Christmas in the United Kingdom

Christmas in the United Kingdom: British Traditions, Food & Father Christmas

Christmas in the United Kingdom brings together centuries of religious tradition, Victorian customs, family celebrations and distinctly British inventions such as the Christmas cracker.

The main celebration is Christmas Day, December 25, while December 26 is Boxing Day, another major part of the British Christmas period and an official bank holiday.

Although many Christmas customs are shared across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each of the four nations also has its own regional traditions.

When do people celebrate Christmas in Britain?

Christmas preparations usually build throughout December.

Homes are decorated with Christmas trees, lights, wreaths and cards. Schools hold Christmas events, towns illuminate shopping streets, churches prepare Christmas services and families organize gatherings.

Christmas Eve falls on December 24.

For many children, that means hanging stockings and waiting for Father Christmas or Santa Claus.

Christmas Day on December 25 is traditionally the main family celebration.

Is Santa called Father Christmas in Britain?

Both Father Christmas and Santa Claus are commonly used.

Father Christmas has a particularly long British cultural history, while the modern character has become closely blended with the international Santa Claus.

British children may hang stockings on Christmas Eve and leave a small snack or drink for Father Christmas, often with something for the reindeer as well.

🎅 Santa Says

British houses present an unusual operational challenge.

Some people leave me mince pies.

Some leave biscuits.

Occasionally somebody leaves a drink.

After several million houses, this becomes a workplace-safety issue.

What is a British Christmas dinner?

Christmas dinner is one of the biggest events of Christmas Day.

A modern British Christmas meal commonly includes roast turkey with accompaniments such as stuffing, roast potatoes, vegetables, gravy and frequently pigs in blankets — small sausages wrapped in bacon.

Traditional desserts include Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas cake and other sweets.

Christmas pudding has long been associated with British Christmas and may be served dramatically with brandy poured over it and ignited.

What are Christmas crackers?

If you sit down for Christmas dinner in Britain, there may be a brightly wrapped paper tube beside your plate.

That is a Christmas cracker.

Two people pull opposite ends until it snaps apart with a small bang. Inside there is traditionally a paper crown, a joke or motto and a small gift.

The Christmas cracker was developed by London confectioner Tom Smith in the 19th century. The Victoria and Albert Museum records that Smith patented an early cracker device in 1847, while his son Walter later helped introduce paper hats and novelties.

Which explains one of the great mysteries of British Christmas:

Why is everyone eating an expensive dinner while wearing a flimsy paper crown?

Because tradition said so.

Christmas trees in Britain

Christmas trees are now completely normal throughout Britain, but the Royal Family played an important role in making them fashionable.

The Royal Family says Queen Charlotte introduced the custom to the royal household in the late eighteenth century, while Queen Victoria and her German-born husband Prince Albert helped popularize the Christmas tree throughout Britain during the nineteenth century.

Images of Victoria, Albert and their family around a decorated tree helped turn it into a fashionable Victorian Christmas custom.

Christmas stockings and presents

Children traditionally receive presents from Father Christmas or Santa Claus.

Stockings may be hung by a fireplace, placed at the end of a bed or left somewhere Santa is expected to find them.

Larger presents are commonly placed under the Christmas tree.

Families differ considerably over when presents should be opened.

Some allow a few on Christmas Eve.

Others insist everything waits until Christmas morning.

This topic has probably caused more Christmas negotiations than many international treaties.

The Christmas broadcast

A particularly British Christmas tradition is the monarch’s Christmas broadcast.

The first royal Christmas broadcast was delivered by King George V in 1932, and the tradition developed into a regular part of Christmas Day for many families in Britain and across the Commonwealth.

Today the annual Christmas message is delivered by the reigning monarch.

What is Boxing Day?

Boxing Day is December 26, the day immediately after Christmas Day.

It is a bank holiday throughout the United Kingdom, although substitute holiday dates can apply when it falls on a weekend.

Today Boxing Day can involve visiting family, watching sport, relaxing after Christmas, eating leftovers and shopping in post-Christmas sales.

For many households it essentially means:

Christmas Day, Part Two — but with significantly more leftover turkey.

Mince pies

A mince pie is one of Britain’s best-known Christmas foods.

Despite the name, modern mince pies usually contain mincemeat, a sweet mixture containing dried fruit, spices and other ingredients rather than minced meat.

They appear in supermarkets, bakeries, offices and homes throughout the Christmas period.

Father Christmas is frequently offered one.

This is a tradition I strongly support.

Christmas pantomime

Another distinctive British festive tradition is pantomime, often shortened to panto.

These family stage shows typically take familiar fairy tales and mix them with comedy, music, audience participation, exaggerated characters and jokes.

Audiences are encouraged to shout at the stage.

For children who have repeatedly been told to sit quietly in theatres, this is an excellent December loophole.

How do people say Merry Christmas in Britain?

The normal greeting is simply:

Merry Christmas!

You will also frequently hear:

Happy Christmas!

Both are completely normal.

What makes British Christmas distinctive?

British Christmas is a remarkable mixture of old and newer traditions.

Father Christmas, stockings, Victorian Christmas trees, turkey dinners, mince pies, Christmas pudding, paper crowns, crackers, television specials, the royal Christmas broadcast and Boxing Day all contribute to the modern celebration.

And somewhere during Christmas dinner, somebody will inevitably read a terrible joke from a cracker.

That may be Britain’s most reliable Christmas tradition of all.

Quick answer

When is Christmas celebrated in the UK?
Christmas Day is December 25.

What is Santa called in Britain?
Both Father Christmas and Santa Claus are commonly used.

What is Boxing Day?
December 26, the day after Christmas.

What are Christmas crackers?
Paper novelties pulled apart with a snap, traditionally containing a crown, joke and small gift.

What do British people eat for Christmas?
Turkey is common, with roast potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, gravy and other accompaniments, followed by desserts such as Christmas pudding or mince pies.