A British Christmas for this American

In London, Christmas is quite the sight to see; lights hanging along Regent Street, Ice Skating at the Somerset House as a 40 foot Christmas tree towers over you, and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park or catching the timeless play "The Snowman." There is no shortage of activities and venues for the whole family, but what about on actual Christmas day? What is it you do for Christmas when you are an ex-pat and away from home during the holidays? You have yourself a Traditional English Christmas with your friend's family in the English countryside. At least, that is how the holiday played out for this expat. I was able to see firsthand how Christmas traditions vary not just with family traditions but with cultural differences.

After a scenic ride out of London, I arrived in the lovely English countryside of Hertfordshire. Spaning the Quin Valley, I arrived in a little village that hosts many animals from birds to deers to Hares, even badgers that made me smile thinking of my Hufflepuff sisters at home. Once I was settled in, my friend took me for a walk through her parish of Braughing that origin begins in the Iron Age. She told me the community Orchard, the trails, and even local legends taking time to show me the local places of interest.

As we walked along the narrow roads and footpaths, we could hear Christmas Eve in full swing as parents took their children to a nativity play at the local church that is older than even the historic buildings of my home, dating back to the 11th century. This charming building stands next to another landmark building called The Old Boys School, which opened in the 16th century, though it closed down in 1868.

We finished our walk by popping into the local pub "The Golden Fleece" for a drink. The pub dates back to the 17th century when it was called The White Lion and The White Horse until the 1840s when it was changed to its current name, believed to be a nod to the sheep farms and wool trade that was an essential part of the economy then.

After our evening walk taking in the fresh, cool English air, we head home to sit by the fireplace chatting before watching "The Snowman" on the telly and discussing our time watching it live while the decorations glittered around us.

The next day, we spent our morning exchanging presents from under the tree before heading to their grandparents' home to see the rest of the family in the late afternoon. I grew up being taught that if you are visiting anyone, you bring gifts, and being Christmas, I felt the need to carry on this cultural sign of respect by making sure to get gifts for everyone. While I had known my friend for years, this was the first time I met the family. However, I was pretty surprised to discover that not only their parents got presents for me but the rest of their family as well, and it made me feel quite welcomed. This was only the beginning of surprises in my crash course in the differences between Christmas in the US and the UK.

First was dinner, which reminded me a lot of Thanksgiving. Turkey, brown gravy, ham, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, along cranberry sauce were all spread across the table. They even had pigs-in-a-blanket for their "Yankee" guest, which gave me a giggle. It was nice to see some familiar comforts alongside unfamiliar items, such as Bread Sauce.

After much chatting and laughter around the table, it was time for some mulled wine and my favorite part of every meal: dessert. While in my family, wine is scarcely bought out as where I am from, most would prefer whiskey, bourbon, or rum, the mulled wine was different and an excellent show of traditional difference, and I was looking forward to the dessert. The whole spread for dessert consisted of all items I had never had before. Minced pies, Christmas Pudding, Bread and Butter Pudding, Truffles, Christmas Cake, and Custard were all things new to a girl who was used to Christmas desserts being items such as Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake. Being taught that rejecting food offered to you while you are a guest in someone's home(unless food allergy or religious/moral reasons), I was not about to deny trying the unfamiliar with curiosity.

I looked around the table during the chitchat and noticed some odd-shaped present-like things sitting at each place. When I asked what they were, I was informed that they were called Christmas Crackers. I learned that this tradition was sort of like the Wishbone tradition in the US, where two people grab different ends and pull; the person with the larger piece is the winner. Personally, I found it more appealing than the wishbone tradition in the US. Traditionally inside the cracker is a Christmas joke, a small gift, and the ever traditional paper crown thought by some to have originated from the Twelfth Night Celebration. However, wearing hats at parties dates back to the Roman Saturnalia Festival. Either way, I happily took place in the tradition and ran around in my gold paper crown with pride. After some family games and laughs, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Braughing.

There were many differences in food and traditions, and saying "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas" that I experienced while celebrating with my friends family. I was also able to observe some differences with decorations.; Extravagantly decorating the inside of the home is more common than the outside compared to the parade of outdoor lights dawned in many neighborhoods in the US.

All of these differences created awe, curiosity, and excitement as I experienced it first hand. More than anything, I felt humbled and happy that I was able to meet people who welcomed a foreigner into their home for this celebration and treated me just like family. After all, isn't that what Christmas is about?

(Writer's note: Pre-Covid, places mentioned may be closed during the pandemic)