Christmas
Origins of Christmas
In ancient times people had mid-winter festivals when the days were short and the nights were
long, believing that those ceremonies would return the sun. The Romans decorated their homes with
green plants in December to remind their harvest god to return the following spring. In 440, the Christian
church decided that the birth of Christ should be celebrated every year on 25 December. These customs
were adopted by early Christians. Green plants are still used to decorate many British homes in
December. At Christmas we cover trees with shiny balls and flashing lights!
Cards and presents
It’s very common to send Christmas cards to the ones you love in the weeks before 25 December.
Many people send charity cards, where a percentage of the price of each card goes to charity. Christmas
presents are reserved for close friends and family. Popular presents for young people in the UK in recent
years include a smartphone, a PlayStation and 80s retro fashion.
Father Christmas (aka Santa Claus)
Small children tell Father Christmas exactly what presents they would like to receive. They can write
him a letter with a list of requests or they can visit him personally in one of the large department stores
across Britain in the weeks before Christmas. On the night of 24 December, Father Christmas travels
through the sky on a sleigh pulled by magic reindeers and delivers presents to children across Britain. He
enters the children's house from the chimney.
The Christmas number one
Every year, for a few weeks around Christmas time, the UK music charts go mad. Groups and
singers who normally make cool music create a song that they hope will be number one – the best-
selling song on Christmas Day. The Christmas number one is talked about on a lot of places. And people
can bet money on which song will win the race.
However, some music fans are not happy about this. One year, they started an anti-corporate
Facebook campaign to try and prevent the Christmas number one being another reality show song.
Snow
Snow at Christmas is part of British culture. You often see it on Christmas cards, you can buy fake
snow to decorate your house and there are even songs about snow at Christmas. It doesn’t snow every
year in Britain, but many people hope for a white Christmas. People can bet on whether it will snow or
not on 25 December too.
Turkey and crackers
Christmas dinner is usually eaten at midday or early afternoon. It usually includes roast turkey,
vegetables and potatoes. For dessert, there’s a rich, fruity cake called Christmas pudding. Traditionally, a
Christmas cracker is placed next to each person. When you pull the cracker with the person next to you,
you hear a loud ‘bang!’ and a paper hat; a joke and a small gift fall from the cracker. You have to wear
the hat, tell the joke to the other people at the table and keep the gift.
Christmas means…
There are a lot of different meanings from a lot of different people and not every like it. Some
people say that “Christmas is a time to Bringing all your family together, having a laugh, giving presents,
eating loads of delicious food, helping other people and so on” while others complain that “It’s too
commercial. There are too many adverts trying to get everyone to spend their money. And how the
shops start selling Christmas cards three months before Christmas.”
