.e Family, Commonweath etc, and each time she says it you have to drink.
Bread sauce is a southern English thing. In the North Redcurrant or Cranberry sauce with the Turkey is more usual. Some shops are open on Boxing Day, but not all by any means, so it's not the best day for shopping. I'd say the biggest thing about Boxing Day is watching Football, eating leftovers or spending the day with family or friends you didn't see on Christmas Day.
I laughed at the brandy and minced pie comment 😂 one year we forgot milk and my dad ate all the cookies, so we ended up leaving beer and nachos for Santa. Easily one of my favorite memories.
I know it's probably no longer a strictly British tradition, but the Doctor Who Christmas special is also a staple of British television viewing on Christmas day.
Catherine Labdon and watching the Eastenders xmas special. There's always someone that watches it in the house. Whilst annoying, it is fun to have a good laugh at what ridiculousness is going to happen next!
In our family Christmas was highly scheduled. Thanksgiving segued into the Christmas season. While Thanksgiving Day and the Friday afterwards we had Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers, on Saturday after Thanksgiving we would have turkey sandwiches and that Sunday we had Turkey stew which was created from what was left of the left overs. It was actually quite good. But food was only part of the schedule. Friday was the day we cleaned up after Thanksgiving and put the Thanksgiving decorations away which usually meant throwing them away since most of those were disposable. On Saturday we would go out and search for our Christmas tree. Usually we wandered out into the town woods and picked out a tree and cut it down and brought it back. Then Saturday night my father would put it on the stand and string the lights. We then would decorate it. From then until Christmas Eve we would put up some decoration each day. My parents would ration the decorations so that no day would be without a decoration from each child going up. The first weekend of December, unless that happened to be the weekend right after Thanksgiving in which case it would be the next one, we would go see Santa Claus. Today that is done at a mall or some store where you pay a fee and then get your photo taken with Santa. No fee no sitting on Santa's lap. That's the way it works today. But when I was a kid the town hired a Santa who would sit on a great throne in the town square every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The line would wrap all the way around the square and sometimes down the road towards the fire station. Sometimes it was cold. The rest of the time it was very cold. We didn't care. The various fraternal organizations from the Rotary to the Masons to the Kiwanis and Lions etc. would go around handing out free coffee, donuts and treats for the kids, usually candy canes, hot chocolate and cookies. In our extended family we had 11 birthdays in December. So on the weekend before Christmas we always had a big birthday party with a giant birthday cake with the names of everyone who had a December birthday and candles for all of them and then we'd sing happy birthday and all the birthday people would circle the cake and have a contest to see who could blow out the most candles the quickest. Aunt Karen always won. She played the trumpet in high school. Christmas Eve we were all required to go to bed early. My grandfather would read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and one or two other Christmas stories and then we were tucked into bed. We were ceremoniously "locked" in our rooms with a "magic paper padlock" and if we broke the lock we'd get coal for Christmas. We took very good care not to break the lock. That would be around seven at night. Then downstairs they would play Christmas music really loud. Sometimes Christmas carolers would come to the front yard and sing. We'd all rush to look down from our bedroom window and open the window despite the cold to hear them sing three or four Christmas carols. Then we'd close the sash and rush back into our beds to get warm again. In that old Victorian house it originally had coal heating and my father never removed the old ducts so we could hear the Christmas music echoing up through the vents until we fell asleep. Sometime in the night we would be woken up by the sound of hoof steps and the jingling of bells on the roof and a lot of noise and commotion. We could hear the sound of boxes and toys being dumped onto the floor echoing up through the duct work and into our rooms. Then we'd hear some way over dramatic "Ho! Ho! Ho'ing" which was always followed by some loud banging sounds going up the chimney and some sounds on the roof and a final jingling of bells. By this time the Christmas music had been long silenced. There was nothing but the occasional tinkling sound of the wind blowing ice crystals into our bedroom windows. It was always the same, we'd run to our bedroom door and crack it just a little bit open. If the paper lock was still there we had to go back to bed and wait. But if it had been replaced by an unlocked golden sparkling padlock then we could run down stairs and begin tearing through the loot below. No matter what my father was always the first one downstairs. We never knew how he managed to beat us downstairs every time. Christmas morning was always a magical time. It was a time we could be kids and