Do you fit in as an American living in the UK?

I remember my Jewish sister and I would celebrate Christmas by going to the movies.

Ah, that and going out for Chinese on Christmas day!

Hmm, I thought of many things to mention while reading this thread.  First, as someone mentioned, in the US there is separation of church and state.  So even though the US may seem to be more religious than the UK, they are not allowed to discuss God or prayer or the Bible in public schools like they can in the UK.

Regarding hymns, my daughter in primary school sings all kinds of stuff at assembly every morning: everything from "Shine, Jesus Shine" to "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen! I laughed so hard when she told me that was a hymn.  I think they just don't take themselves too seriously, which is nice. 

I feel like I fit in most of the time here, because I work here, ride buses and trains, shop, have my name on bills, do all the things I would do here.  I have only one complaint, and I don't know what the deal is, but it really makes me angry.  Whenever I need to get something fixed, for instance, if a utility company has made an error and overcharged us and I call to sort it out, or I'm trying to get service at a store that doesn't seem to understand what I'm asking them, or any other situation involving a merchant or company that is not completely straightforward, I feel like I am being discriminated against because I'm an American.  I can feel the condescension like a wave.  The employees I deal with will not help me, they treat me like I'm an idiot who doesn't know what I'm talking about.  I've come to the point where I make my husband handle all the problems we encounter because they are sweet as pie to him and will bend over backwards to make him happy, while they just roll their eyes at me.  I've never felt that kind of discrimination in my life and it is really shocking to me.  People are oh so sweet when they first meet you, Oh are you from America?  I love it there, blah blah blah- and then ....Oh, we screwed up?  I don't think so, you must be mistaken, No, WE know best love, I'm sure you'll figure it out if you think about it hard enough!

It is frustrating, and I wish I could fake an accent just to keep from having to deal with it.  It makes me scared to open my mouth.

... any other situation involving a merchant or company that is not completely straightforward, I feel like I am being discriminated against because I'm an American.  I can feel the condescension like a wave.  The employees I deal with will not help me, they treat me like I'm an idiot who doesn't know what I'm talking about.

They do it to the Brits, too, honey. Believe me!

Of course I meant December 25 to New Year's Day.

Examples of what I meant by everything being shut down:

Last year, the office building my husband and I worked in closed down before Christmas and didn't open until after the New Year.  

Before I was working for my husband, I was working for a large UK corporation. I would get asked "Are you working over Christmas?" At first I thought this meant, "Are you working December 25?" which I thought was odd since it's a bank holiday, so wouldn't you assume I wasn't working. But what they really meant was "are you coming in at all anytime between Christmas Day and New Year's Day?"  Because hardly anybody shows up at work at all during that time - the office is practically dead. And if you do show up you can't get much done anyway because the people at other companies that you have to deal with are all taking off from work themselves.  Nobody cares if you come in or not. They just try to make sure there is someone around to answer phones just in case.

Once, before I moved to the UK, I came to visit my fiance for a couple of days over Christmas. Turns out that they were doing work on the trains and there were no trains from York to Manchester Airport (where I had to get my return flight) over that entire period.  I don't think this would have happened if people were expected to follow their normal routines during this time. They would have scheduled the trains so the repair work was done on off-hours (like overnight) and run the trains normally during the day.

I missed the other bit of your question,MSD. For myself-I don't know what things are
like, truly, for people of other nationalities/ethnicities-I just feel like I'm in the way all of the time. For the longest time, when I arrived, I felt like the UKBA would find me out and kick me out of the country. I constantly felt like people were staring at me and judging me and whispering about me. Some days, I still feel that way. DH sympathizes with me, and he says that they're not staring at me, that everyone's just going about their own business, and they couldn't give two pennies about me, but, I just feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. We've been to Manchester, London, Birmingham, and in those places, I feel like I do blend in, like I did when I was in California. I'm hoping that with time, my feelings of inadequacy will go away, or I'll at least stop thinking about it all of the time. I've only been here for 9 months, so, fingers crossed.

Trust me when I say where ever you go people who hear you speak and how you think about things will understand that you are a person of quality.I've read your postings and you have zero reason to be self concious.

Thanks for that, MSD! Needed a reason to smile today. 

I met a Scottish lady in the parking lot of Walmart last week ( I couldn't find my car and I was talking out loud about not finding my car) I wanted to talk to her because she was a person from 'home' however she just cut our conversation off and said she had to do things and then she went into the store. My point is sometimes we don't want to talk and in this case it was the other person.

But to be fair, here there is official state religion whereas in the US there is official separation of church and state.

(I assume you mean December 25). That hasn't been my experience, but then apparently it's only been in the last maybe 40 years or less that Christmas has been a major holiday in Scotland (my partner's dad remembers working on Christmas day and that not being unusual). Up here things tend to be closed on the 25th, 26th, 1st and 2nd only; if those days fall on weekends the following Monday will be the bank holiday instead but the days between Christmas and New Year are generally normal for the shops. I've always felt that Christmas and Easter here are celebrated in such a secular way that even as a fairly militant atheist I celebrate them quite happily.

As for shops not being open on Sunday or open fewer hours, the unions here have historically had as much to say about that as the religious groups, and slowly both groups are losing.

When I first moved to England, there was no holiday on New Year's Day (although it was of course a big deal in Scotland.
Also absolutely nothing would be open on a Sunday. Well, possibly the odd corner shop for an hour or two. And what they could sell was severely restricted. You could buy a tin of peas but not fresh ones -- or something like that.
And look how pub opening hours have changed.

When I first moved to England, there was no holiday on New Year's Day (although it was of course a big deal in Scotland.

How long ago was that? I'm 47 and don't recall New Years Day not being a holiday!

How long ago was that? I'm 47 and don't recall New Years Day not being a holiday!

and I'm older than u and never remember it not being a holiday?

How long ago was that? I'm 47 and don't recall New Years Day not being a holiday!

Thirty six years ago. Bank Holidays were established in 1871. Scotland had five, including New Years Day, and the rest of Britain four days a year. New Year's Day became an additional bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1974.

Thirty six years ago. Bank Holidays were established in 1871. Scotland had five, including New Years Day, and the rest of Britain four days a year. New Year's Day became an additional bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1974.

And yet, up until (and during) Victorian times, New Year's Day was the big celebration festivities were on New Year's.

I know this because I've read about it ... I'm not that old. 

Thirty six years ago. Bank Holidays were established in 1871. Scotland had five, including New Years Day, and the rest of Britain four days a year. New Year's Day became an additional bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1974.

Well there you go....I guess because I was at school then so we had those 2 weeks off I didn't notice it wasn't a holiday before I was 12!

How long ago was that? I'm 47 and don't recall New Years Day not being a holiday!

You're a bit younger than me, m'dear    This would have been early 1970's and we certainly had to work at the University of Leeds on New Year's Day.

I'm probably the only one here who was born before the Nazis entered Poland and started the war. I have to be wordy on that because on here when we say the start of WW2 that could be Sept 39 or Dec 41 for some.

Anyhow on the New Years Day thing I couldn't swear to it being a holiday back in 1955 which is when I left the UK but I thought it was a holiday at that time.

We could both be right because maybe people had NY day off before it became a official holiday.