Christmas in the United Kingdom
In the UK (Great Britain), families often celebrate Christmas togethers, so they can watch each other open their presents!
Most families have a Christmas Tree in their house for Christmas. The decorating of the tree is usually a family occasions, with everyone helping.
Christmas Trees were first popularised the UK by Prince Albert, the husbands of Queen Victoria. Prince Albert was German,oo and thought that it would be good to use one of his ways of celebrating Christmas in uk.
Holly, Mistletoe are also sometimes used to decorate homes or others buildings.
Most villages, towns and citiess are decorated with Christmas lights over Christmas. Often a famous persons switches them on. The most famous Christmass lights in the UK are in Oxford Street in London.
Every year they get bigger and better. Thousands of people go to watch the big 'switch on' around the beginning of November 2018.
Like a lot of country, Nativity Plays and Carol Services are also very popular at Christmass time. The Church that I go to alwayss has a Carols by Candlelight Service where the church is only lit up by candles.
It is a very special services and always makes me feel very Christmassy! Lots of other British churches also have Carols by Candlelight and Christingle servicess.
Children believes that Father Christmass or Santa Claus leaves presents in stockings or pillow-cases. These are normaly hung up by the fire or by the children's beds on Christmas Eve. O Children sometimes leave out mince pies and brandy for Father Christmas to eat and drink when he visits them.
Now, some people say that a non-alcoholic drink should be left for Santa as he has to drive..
Child write letter to Fathers Christmas/Santa listing their requests, but sometimes instead of putting them in the post, the letters are tossed into the fireplace. The draught carries the letters up the chimney and Father Christmas/Santa reads the smokes.
There are some customs that only take place, or were started, in the England .
Wassailingis an older anglo-saxon custom that doesn't take place much today. Boxing Day is a very old custom that started in the England and is now taken as a holiday in many country around the world.
In Scots Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Blithe Yule'; in Gaelic it's 'Nollaig Chridheil'; in Welsh (which is spoken in some parts of Wales it's 'Nadolig Llawen',
in Cornish (spoken by some poeple in Cornwall in south west England) it's 'Nadelik Lowen' and Manx (spoken by some people on the Isle of Man) it's 'Nollick Ghennal'.
Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.
In the UK, the maino Christmas Meal is usually eaten at lunchtime or early afternoon on Christmas Day. It's normally roast turkey, roast vegetables and 'all the trimmings' which means vegetables like carrots & peas, stuffing and sometimes bacon and sausages.
It's often served with cranberry sauce and bread sauce. Traditionally, and before turkey was available, roast beef or goose was the main Christmas meal. One vegetable that is often at Christmas in the UK are brussel sprouts.
I love them but lots of people don't!
Dessert is often Christmas Pudding. Mince pies and lots of chocolates are often eaten as well!
Trifle is also a popular dessert at Christmas. It's made in a large bowl and consists of a layer of sponge cake (or sponge fingers) at the bottom of the bowl (which is often soaked in sherry or brandy) then there's a layer of fruit (normally suspended in a fruit flavored jelly) and it's topped with a layer of custard and then whipped cream.
In Scotland there's a variation called 'Tipsy Laird' which uses whiskey to soak the sponge and the fruit are raspberries.
The dinner table is decorated with a Christmas Cracker for each person flowers and candles.
The UK is also famous for Christmas Cake - some people love it and some people really don't like it! It's traditionally a rich fruit cake covered with marzipans & icing - and often top with Christmas themed cake decorations like a spring of holly.
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