not worry about many rules. We could tear through any gift that was "from Santa" as long as it was addressed to us. We didn't need to worry about what to do with wrapping paper or saving the pretty ribbon. We didn't have to keep it neat. We just went into a Christmas present feeding frenzy. Mom usually dragged herself downstairs about an hour into our Christmas morning. By then all the Santa gifts were open. Papa was always groggy and when Mom came down Papa would drag himself back up to bed. This was the time Mom would go around and gather up the debris and then we'd have a more formal unwrapping of gifts from family and friends. That took until sunrise or sometimes a little afterwards. It was during this time when we usually noticed all of the additional Christmas decorations and just how magical the whole house looked with all the added lights and candles. Then Mom would get us all ready for Christmas mass. We liked it because they always sang Christmas carols and the church was always decorated in such a festive way with pine bows and holly and candles. They never turned on any electric lights during Christmas mass. I remember when I was really young the Mass was said in Latin but they changed that though I don't remember when other than it was when I was still a young kid. There were often people chanting Christmas music in Latin in my earliest memories of Christmas. After mass we could play with our new toys and watch Christmas shows on TV while Mom made Christmas dinner which was really Christmas lunch since we ate at noon. We always had Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, home made roles and breads, stuffing and pink cauliflower. Mom soaked it in cranberry sauce over night which made it sweet. She soaked broccoli in apple juice and that made the broccoli sweet as well. Those were our Christmas vegetables served raw and crunchy. And of course there was cranberry sauce and occasionally other side dishes. Papa always dragged himself back downstairs for dinner and was usually dressed in a suit and tie which he hardly ever wore any other time. After Mom and Papa cleaned up we all piled into the car with gifts and treats dressed up in mostly red and green clothes and drove to our grandparents where Grandpa (the same one who read to us the night before) was always watching a football game on TV. It was a big old black and white TV, around 17 inches which got all the channels. Those were called "all channel" TVs since they had UHF channels. That meant instead of having only four channels like we had he got an extra three. We thought that was the coolest thing. Except he never let us watch it. Kids were all kicked outdoors at that point where we soon were distracted by sleds and toboggans and other ice based ludicrously fast forms of transportation. We had to be dragged back inside when it got dark out, usually an hour after sundown. At that point we all sat around my grandparent's tree and it was more gift exchanging and usually there were at least one gift for each of us that Santa somehow misdelivered at the wrong house. Then we had Christmas supper which was about the same as Christmas dinner except with more people, a bigger turkey and a larger variety of trimmings. After supper we could stay up as late as we wanted to, engorge ourselves on as much deserts, milk and soda pop as we could with no restrictions and fall asleep in our p.j.'s around the fire place next to the tree. By that point Grandpa had relinquished the TV to us though there rarely was much of interest to kids by that point. Somehow, magically, we would wake up in our own bed's the next morning with all our newly acquired loot spread around our room surrounding our beds as though in a way to remind us how fortunate we were. The next week or two, depending on the calendar, we continued to enjoy our Christmas vacation from school. The tree and decorations always stayed up until New Years Eve. New Years Day everything came down. By the time we went to bed New Years night, not a trace of Christmas was left except a few scant leftovers like fruit cake which usually was left over until Easter and of course, our Christmas gifts which by then had been incorporated into our inventory of possessions, some already broken or worn to the point of being useless and some already abandoned due to a miscalculation by an elf. Most were neatly stowed in their new homes, a toy box, dresser or closet or book shelf. Half would be forgotten by the next time Christmas rolled around. A few would never be forgotten, like the GI Joe in full combat gear and and articulated hands and his tank and foot locker with all the accessories! Or the red bicycle from Sears, the Flexible Flyer, Lincoln Logs and the best toy ever LEGOS! My mother and her poor bare feet and broken vacuum cleaner would disagree on that last one.
We left "magic oats" for the reindeer for a few years when I was younger to help the reindeer fly. It was really just oats with sparkles in it or something. lol (Im from the USA)
I started loving boxing day here in the US back in 2006 because of all the football (soccer) matches that are televised live on TV so early in the morning. Just a great way to get over the NBA and NFL matches played on Christmas day. I have the morning to enjoy watching soccer without people telling me to switch off the television, because, you know...Americans still hate soccer. Even though we have a (somewhat) strong league now.
