Christmas Traditions in Britain

Long Winter's Nap Art Print
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Santa Claus, or Father Christmas in the UK, is generally supposed to be based on St Nicholas, a bishop who lived in the 4th century in an area now in present day Turkey. He was renowned for his gifts to the poor. His relicts can be seen in a shrine in Bari, Italy.

Some authorities believe that the UK's Father Christmas has a different origin, that he is based on the Norse god Wodan (also called Odin) rather than a Christian bishop. The legend is that Wodan delivered gifts in winter, at the period of Yule, and rode a flying horse - perhaps the origin of Santa's reindeer and sleigh. Early 17th century pictures of Father Christmas show him looking similar to present day images but wearing a green robe, lined with fur, rather than a red one.

Santa's Home
Current myths locate Santa's home as variously the North Pole, Greenland and Finland. He stays at home throughout the year, sometimes said to be married to Mrs Claus, and there he and his elves, a relatively recent addition to the myth, make toys throughout the year for delivery during Christmas Eve.

The Run-up to Christmas
In the run-up to Christmas, children are told that they must be good otherwise Santa won't bring them anything - a handy piece of blackmail! On a more positive note, children write letters to Santa Claus. Years ago in the UK, they were traditionally put in the chimney but now there are several companies and organisations that receive the letters and send an answer from Father Christmas or Santa Claus.

Santa Claus on Christmas Eve
Most small children in the USA and UK know that Santa Claus or Father Christmas starts out on Christmas Eve in his sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer, to deliver presents to all the children in the world.

When all houses were heated by open fires, the legend was that Santa landed his sleigh on the roof and entered through the chimney. Of course, this must have been more believable in wealthy 19th and early 20th century homes when chimneys in large houses were very big - that's why small boys were sent up to clean them.

Milk and Cookies Art Print
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In the UK, it is traditional to put out mince pies and a glass of sherry for Father Christmas while in the USA he gets a glass of milk and cookies. In homes where this is done, parents make sure that on Christmas morning the glass is empty and there are just a few crumbs left on the plate. They might also make some other signs that Santa has visited like footprints on the carpet. You can buy kits to help you leave these signs around the house. One 'Santa was Here' kit has a small piece of red velvet, supposedly snagged and torn from his coat, a plastic hoof so that parents can make reindeer prints around the garden, and even some reindeer food to scatter there to show Santa stopped to feed his reindeer.

When I was a child, Father Christmas left our presents on the bottom of our beds. I expect that was so we didn't wake our parents at 4am to open them around the Christmas tree but could get on with it on our own.

Most families here, though, make sure Father Christmas puts them round the tree although he may fill up Christmas stockings in the children's bedrooms.

Game of Blind Man's Buff with Mistletoe Being Put to Good Use Giclee Print
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At Christmas many homes and workplaces have mistletoe hanging up and the custom is that you can kiss somebody who stands under it.

So how did this custom originate?

Like a lot of customs and traditions, it is hard to say exactly how they began but it is thought that kissing under the mistletoe comes from the plant's earlier association with fertility.

Many authorities credit the Druids with linking mistletoe with fertility. Perhaps it was because the plant, being an evergreen, grew on leafless trees giving them an appearance of life during the dead days of winter. Or perhaps it was the milky fluid in the berries. Although mistletoe grows on other trees, it doesn't kill them because it makes its own chloraphyll, perhaps that was another reason to believe it could confer fertility on people.

Whatever its origins, it can be a charming custom, as long as the right people want to kiss you under mistletoe.

Children Gathered in Front of Fireplace Hung with Stockings, Waiting For Father Christmas Photographic Print
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On Christmas Eve children hang up socks, stockings or even pillow cases for Santa to fill with small gifts but how did this custom originate?

It is said that St Nicholas, thought to be the basis for Santa Claus, put gifts of gold coins into the stockings of three sisters. The girls were from a poor family and each needed a dowry to get married. St Nicholas heard about this and saw their stockings hanging over the fireplace to dry so used them to hold his gift of gold.

In the 19th century and into the 20th century, stockings generally held small items like tangerines, nuts and sweets (candy). Nowadays, these kinds of things are more common in people's regular diet and no longer luxuries so children find other small gifts, sometimes fairly expensive ones.

Often Christmas stockings are specially made or bought and are much larger than a real stocking would be. Once, it was exclusively children who hung up their stockings but now, in some families, adults do it too. They expect to receive small toiletries, nice soap, bath oils, make-up, for example, and sometimes fairly useless novelty gifts.

The Carol Singers Giclee Print
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Every year, in the weeks before Christmas, people in Britain wait for the knock on the door followed by a quick bellow of Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Of course, sometimes it is sung very well, other times you open the door and children look at you hopefully after singing just two lines of a well known Christmas carol. To enforce the work ethic in children, many people, and I'm one of them, stand and insist they get at least one whole carol before parting with money. This can be a sacrifice if the kids aren't musically gifted.

The tradition of carol singing goes back to medieval times and continued through the ages. In earlier times it was called wassailing and the singers wassailers - the origin of the carol Here We Come A-Wassailing.

In earlier times, it was very common for carol singers to go out in organised groups, particularly those led by the vicar or choir master. This still happens today but it's less common for them to go door to door to sing to individuals outside their homes. They usually choose a busy shopping street when people are doing their Christmas shopping so they can raise money for charity. These singers are usually good and know how to sing carols all the way through.

Traditionally carol singers were given festive food like mince pies but now they expect and get small sums of money.

Family on Christmas Morning Art Print
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You might think that the custom of decorating a tree and bringing it indoors is relatively new or, at least, it's only been known since Christianity became widespread. In fact, it predates Christianity by a long way.

Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, if not earlier, evergreen trees have symbolized renewal and hope for eternal life. The ancient Egyptians celebrated the winter solstice by bringing palm leaves into their homes while the Romans celebrated the same festival, which they called Saturnalia after the god of agriculture Saturnus. Not only do they bring green branches indoors, they also decorated evergreens trees outside with small pieces of metal. In Britain, before the Romans invaded, Druids used evergreens, particularly holly and mistletoe, in their ceremonies.

There is a legend that Martin Luther, Protestant reformer, first used an evergreen tree to celebrate Christmas by cutting it down and decorating it with candles. Certainly by the 17th and 18th centuries Christmas trees were brought indoors and decorated in Germany and Austria. German immigrants introduced the custom into the USA and Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, brought it to Britain in 1834.

Even though it's origins may be pagan, it's intentions that count so I suggest that it's a lovely tradition that brings a lot of pleasure to children and adults. Additionally, the unusual presence of a decorated tree in the home is a constant reminder of the season of good will.

Queen Elizabeth II Photo
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Every Christmas Day at 3pm, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II broadcasts her Christmas message to the people of the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth.

When I was a child, most people had eaten their Christmas dinner by 3pm and it was a tradition in most families to watch the Queen's Speech on television or on radio before TVs were widespread household appliances. Up until about the 1970s, most British people held the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family in high esteem and respect so people generally didn't listened and watched the Speech in respectful silence and it was unusual for people to make humourous or sarcastic comments.

Today, though, it's different. Although most people still have respect for the Queen as a hard working woman who has always done her duty, the majority of the population don't hold her in awe now. Many families don't watch the Queen's Speech at 3pm but might catch extracts on the TV News and there certainly will be adverse comments if she says something controversial.