Welcome to our Top 10 British Christmas Traditions.
Christmas cards. Started in the UK in 1843 by Henry Cole, who worked for the newly formed Post Office. He was looking for a way
to encourage ordinary people to use the Postal Service. He had an artist friend, design a card.
They were sold for one shilling each, the equivalent of 5p today, sold as a Christmas
celebration card to perpetuate kind recollections between friends. With that catchy slogan it's a
miracle they ever caught on. To this day cards are still exchanged in person or via the post.
Mulled wine. Introduced into Europe by the invading Romans,
mulled wine was widely enjoyed in England in the Middle Ages. Spices were added to promote good
health. Herbs and flowers were added as natural sweeteners to make the wine more palatable.
In the 1890s, Sweden produced Glogg in bottles with pictures of Santa.
Over time the craze was reignited across Europe, and in a few decades, the world.
Mistletoe. The tradition of hanging mistletoe dates back to the Ancient Druids, who believed the
plant brought good luck and protected from evil. In Norse Mythology, mistletoe symbolised love
which is where the custom of kissing under the mistletoe came from. In the UK, the tradition
dates back to the 1700s. The Victorians popularized it, as it was thought to symbolize fertility and romance.
Mince pies. Originally filled with meat rather than the dried fruits
and spices mix they are today. During Stuart and Georgian times, mince pies were a status symbol,
being made into stars, hearts and flowers. These days, they're round and deep filled with mincemeat,
a crumbly pastry and dusted with icing sugar, best served warm with cream.
Crackers. Crackers are an additional favourite in the UK. First made in 1850 by a London sweep maker
called Tom Smith. Sold as bangs of expectation, legend has it he thought up the idea of a small
explosion as the cracker was opened, while watching his log fire crackle.
This might have been a marketing ploy as he bought the bangs for his crackers
from Brook's fireworks company. Originally only containing sweets, his sons introduced the hats
and travelled the world looking for ideas for gifts to put in their crackers.
In the average cracker today, you can expect a bang that rarely fires on its first pull, a simple toy
and a joke that is expected to be terrible. If it doesn't make you groan, it hasn't done its' job.
When it comes to the hats, us British are a little too reserved to wholeheartedly enjoy
wearing a silly hat in public. "Merry Christmas"! But the good news is one size fits all.
The Queen's speech. The pre-recorded Queen's speech is an integral part of a British Christmas.
I know of families who don't open the gifts until after, which given it's aired at 3pm, is surely a
form of torture. The older generations stand bolt upright at the first hint of a National Anthem,
while we look on bemused. The Queen traditionally talks about the year
and any challenges the Nation and the Royal Family has faced.
This year could be quite a long one. It normally has a resigned tone, and congratulates
us all for keeping our chins up through whatever trials and tribulations have been faced.
Festive lunch. I can taste it now. The succulent turkey, fluffy roast potatoes, sausages wrapped
in bacon, meaty stuffing, vegetables, and gravy poured over. Delicious. A traditional British
Christmas meal is served as an often running a bit late lunch, sat up at a festively decorated table,
including wine and crackers. It's possibly my favourite meal of the year, not least as Dan cooks it.
British people are very keen on Christmas lunch and all the trimmings, the trimmings being
all the extras like the sausages in bacon, and for some, Yorkshire puddings and Cranberry sauce.
Christmas pudding. It became our traditional Christmas dessert around 1650, and by the time
Victorians were celebrating, the same as we enjoyed today. Many traditions continue to this day.
Some say the puddings should have 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his Disciples,
that every member of a family should give the pudding a stir for luck before it's boiled,
and put away in a cupboard with alcohol added for a good month. And my favourite, a good
luck sixpence or silver charm added to the mix before cooking, to be discovered during eating,
and hopefully not breaking a tooth. I still remember sitting eyes wide as a child, as the
pudding was walked into the darkened room aflame. It's definitely part of the magic of Christmas.
Boxing day. The day after Christmas Day is called Boxing Day. It was traditionally a holiday for
servants, and employers would give gifts. Servants also went home to visit and give gifts to their
families. In cities, tradesmen and women would go door-to-door of homes they had serviced that year
to wish the occupants a Merry Christmas, and hopefully receive a gift. These days families
see it as a day to rest after all the celebration and cooking the day before. Children will play
with their toys, and meals are leftovers, though in our family we have a roast beef for dinner.
Twelfth night. It's tradition to take down all your Christmas decorations by Twelfth night,
which falls on the sixth of January, and it's considered bad luck to leave anything up.
Unbeknown to me, in the past there was a whole Twelfth night celebration, celebrating the Three
Wise Men's visit to Jesus, including much partying and practical jokes. Plays, some say
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was originally performed on the night in the 1600s, and a
rich fruit cake. Whomever found the bean hidden in the cake was pronounced King or Queen bean
and is obeyed for the rest of the evening. Some form of the celebrations continue to this day.