Shanon Thompson When you think about it today the postal service only deal with a tiny fraction of the volume of letters they would have in the 70s so have the scope to send letters to 'santa' so to speak. Back in the 70s it would have got in the way of what back then was a vital service,
So the Brits load Santa up on alcohol before he crosses the pond? Lucky the guy hasn't crashed in the Atlantic or been pulled over for FUI(Flying Under the Influence)
I live in America and at my local theatre we have a British director and this year we put on a pantomime! We did Aladdin and it was one of the most fun productions that I have ever been a part of. Next year we are doing Sleeping Beauty and I'm so excited! I'd love to go to England and see one there.
I'm an American who's lived in London for nearly 22 years, which means 21 British Christmases. You forgot #11: No Public Transport. If you can't drive you're stuck, and the taxi drivers are quids in, as they charge 3 times the normal fare on Christmas Day. I always look forward to the first day back at work after New Year's, where everything returns to nearly normal. This series is hilarious, BTW.
Chris Hansen I was a tourist in London without a car on Christmas Day and this was so true. I don’t understand how people manage if they are going to relatives or friends for dinner.
cx1735 Not everyone calls them that though- ever noticed they're not called that on the pre-made ones in the supermarket? They're little-sausages-wrapped-in-bacon in my house. Which, I admit, is less fun to say.
+ Frank Watson It could be worse, when I was a kid my Dad had to work on Christmas day. Since they can not close the place down and they need someone there at all times because he worked at a Correctional Institution (Prison). Imagine having to deal with criminals some of which are murderers every Christmas. A lot of the time he worked in the mental health unit where they had the not so sane inmates. He would tell the most "interesting" stories about that place.
When you say "America" you mean specifically "United States of America". Here in Canada we have Christmas crackers, paper crowns, Christmas pudding on fire, HRH Message, and Boxing Day is a Holiday. And we sit around and watch Mrs. Brown's Christmas special on the TV.
"America" is short for "United States of America" just like how "Britain" is short for "Great Britain". So no shit, she is talking about America, the USA.
Canadians also have pictures of the queen in their homes.. Americans do not. But i do understand …. North America.. although many of these videos specifically compare Britain with the USA.
On Boxing day one family member puts on a buffet for the rest of us (it varies every year). It normally consists of ham, prawns, little party foods, sandwiches, biscuits and such. Anyone else do this or is my family even weirder than I thought?
+Massive Sigh I'm from the north (just about) and every year our cousins come over and we have basically all the leftovers from both houses meals in a buffet type thing so yeah, maybe...
There's other traditions, like there's ALWAYS a James Bond movie on TV on Christmas Day (no idea why) and removing the Christmas tree means stuffing it behind the shed and leaving it there for the rest of eternity as you can't be arsed to take it down the dump and the bin men are too miserable to take it as you didn't leave them a tip. But Guy Fawkes night is a lot more fun in the UK, Children get to set fire to effigies of Catholics and celebrate that were a protestant nation with hideously overpriced, underpowered fireworks and no one gives a shit!!!
You missed out the fact that at least two members of the family will drink one too many sherries, thus bringing out some obscure antagonism which has been gently simmering since last Christmas. The drunken participants in this dispute will then retire to the kitchen/garage/back-garden and scream insanely at each other for the next hour and a half, while everyone else watches James Bond on TV. This time honored ritual is compulsory and must be enacted at least once at every British Christmas gathering.
In my Canadian city, we have a recycling program where the city will pick up your tree for free. The trees are mulched, then used as fertilizer throughout the city.
Love this series. I just found it. And it helps demystify many English traditions. Just wondering... do you think the "Leaving stockings by the bed" tradition stems from the original St. Nicholas putting gifts in shoes? Originally the shoes were put outside the front door but then moved to outside the bedroom door. So... you see where I'm going with this? Anyway. Very good. Glad to have found your channel. I look forward to seeing all your videos and to any you add in the future.
Absolutely love this channel! I love the personalities and the info on everything UK! My grandmother was from Birmingham, and I've always wanted to visit. Thank you for putting out such awesome content! Plus, the ladies are a totally lush! Seriously! Keep up the great work!
It's funny how Australia has adopted bits and pieces from both countries. For example, we leave out cookies and milk for "Santa" but we also have boxing day specails (like black friday) and Turkey.
+Atheist Orphan Oh aye, British Christmases are choking hazards aplenty. My mum still puts about 8 20-pence pieces in a Christmas pudding. No one has died yet, but there's been a few broken teeth.
