For scenes straight out of a box
of old-fashioned Christmas cards,
we head to England, to the city of Bath.
Here, in the heart of the old town
near the magnificent medieval abbey,
Bath hosts an annual Christmas market.
Carols are a deeply ingrained part
of the English Christmas tradition.
The custom goes back to Shakespeare's day.
Today, young and old sing their way through the season.
Here the Bath Abbey Choir of Boys and Men
are performing a carol concert by candlelight.
[ Choir singing "Oh, Holy Night" ]
[ Introduction to light, staccato melody ]
[ Choir singing ]
As is the case just about anywhere,
it's in the countryside that families celebrate Christmas
in the most down-to-earth style.
My friends Maddy and Paul and their kids,
Theo and Leila, are looking for a living tree,
which they'll decorate and then plant at home.
That the right size?
Man: You think it would look good with the fairy on top?
Brilliant. I like it.
It's a new twist on an old tradition,
with a wink to the nature-worshiping pagans
who once haunted these parts.
Decorating with greens goes back to the druids
who adorned their temples with swags of evergreen.
For pagans, living greens in the dead of winter
represented the persistence of life.
And for Christians, evergreens are a reminder
of the gift of everlasting life.
During the hectic season,
getting together to bake Christmas goodies
while the little ones decorate edible ornaments,
is a fine way for busy mums to spend some time together.
Maddy's recipe for mince pies
harkens back to the days of Henry VIII.
Back then, the dried fruits, spices, and shredded meat
for the filling were so expensive
that only the wealthy could afford to make mince pie.
According to tradition, 12 pies should be eaten
during the 12 days of Christmas
to ensure good luck each month of the coming year.
Woman: Don't let me forget those mince pies, Maddy.
But it's the Christmas pudding that's the real centerpiece
of a traditional English holiday meal.
This is Christmas pudding,
and it's made with lots of very special ingredients
that in days gone by, they used to be very expensive.
And you know you call it "figgy pudding"
because they used to have lots of figs in it.
But it used to be made in Elizabethan times,
and we all have, because it's so special,
an extra big stir and an extra big wish.
Kids: ♪ Now bring us some figgy pudding. ♪
♪ Now bring us some figgy pudding. ♪
♪ Now bring some out here. ♪♪
Put this one up here.
Like a lot of us,
Maddy and Paul are opting for a simpler,
less commercial style of Christmas,
and that's reflected in their family traditions.
Little Theos and Leilas wouldn't always have been
so involved in the family activities.
Childhood as we know it really began
in 19th-century England with the new middle class.
And at Christmas those stern Victorians
gave themselves permission to indulge their children.
[ Talks indistinctly ]
The English tradition of caroling starts very young.
We're visiting Theo's school as the students take center stage
at the 14th-century village church
for a very special Christmas concert.
[ Children singing to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" ]
♪ ...This is the road to Bethlehem ♪
♪ on a cold and frosty morning ♪
♪ We're going to be taxed in Bethlehem, ♪
♪ Bethlehem, Bethlehem ♪
♪ We're going to be taxed in Bethlehem ♪
♪ on a cold and frosty morning ♪
♪ Where should we stay in Bethlehem ♪
♪ Bethlehem, Bethlehem ♪
♪ Where should we stay in Bethlehem ♪
♪ on a cold and frosty morning? ♪
♪ There is no place in Bethlehem, ♪
♪ Bethlehem, Bethlehem ♪
♪ There is no place to Bethlehem ♪
♪ on a cold and frosty morning ♪♪
[ Applause ]
[ Children singing "Jingle Bells" ]
Christmas is drawing near,
and tonight these lucky kids
are taking a train through the woods
to meet Santa,
or as the English know him, Father Christmas.
Man: Come on in now.
Come on in and stand just there.
And you stand just there.
You come across there. That's right.
Tell me your names.
Now, what's your name?
Dillon. Hello.
What's your name?
Kate.
And what's your name?
Jack.
Well done! Now then, most important.
What do you want for Christmas?
I don't know.
Just some surprises.
I'm very good at surprises.
And what do you want?
Well, I haven't writ my list out yet.
So we're going to wait for your list,
and when it comes, I'll be ready for it.
Now, are you going to do something for me?
Are you going to leave me something out on Christmas Eve?
Child: Yes!
What are you going to leave me?
Mince pies and wine!
And are you going to leave a carrot for the reindeer?
Yeah. Yes!
We'll check back with Theo and Leila
on Christmas Eve.
What was your name darling? Kate.
While children on their best behavior
ask Santa for the toy of their dreams,
my wish right now is a chance to hear
one of finest chamber choirs in England,
The Sixteen,
filling a church with timeless sounds of the season.
Woman soloist: ♪ The holly and the ivy ♪
♪ Trees that's both well-known ♪
♪ Of all the trees that grows in woods ♪
♪ The holly bears the crown ♪
Chorus: ♪ The rising of the sun ♪
♪ The running of the deer ♪
♪ The playing of the merry harp ♪
♪ Sweet singing in the choir ♪
Male soloist: ♪ The holly bears a bark ♪
♪ As bitter as any gall ♪
♪ And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ ♪
♪ For to redeem us all ♪
Chorus: ♪ The rising of the sun ♪
♪ The running of the deer ♪
♪ The playing of the merry harp ♪
♪ Sweet singing in the choir ♪
Woman soloist: ♪ The holly and the ivy ♪
♪ Trees that's both well-known ♪
♪ Of all the trees that grows in woods ♪
♪ The holly bears the crown ♪
Chorus: ♪ The rising of the sun ♪
♪ The running of the deer ♪
♪ The playing of the merry harp ♪
♪ Sweet singing in the choir ♪♪