2. What do we do on Christmas?
In Britain, Christmas time is spent with the family. This could be just your
immediate family or your extended family with all your cousins, uncles and
aunties.
Christmas time doesn´t just include Christmas day on the 25th, but also the build
up and the time after. Boxing Day is the 26th and everybody has this day off work.
3. The build up to Christmas is a magical time. Christmas songs are played on
the radio and in shops, and adverts on TV.
The most famous advert around this time is the Coca Cola advert. The original
Coca Cola advert in the 1930s changed Santa from his usual green outfit to
the red one he wears today.
4. Christmas songs
People in Britain love Christmas songs. There are the old classics like Jingle Bellsa
and We Wish You A Merry Christmas, but also Fairy Tale of New York by the
Pogues, Merry Christmas by Slade and last Christmas by Wham.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A8KT365wlA
5. Christmas TV
Christmas TV in England is fantastic. Special editions of TV shows are shown like
Doctor Who, Gavin and Stacey, Wallace and Gromit and Top of the Pops. Also
Christmas films like Home Alone, Gremlins, A Christmas Carol and bizarrely…Die
Hard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb-pX7sIjFY
Also, for really boring people there´s the Queen´s annual Christmas speech.
6. Presents
It´s tradition to leave presents for people under the Christmas tree, but then
only open them together on the 25th. Little kids believe that Santa Claus
brings their presents. He´s supposed to fly with his reindeer and come down
the chimney, leaving presents. On Christmas Eve, you leave out a glass of
wine and some biscuits for Santa and a carrot for his reindeer.
Also, a stocking is left out, usually above the fireplace, in which little gifts are
put in.
7. Christmas Dinner
This is a very important part of Christmas
Day.
The Turkey:
Roast potatoes and roast parsnips:
11. Also, we pull Christmas Crackers over Christmas dinner. Inside the Cracker, there is a party hat, a cheap item
and a terrible joke.
• What do you call a blind reindeer?
No eye deer.
• What do you call a fish with no eye?
• FSH.
12. Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is the 26th of December, the day after Christmas. It´s a bank
holiday and usually people stay at home with their kids, playing with their
new presents.
However, on this day, there are always football games.
13. A White Christmas
Every year in Britain, we hope for a White Christmas. This means that there´s
snow. It usually happens in Scotland, but in England it´s rare. There´s only
been 8 accounts in the last 100 years of snow on Christmas Day, with 2004
being the last time.
However, it´s snowing now in Northern England, so there may be one this
year.