+Rob Fraser You made me laugh! We have family with Danish roots and they put an almond in this bland, rice dish. We get the silver dollar afterward. Not as exciting as finding actual money in your food.
Agreed. I don't get the whole anti-sprout deal. Gosh, that was an incredibly American speech pattern I just used. Must retain identity. Must retain identity...
Also Boxing Day is great , when I worked Boxing Day , for the railway I was paid triple time , I felt sorry for The U.S.A. back then , everything was open and they had to work.
Alcohol -as much as possible- with and in your dessert pudding sounds right to me, bedside pressies in stockings and paper crowns all round. Christmas dinner with brussel sprouts has been a family favourite for ages, along with any roasted bird you can think of ... Siobhan, you're a gem ! Please carry on ...
In the states, pumpkin and/or pecan pie are traditionally eaten as dessert after a Thanksgiving meal. I've not heard that many have them as a Christmas dessert.
Pumpkin Pie is there for us every Christmas too. Remember the lyrics from “No place like home for the Holidays:” 🎶 I met a man who lives in Tennessee and he was heading for Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie 🎶
The xmas pud would traditionally have coins in it which the lucky finder could keep provided they didn't choke on it first. A lighter alternative to the xmas pud is a sherry trifle which is also heavily laden with alcohol. Not that we Brits are all hopeless drunkards who spend the whole festive season completely sozzled. Don't forget the tins of Quality Street and Roses sweets with everyone fighting to get their favourite. Oh and the epic hunt for the corkscrew/bottle opener. You end up having to borrow one from a neighbour and then yours suddenly reappears in mid January.
Haha! Yes you're quite right. Rum butter too. I never liked either of them but apparently when my older brother was a baby he wouldn't leave it alone. :-D
Actually Boxing Day is for us to recover from the inevitable hangover and go to football matches. Not that it matters much as a lot of people will take a week or two off for Christmas and New Year.
I have an artificial tree, and I'm definitely not in the majority in the states, but I like to keep my tree up through February because I love it and it makes me smile. And bitter cold and snow make me sad and grumpy. Plus I work retail, which in the US is kinda sole crushing. So I hang onto to all the holiday happy I can.
After living in England for nearly eight years, the things I miss the most are pantomimes and the Evensongs and Christmas programs put on by our sons' schools. We also can't get sausage rolls and mince pies here. I can make the pies that taste similar but our sausage is completely different, so I can't even make them. I also miss the week of movies that were on TV for the week between Christmas and New Years. We used to just run the recorder that whole week and have plenty of things to watch for months! LOL Sigh. I just miss England in its entirety. Happy Christmas everyone!
Apart from dousing the Christmas Pud in brandy and (hopefully) setting light to it, as a child the Christmas Pud also had money scattered through it. Sixpence coins were the going rate for me as a toddler and later 5p pieces. If you escaped swallowing it or breaking a tooth on it you got to spend the money on sweets.
Traditionally we should actually eat a goose (turkeys being a North American bird), hence the references in Christmas Carol and Sherlock Holmes. It was swan at one point, but Queen Victoria banned the killing of swans - I believe they still remain under Royal protection.
The perception of a Christmas goose being traditional actually started with Dickens I believe. Before that any sort of roast would do- most often beef which was a British specialty.
Idk about britain, but the most important part of a proper murican christmas is getting hammered and feasting. Love the video! Instantly subscribed! keep up the fantastic work!
Necessary parts to the meal: Turkey Ham Stuffing Roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips Mashed potato Yorkshire pudding (optional) Gravy Bread sauce Cranberry sauce The list goes on.
Jordan Lawe You can have a chilli stuffing & a fried egg on the top as well if you want, but traditionally there is no Yorkshire pudding served with turkey in England.
"We leave him brandy and a mince pie... Because he's a grown up." Oh hell yeah. I always assumed Father Christmas visited America first to line his stomach with the milk and cookies before approaching the spirit isles.
+nunya biznez Well technically, Santa does stop by on the UK last since the US tend to put the cookies and have their Christmas dinner on the night of the 24th. The Brits have their dinner on the 25th :/
+Kuya Dan American families actually differ in which day is the big day. For some, it is the 24th, while for others it is the 25th. My family had certain Christmas Eve traditions, but the meal was always on the 25th. In Latin America, the 24th can be so big that many people growing grow up thinking that IS Christmas Day.
