Christmas in England is fairly similar to Christmas in the United States. But there are some differences that I thought I'd share.
Christmas Crackers--at Christmas parties and at the Christmas meal people open these crackers that look like oversized candies. The cracker is pulled by two people with their arms crossed.
One of the items inside is a paper crown (see photos below).
My friend Pamela brought crackers to our Secret Santa gift exchange dinner and inside each cracker was a crown, a fortune, and a moustache. Below is a photo of Kate and me after opening our crackers.
Hampers filled with nice food items and wine are a very popular gift at Christmastime. A lot of companies give these to their employees. Below are photos of window displays advertising hampers.
Mince pies are one type of food that is really popular at Christmastime. Just about every store that sells food sells mince pies this time of year and I've even seen a couple ice cream places selling mince pie ice cream. I tried a couple different mince pies but did not care for them. It is a really strong flavour of cloves and other spices.
Yule log cakes are another popular food item during Christmas.
Christmas puddings are another tradition this time of year. Puddings are popular year round (sticky toffee pudding or spotted dick pudding) but Christmas pudding is made of dried fruits, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and other spices. Christmas pudding is often served with brandy butter. The photo below is of a cake that is shaped like a Christmas pudding not an actual Christmas pudding.
Chestnuts are sold by street vendors all around England this time of year. After all these years of singing "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" I was finally able to try some! I really liked them, but Warren was not a fan.
During the Christmas season we have seen people dressed up in costume who are collecting donations for charity. Below is a photo of a woman we saw in Oxford dressed as Queen Victoria.
London seems to go all out with Christmas decorations. Below are photos of some of my favourites.
This next photo is of fake snow outside a store. There are a few stores that have been doing this. A machine just spits out fake snow on and off all day. These kids were really enjoying it.
Even though saying "Merry Christmas" is very common here I've still seen signs and cards that say "Happy Christmas".
One thing I am really looking forward to this Christmas is watching the special episodes of some of my favourite British TV shows. I already have Dr Who, Downton Abbey, Derek, and Call the Midwife set to record on Christmas Day.
The day after Christmas is a bank holiday called Boxing Day. One origin story for Boxing Day is that it was a day for servants of wealthy families to spend with their families since they would have worked on Christmas Day at their master's Christmas party or dinner. The employers would give them a box with gifts and leftover food. Now it is a paid holiday and a big shopping day.
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