A Cracking Christmas! Brilliant Holiday Traditions in the UK Chris Caggiano December 12, 2012 Europe, general, Holiday Travel, London Ah, Christmas in the UK! In general, Christmas in England and the rest of the UK isn’t all that different than what Americans are probably accustomed to. Christmas trees, twinkly lights, candy canes, Santa Claus…it’s all here, except Santa is called “Father Christmas,” thank you very much. And of course with the whole Dickens vibe all over London and the southeast of England, as well as the lasting traces of the Victorian era, the ghosts of Christmas Past never seem too far away from any British seasonal festivities. Of course, there are many traditions that are specific to celebrating Christmas in the UK. Here’s a selection of some of our favorites. Mince Pies Mince pies are ubiquitous at Christmastime in the UK. Most folks love them. Some find them revolting. Everyone has to eat them. They’re little sweet pies made with dried fruits (lots of raisins) and a bit of spice (cinnamon and clove definitely). Freshly made at local bakery or pre-packaged in decorative box at a major chain supermarket, mince pies abound in inexpensive versions throughout the land. If offered any, it’s considered fairly rude not to at least try one. Mulled Wine and Cider Mulled wine is also a British staple of the Yuletide. “Mulled” essentially means spiced and heated. A steamy serving of this aromatic drink is an ideal winter warmer. The concoction typically starts with red wine or cider mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and other baking spices, and often featuring some sliced fruits. The mixture is then heated up to a simmer for at least 15 minutes, but it can stay at a low simmer for hours to achieve and even deeper richer flavor. As for traditions, It wouldn’t be too far off the mark to think of a hot mug of mulled wine or cider as the liquid equivalent of a mince pie. Christmas Crackers Christmas crackers are cardboard tubes wrapped in colorful paper twisted at the ends to look like oversized sweets. They are opened by pulling apart the ends either by one (for small cracker) or two people (for a larger one) as you would pull on a wishbone. Cracking them open comes with a “bang” (like that of a cap gun), and inside you’ll find various toys and surprises, including paper crowns, plastic toys, and slips of paper with jokes written on them. Wearing your crown during your dinner is obligatory, as is reading your groan-worthy joke (often of the “so bad it’s good” variety”) aloud to the rest of your party. Slightly more expensive crackers might even contain an item worth keeping like nail clippers or a small deck of cards. If you really want to go high-end, London shops sell upscale versions for about £1,000 for a half dozen, and Tiffany recently set a record for selling a Christmas cracker for £180,000, which of course came with a piece of diamond jewelry. Christmas Dinner For Christmas dinner in the UK, there’s usually there’s a large roast turkey at the center of the table with all the trimmings — think of a feast along the lines of an American Thanksgiving. However, a ham or even roast beef isn’t out of the ordinary. Brussels sprouts are a mandatory side, and deliciously worth rediscovering if you’ve disdained them since some bad childhood experience. You also will likely find on your plate a Yorkshire Pudding, a sort of mini soufflé-like dinner roll. (It’s a lot more delicious than it sounds.) Dinner is then promptly followed by… Christmas Pudding More sweets spiced up with cloves and such…are you sensing a Yuletide theme? Christmas Pudding in Britain is a dense mixture of flour, brown sugar, raisins, currants, suet, breadcrumbs, citron, lemon peel, orange peel, mixed spices, eggs, milk, and brandy. Lots and lots of brandy. In 1714, King George I commanded that this age-old dessert be served as part of his royal feast for his first Christmas in England. And ever since then, this pud’ has been a stalwart tradition at English Christmas feasts. Robust, infused with lots and lots of brandy, and some would say downright stodgy, Christmas Pudding is often served set alight (hence the brandy) for a spectacular end to your celebratory meal. Christmas Entertainment Much as American children and adults alike look forward to our own Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Brits have their own holiday specials that they look forward to and re-watch every year, including the sweet and melancholy cartoon, The Snowman. They also cheerfully partake of a plethora of Christmas episodes of classic British TV comedies, including Blackadder, Absolutely Fabulous, The Vicar of Dibley, Are You Being Served?, and Keeping up Appearances. One TV tradition that will sadly not continue is the Queen’s Christmas speech, because, of course, Queen Elizabeth II has passed away. But the newly minted King Charles III will take up the microphone in her stead for the first time in 2022. Parlor Games In case of a power cut, British families have plenty of entertainment options that don’t involve the “telly.” Many families play traditional parlor games like charades and hide and seek, or popular board games like Guess Who and Cluedo, the UK version of Clue). Another very popular pastime that amps up during the holiday is pub quizzes, which feature trivia contests that take place at your local neighborhood pub. So grab a pint and a pen, and let’s start the game! Pantomimes Pantomime – Mother Goose by Millfield Manager licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 One particular form of entertainment that UK audiences enjoy, one that most Americans have never even heard of, is the pantomime. Pantomimes, aka “pantos,” are bawdy, broad burlesques of classic stories like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Aladdin. By “burlesque” here we mean in old-fashioned sense of broad parodies or lampoons. Pantos are often suggestive, but rarely smutty. In fact, pantos are geared to the family audience, with lots of audience participation, shameless overacting, outlandish female impersonators, and plenty of slapstick nonsense that’s completely irrelevant to the story at hand. Boxing Day Boxing Day in the UK was traditionally a day when the servants got off and made boxed lunches from the leftovers from the family Christmas meal. These days, with family servants are fewer and further between, Boxing Day has become a day to take advantage of after-Christmas blowout sales and recover from the spirited indulgence of the day before. Boxing Day used to be the biggest shopping day in the UK, but has recently been surpassed by Black Friday. No, the Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but Black Friday has become so ubiquitous, it’s actually spread to many non-U.S. countries, and typically takes place on the same day as in the United States. That’s commerce for you. Do you have a favorite English holiday food or tradition? Let us know in the comments below!
