Christmas in England

I have a nephew that is living and working in England with his wife and 3 boys. I just received an email from them and in it Dave's wife Marron describes Christmas in England. I thought it was cool because sometimes we get into the mind set that everyone dose everything just like we do here in the States. Silly us! Enjoy!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM ENGLAND

The Cox family has had another busy year, another move of household, and yet another first…we are staying here for Christmas. Like everything else in our lives, the holidays are celebrated a little differently over here.

First, they say Happy Christmas and not Merry Christmas. A pleasant difference is that Christmas is in the schools. All the classrooms have a tree and decorate it to the hilt. Lewis’ school concert had Christmas songs and Andrew was selected to play in the band for the High School play; Jesus Christ Superstar. Another difference in the school is the exchanging of Christmas cards. They are handed out to everyone like the USA classes do Valentines Cards---Valentines is only for lovers!

Candy canes must only be American, as they are not here. Christmas pudding (usually an alcoholic cake and chocolate sauce) and mince pies (nuts, dried fruits, and lots of sugar) are as common as you would find candy canes in the USA. Advent calendars are a really big part of the holiday and most children have ones with chocolate in each opening. The boys enjoy opening each day slot to find a chocolate or little toy…Andrew has found some guitar picks, Lewis found some Lego pieces, and Nicholas has found some magnetic. They sing Rudolph here, but have never seen the movie or even know the story. No Frosty or even Charlie Brown Christmas either! The T.V. Company hasn’t cashed in on the holidays like the USA T.V. We miss that part of the holidays.

But they do have Christmas Crackers! Christmas crackers were invented by a London confectioner, Tom Smith, in the mid 19th century. The original cracker contained a sweetmeat, a sentimental verse, and a ‘snap’ that creates the bang as it is pulled open. Nowadays, the sweet has been replaced by a small toy, the verse replaced by a joke or motto, and a paper hat has been added. They are in every color and decorative style to cater to everyone. They are pulled like USA would break a turkey wish bone.

The 26th is also a big holiday; it started as St. Stephen’s Day. King Wenceslas started the tradition by trudging through freezing snow on St. Stephen’s Day to take food, wine, and logs to a poor man. After that, Boxing Day was started with the custom of distributing of food, money, and gifts to the less fortunate. This doesn’t make sense to me that it is after Christmas, but there are lots of things that don’t make sense but still followed as tradition. On Boxing Day we are going to Warwick Castle.

We visited Cadbury World (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory); we visited ‘Father Christmas’ on a steam train ride through the Peak district (like Polar Express); we are baking lots of cookies (family tradition); we are going to school parties, concerts, and plays (as proud parents); and we are sending our LOVE and PEACE to all our family and friends. We pray everyone is healthy and has a Very Merry Christmas!


FROM THE COX FAMILY IN ENGLAND

David, Marron, Andrew, Nicholas, and Lewis