A Very British Christmas

Ever wonder what makes up a traditional British Christmas? Everyone has their own special Christmas traditions – here are some of ours! If you live in North America, you may enjoy this juxtaposition of different ways to celebrate.

NB – This blog post was originally written in 2013, back when we enjoyed one of our last Christmas celebrations with my late in-laws. I updated this blog post in 2024. Our Christmas traditions have evolved since they passed away, but this article will give you an idea of some of the differences between North American and British Christmas celebrations.

When I moved to England over thirty years ago I was surprised by how different the Christmas celebrations could be. To start with, Christmas lunch was, well, lunch – not dinner at about 5pm as I was used to. Oh, and we set fire to the dessert, but more about that later. 

Of course traditions vary family to family and they are constantly evolving. However, here’s a little peak into some of the traditions you may come across if you happen to be in England for Christmas.

Father Christmas

Santa – who is called Father Christmas – visits on Christmas Eve to fill stockings and leave presents under the Christmas tree just like I was used to in Canada. However, instead of cookies and milk, children leave Father Christmas a mince pie and a glass of sherry. I have no idea how he drives after so many glasses of sherry but as he is magical, perhaps alcohol does not affect him! Carrots are usually left out for the reindeer.

Stockings are opened first thing Christmas morning, but in some families larger gifts may be left till after Christmas lunch, as we used to when my in-laws were alive. We now open all the presents in the morning but many families still continue this tradition. I always thought it was quite unfair to ask small children to wait to open their presents until late in the afternoon after a very long lunch. I also love to enjoy opening presents with a coffee and a breakfast treat.

The main Christmas meal at my late in-law’s was almost always served at no later than one o’clock in order to ensure that everyone finished in time to gather round the television and watch The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast at 3pm. (Of course, now we have the King’s Christmas Broadcast.)

The Christmas Table

Whatever time the Christmas meal is enjoyed, decorating the Christmas table is a fun tradition. Everyone has a Christmas cracker at their place at the table. Crackers are decorated paper cylinders with folded paper hats shaped like crowns, a novelty gift and a joke inside. They make a loud crack as they are pulled apart and the novelties inside fall out. You then put the “crown” on and share the silly jokes. My late mother-in-law used to take the hat tradition to another level give everyone a silly hat to wear as they sit down. I liked the idea that we did not have to wear the paper hats, although I confess we no longer carry on this tradition!

That’s me on the left and my sister and brother in law on the right back in 2013. A lot of people wear Christmas jumpers (sweaters) to Christmas lunch or dinner as well.

The Christmas Meal

An appetizer course is sometimes served. If it is, it is generally something very light, perhaps some smoked salmon or shrimp cocktail. Nowadays we tend to skip this course as you just get so full! Turkey – and sometimes ham – are the main dishes served at most British Christmas tables. Some of the side dishes you’ll find at our table are Crispy Crunchy Roast Potatoes and Apricot and Celery Stuffing (pictured below).

Chestnut and / or sausage stuffing may be served as well. Sometimes sausage stuffing is rolled into balls before it is cooked and served alongside the turkey with tiny, slightly addictive bacon wrapped sausages. Stuffing is never referred to as ‘dressing’ here, even when it is cooked outside the bird.

There will be a number of vegetables served but generally dressed simply with butter and salt and pepper. There will almost always be Brussels Sprouts. We sometimes have Creamed Spinach as well.

Dessert was traditionally Christmas Pudding (and generally is at our house), but we now also enjoy Mince Pies and other treats like my Auntie Irene’s Cherry Christmas Squares.

Christmas Pudding is a mixture of lots of dried fruits and spices mixed with flour, suet (fat), eggs and brandy, although recipes for this traditional dessert vary wildly between cooks. Traditionally it is garnished with a sprig of holly and carried flaming to the table. Christmas pudding is served with either Brandy Custard, Hard Sauce or Brandy-laced heavy cream.

Mincemeat pies are sometimes served as well. These are small tarts filled with a delicious combination of currants, raisin, sugar, apples, candied peel, suet and sometimes nuts and cranberries. I also like to serve Mincemeat Oat Squares or small squares of Brandy and Mincemeat Cake but this is not at all traditional!

For those who still have room there’s a cheese course, generally accompanied by small glasses of Port, a sweet fortified wine.

After lunch finishes, most families used to watch The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast. Now we watch The King’s Christmas Broadcast in exactly the same way.

After lunch, The King’s Christmas Broadcast and present opening we mostly just collapse on the sofas and play silly board games or maybe watch a Christmas film on television. If anyone is still hungry, there’s always plenty of chocolate and dried fruit, ‘sweetmeats’ (candy or crystallised fruit) and nuts. We also drink copious amounts of hot tea.

Teatime

At about 7 or 8pm , we have Cucumber Sandwiches and more tea. Making a sandwich with cucumber may sound odd, but thin cold slices of cucumber served on buttered white bread with salt and pepper are actually incredibly delicious. Sometimes salmon sandwiches are served as well.

Following the sandwiches there’s almost always a Traditional Christmas Cake. We use the recipe passed down from my husband’s Grandmother, Nana, who used it when she was a cook in a stately home in the Edwardian era. I have also developed a Gluten-Free Christmas Cake based on Nana’s recipe.

I miss my Canadian Christmases – and especially the people who are no longer with us – but over the years the British way of celebrating has grown on me too. I love how we now enjoy a hybrid of both country’s traditions in our family, but I hope this has given you a glimpse into some of the things you may experience if you find yourself in England for Christmas!

What are some of your favourite Christmas traditions?

More Christmas Posts

Old Fashioned Christmas Pudding

Old Fashioned British Christmas Cake

Orange Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

Maple Fudge

Aunt Dorothy’s Butterscotch Squares