Christmas in Britain

In Britain, preparations for Christmas start many weeks beforehand. Special decorations, coloured lights and Christmas trees can be seen in the streets and shops. People buy presents and send Christmas cards to their relatives, friends or colleagues. On Christmas Eve, the British decorate their homes with ivy, holly and mistletoe, and they hang a Christmas wreath on the door. Children put stockings at the foot of the bed believing that Father Christmas will arrive in a sledge drawn by reindeer and visit each child?s house by coming down the chimney during the night in order to leave wonderful toys and sweets.
On the morning of Christmas Day (25th December) the British open their presents which have been placed under the Christmas tree. At midday the whole family gathers at the Christmas table to enjoy Christmas dinner traditionally consisting of stuffed turkey or goose, mince pies, vegetables and the rich Christmas pudding with delicacies, spices and dried fruit which was prepared long before Christmas. Children have a lot of fun pulling ?crackers? (cardboard tubes containing small presents, printed jokes and paper hats). When two people pull a cracker, it explodes and throws out its contents. Then the jokes are read and paper hats are worn throughout the celebration. On this day the British also watch the sovereign?s annual Christmas broadcast on television, and some attend a church service. Christmas carols can be heard everywhere.
The day following Christmas is called Boxing Day. It is a bank holiday and people don?t go to work. Formerly, it was the custom to give ?Christmas boxes?, or gifts of money to servants and tradesmen on this day. Now, annually, Christmas presents are still offered to people who service the household, for example the paperboy, the dustmen or the postman. On Boxing Day, people often arrange parties and meet their friends and relatives.