With Christmas just around the corner, it can feel like a time to celebrate togetherness and put aside our differences, but what about the differences in the ways we celebrate Christmas? When you’ve been celebrating a holiday one way your entire life, it’s easy to assume that’s the way it’s celebrated everywhere, but just ask someone who celebrates Christmas across the pond and you’ll see some subtle but strange differences. Here are just a few of them:
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Crackers: No, we’re not talking about saltines here. These are a series of three cardboard tubes connected by a wrapping of colored foil. They are a British Christmas institution, and you’ll see them on dinner tables right next to the cutlery. They’re somewhere between pulling the wishbone on a turkey and a fortune cookie. The idea is that you and the person next to you each grab an end and pull. The tubes pull apart with a small bang (or crack) thanks to the tiny explosive inside. The winner of the game is the person with the lion’s share of cardboard tubes and their prizes sit inside that middle tube.
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| Christmas Pudding: A classic festive dish that dates back to the medieval era, the Christmas pudding is a sort of boiled fruit cake that’s heavily spiced, doused in brandy, and briefly set on fire. Traditionally, coins are hidden inside as an extra gift. |
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| Mince Pies: The humble mince pie has been a part of British cuisine since the 13th century, when crusading knights returned home with exciting new ingredients from the wider world: cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. There were quickly added to pies with dried fruit, suet, and minced meat. |
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| The Royal Christmas Broadcast: Since 1959, the broadcast has been pre-recorded, but is still faithfully beamed into homes across the country at 3 p.m. on Christmas day. The subject matter tends to be similar every year: a reflection on the events of the previous 365 days and an overall message of togetherness. |
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| Boxing Day: December 26 is more than simply “The Day after Christmas” to the Brits—it’s Boxing Day! Boxing Day is not only a public holiday (which means it’s an extra day off work), it’s also the starting flag for the post-Christmas sales. Much like Black Friday in the U.S., the Boxing Day sales aren’t for the fainthearted. With shoppers flush with cash from the distant relatives who didn’t know them well enough to get them a meaningful gift, the bargain-hunting can be riotous. |