Here’s how it goes in my family: 1. The letters to Father Christmas are just left on the piano/piano stool 2. We put a stocking near our beds and find sweets in them (I love that part of the video! A complete stranger who has been watching you? He also sees you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake) 3. We leave out a Schnapps and a few biscuits (we’re a German family, I take it there are no more questions to be asked?) 4. YAYYYY DANGEROUS EXPLOSIVES AHHHHH FUN FOR ALL! (Joking) We usually get things like hole-punchers or bottle openers, that awful pun and the paper hat/crown thing (which we all wear immediately) 5. We always wear them, and the grumpy relatives usually aren’t there with us and if they were, they wouldn’t be grumpy 👍. The arguments for me consist of the paper crowns, monopoly and Brussels sprouts. What’s the most popular Christmas wine? But Mum, I don’t want my Brussels sprouts!! 6. We often do Raclette for Christmas - or go for the more German salmon, duffy potatoes and beetroot 7. I’ve actually never seen a real-life Christmas pudding in front of me, but that does sound wonderful. Alcohol, fire and more explosives and alcohol. Yippee! 8. We don’t live in England anymore so we can’t get the Royal Christmas Message. I think we did watch it every year and pretend to be interested. 9. Yeah, I’ve never been shopping on Boxing Day, but I wouldn’t want to. I wouldn’t get trampled though, either. 10. Read the above 11. We usually take our tree down on the first or sixth of January of the new year (unless it’s brown and dead) I really enjoyed this video! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!
I'm British and I have never burnt any Xmas letters or have know anybody else to either. Also I have never hung a stocking by a bed it's either been hung by the fire place or placed under the tree and I've never left brandy out for santa it's always a glass of milk, a mince pie and a carrot for the reindeers. This presenter is obviously an upper class person from snobby London haha
American shows don't have Christmas specials the way the BBC does. I think American Christmas celebrations would be vastly improved if we adopted the Doctor Who Christmas special as mandatory viewing. :)
We have lamb because Turkey is so dry. Also, family likes to cook meat a day ahead of time and its the one that doesn't taste of cardboard after being re-heated
I have a Jamie Oliver video on preparing a traditional Xmas dinner, and thankfully some British traditions did not make it to Australia - Brussels sprouts yuk. A lot of Australian Xmas traditions are based on the Brits, but we are developing some of our own. As much as I like the traditional Xmas dinner (the chestnut and pork stuffing is to die for) it is really great to have Chritmas in Summer, we are finally fusing our own traditions onto the great British Xmas traditions e.g. having seafood - prawns, crab, Balmain bugs, fish such as salmon - with, or even instead of turkey. Also we can eat fresh food in season - cherries yum; sing carols by candlelight in parks; play backyard cricket after Xmas lunch. Seasons greetings to you all.
I lived in America for a number of years and no American i ever knew or heard of keeps their trees up for months or even weeks after Christmas... Where do you get your information from or is it just fun to poke the Americans whether its true or not? Also as a Brit ive never heard of burning the letters to Santa in the fire. Also Pecan and pumpkin pies are for the American holiday of Thanksgiving. On Christmas they usually serve different kinds of fudge and every kind of biscuit/cookie you can think of. It was really rather marvelous!
+DDelilahM I've known people to keep their trees up till February occasionally. Also I agree with the pie comment, it's Thanksgiving for pie usually. I know my mom always makes cookies with colored frosting and then someone might bring a pie but it's usually a fruit pie or chocolate pie.
+DDelilahM I've known people who kept their Christmas trees (the fake ones) up until spring or even early summer. People who use real trees are usually a little more sensible and take them down by January.
I live in the US, and my family has Christmas crackers (though we call them poppers), and go to a pantomime every year... The most recent one I went to was Peter Pan!
Mince pies and brandy butter! My British friends were shocked to hear that mince pies are not a thing in the US, and I'm planning to devote and entire day this year to make them from scratch for my family, now that I'm back home and can't just pop to the M&S...
We have pumpkin and pecan pie for Thanksgiving, but I have never seen anyone have it for Christmas. Too many Christmas cookies around to bother with making more pie.
