school report on Christmas in the UK

A friend of mine has a daughter doing a report on Christmas in the UK, and she asked if I could write her about some of the differences between Christmas here and in the States.  She is looking for a feel of what cultural differences there are surrounding Christmas in the UK.  I thought I'd ask you what you think since we have experience with both cultures.  Does anyone have thoughts or ideas?

A lot of people are probably going to say - oh Christmas here is thus & so... (better, worse, different, etc)...but so many things are down to what a person's family does & people tend to characterise that as British, when it's really just individual family things - lol!

But I would probably bring up the Christmas pudding & Christmas cake, wearing the paper crowns, Christmas crackers & things like that.  Oh & for music - the Christmas number one!  Just trying to think of stuff that is genuinely British, as opposed to my family does this - therefore that's what British people do. 

Maybe turkey really being the traditional Christmas meal over here (I mean it was on the Life in the UK test!), whereas I think there is more variance in the US as to what you have for Christmas dinner.

Queen's speech!

Queen's speech!

Snap!  And for the pop culture stuff, Christmas day tv specials.  I have a few friends who are visiting family and setting their dvrs for Christmas specials. 

Christmas crackers are one of my favourite things.  And did I just live a sheltered life, or are chocolate advent calenders not as popular in the US as in UK? 

Advent Calendars, Christmas Crackers, Boxing day (I know it's the day after, but it's lovely!) I wish it were last year again

We had advent calendars in the US, I had them as a child & my SIL gives them to her kids.

Christmas Pudding!  

Some Businesses closing mid December not to open again until after New Year.

I was from a Germany area, we had advent calendars.  Pantomimes.  No one in my husband's family goes, but I understand they are popular. 

Except when they are ruined by foreigners! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/8206728/Pantomimes-being-ruined-by-foreigners.html

Mince pies!  They are everywhere here. And the crackers, of course.  And businesses actually closing for Christmas and Boxing Day - good for them!

Also, I'm from the PC Bay Area, where everyone is afraid to say "Merry Christmas".  They feel compelled to say "Happy Holidays".  I am not religious, by any means, but I am enjoying having people say "Merry Christmas" instead of the generic stuff. 

I know there's some brass quintents and brass groups in the US, and I used to play in one myself -  but absolutley nothing beats a  British Brass Band playing Christmas music- especially with Eb horns and tenor horns and cornets- you rarely see that kind of thing in the US - like the Salvation Army Brass Band lining up on the high street with Christmas Carols.  Fantastic!!

"Happy Christmas!"

Kilted Pigs/Pigs in a Blanket/Chipolta Sausages in Bacon

Bread Sauce ?

Father Christmas and burning the letter to him to make sure it gets to him

And did I just live a sheltered life, or are chocolate advent calenders not as popular in the US as in UK?  

I remember having one once- just once, as a child- a chocolate one, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever- but we only had them once and never saw them again.  So I think its fantastic that they're about in abundance here!  

My cousin had advent calendars as a kid but I think his Grandma in Ireland sent them.  That said we actually bought our wooden penguin one in Target last year so they must be becoming more prevalent.

Christingle?

Interesting, we had advent calendars every year in the States.  I haven't felt like they are any more prevalent here.

I had thought of a lot of the things that others listed, but didn't think of the Queen's speech.  That's a good one to add.  I've been trying to decide the best way to explain Boxing Day to school kids.  What think you?  I was thinking of explaining some of the history and talking about how people spend the day together with friends and family now.

I forgot about pantos too.  That's a good one.  I did go to one once in the States, but I wasn't prepared for what it was and was disappointed because I thought I was going to a regular play--guess I would have been one of those foreigners who ruined it   I boo and hiss the villains to my heart's content here though.

I am interested to know what kind of TV specials you get over here. It's kinda a tradition for me and my son to snuggle up and watch " Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer" " Frosty the Snowman" and others... Do they play those or is it just Christmas specials to shows already on the air?

I am interested to know what kind of TV specials you get over here. It's kinda a tradition for me and my son to snuggle up and watch " Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer" " Frosty the Snowman" and others... Do they play those or is it just Christmas specials to shows already on the air?

The ones I was referring to are the ones like Dr. Who is going to be doing a Christmas special, and a new Poirot is coming out on Christmas Day.  It's the television shows that air throughout the year, but do a one off for Christmas.  Sorry if you were hoping to watch Rudolph on Christmas because of what I said.  I don't think I've seen Rudolph or Frosty or The Grinch cartoon (my favourite) since I got here. 

I did wonder about the advent calender thing because my parents were agnostics at best but are becoming more and more athiest in their old age.  Consequently anything to do with religious things at Christmas I didn't get, and I have a feeling that included chocolate advent calenders.  I don't remember seeing them in dear old Des Moines, but it sounds like that might have been because I just wasn't looking for them. 

Mince pies!  They are everywhere here. And the crackers, of course.  And businesses actually closing for Christmas and Boxing Day - good for them!

Also, I'm from the PC Bay Area, where everyone is afraid to say "Merry Christmas".  They feel compelled to say "Happy Holidays".  I am not religious, by any means, but I am enjoying having people say "Merry Christmas" instead of the generic stuff.  

That doesn't offend me.  

I lived in an area that had a high Jewish population in the US whereas the UK is either Christian or atheist/agnostic.  

Besides which, I worked in a shop and it was just easier to start saying Happy Holidays around Thanksgiving and not to stop until New Year's.  It meant you didn't need to think.  

Also, Irving Berlin wrote the song Happy Holiday back in 1942 so it was a familiar saying at least as far back as the 40s.  

I definitely had advent calendars as a child. And I sell them now on Etsy!