I think both pies are seasonal and available all through the Nov-Feb period, but I don't particularly associate either one with Christmas per se, at least not near as much as with Thanksgiving (we always celebrate pie night with friends the night before Thanksgiving on the grounds that you'll be too stuffed to get to desert on the big day so why not have a pie and desert party the night before). I also think of Christmas cookies for Christmas deserts. In fact, the new Food Network magazine cover is "25 new Christmas Cookies to enjoy this year."
As an international student in the UK, I would love to spend typically British christmas one year, seems so much interesting than what my British acquaintances told me...
In my family it is compulsory to wear the paper hats from the christmas crackers and the first and second people to take theirs off have to do all the washing up.
New Year's Day, so can be off-balance and accidentally step on half-refilled boxes of blown glass ornaments. Anyone setting a tree carcass out in mid-Jan was mocked.
We're a stocking by the bed sort of family. The "stocking stuffers" even get wrapped up, at least in our house. So much excitement unwrapping the minute the kiddies awaken! I would hazard a guess and say you would find just as many families who hang stockings by the fire as you would putting stockings by their beds here in Canada 🇨🇦.
being Canadian I love both Traditions and being half British I tend towards the British ones as My Granny was from Lancashire and owned a Bakery. I love our "North American" ways but short bread, Lemon curd AND Pudding is a must for me but for that Pudding ...only me. great fun Video, thanks!!
I'm curious if these American Christmas traditions are also in the UK: 1. kissing under the mistletoe 2. making egg nog 3. decorating houses/front yards with lights 4. giving a fruit cake that no one ever actually eats 5. Christmas caroling around town/the neighborhood 6. decorating christmas cookies (I think you call them biscuits) 7. advent calendars 8. making hot cocoa
1. Yes, if you're lucky ;) 2. No, I think you lot may have got eggnog from the Dutch... they have a similar thing called advocaat. 3. Yes. 4. Yes. Although I always eat the marzipan off the top at least. 5. Yes, in most places. Although it seems to have died down a bit since I was a kid. Most people do it to raise money for charity. 6. Yep, we call them biscuits! And while some people might do that I don't think it's a central tradition... we do make gingerbread houses and gingerbread men however! 7. Yes, no Christmas is complete without an advent calendar. 8. Yes, but we call it hot chocolate... and being the drunkards we are, a lot of people will put Bailey's (Irish Cream) in it. Amaretto works well too.
A few differences. The fruit cake is denser than a normal fruit cake with more brandy, of course, and covered in thick marzipan and very heavy icing which looks like snow. It's called a christmas cake, usually, and is different to the christmas pudding mentioned in the video. Also, I really like it so I do eat it. At least the way my Grandmother makes it, as it has been every year of my life so far.
Trust me you would quickly get fed up of the cold, grey skies here. It is dark, bleak and depressing having almost no sunshine most of the year and always looking up and seeing grey and no colour. It might be fun for the first day but it is depressing. I grew up in the north of England but I moved down here to the south of England just to get as much sunlight as I possibly could. It's slightly better where I live now.
+The Gay Raven I was born there and lived there for 7 years before we moved to Australia. We still have the British traditions. You wanna try eating turkey and the rest when it's 35 degrees celsius outside, not fun. I'd love to experience at least one Christmas back in Colwyn Bay.
Not forgetting the Boxing Day hunt popular with the posh that my family watered down to a two hour long gallop on horseback through rough ground and hedges. I miss it...
Canadians have half of these traditions btw but my dad is Scottish so Nan brought all those traditions over save the speech, sausage wrapped bacon and burning letters! I love Christmas pudding!
Typical Christmas for my family:25th: we get up around 8:30am, open stocking presents, have some tea with a drop of brandy in, open bigger presents, have bacon sandwiches, go off on our own for a while, probably watch some TV. 3pm, have the Christmas dinner/bushtucker trial, where we eat the Brussels and Christmas pudding despite not really liking the taste. After that, we complain that we’re full and can’t eat anymore. Half an hour later we have a turkey sandwich and the Christmas cake, which again doesn’t actually taste very nice. Pretend to watch the Queen’s speech, crack out the Bailey’s and play a board game, watch some more TV, pass out.26th: get up late, try to recover from the hangover, realise the only solution is to drink more to numb the pain, more turkey sandwiches, turkey curry cuz we need to use it up before it goes out of date and more or less repeat till the New Year.
