We all have our charming traditions that Christmas would not be the same without, something even a scrooge could not deny. Whether it’s the continuous arguments of having turkey or goose in the middle of the table or who is going to make the trifle for their contribution, they are the little things we unconsciously or eagerly anticipate year after year.
Apart from the enthusiasts, busy schedules contribute towards last minute Christmas shopping, and an ever decreasing motivation to send Christmas cards. Somehow, this doesn’t stop many of us from finding the time to treat ourselves to an advent calendar, eating our way to the ultimate food indulgence that is, Christmas Day.
Some of us are the every-type-of-potato people, others the pigs-in-blankets, whilst the option of cranberry sauce will forever remain controversial. Some of us enjoy the extravagance of champagne, the bubbles mixing with excitement making you giddy, others a little wine, or a casual beer before the older members of the family fall asleep on the sofa.
One thing is certain, there will always be crackers, whether we choose to wear our party hats or not, no one can resist reiterating the incredibly poor jokes.
Family sized tins of chocolates stacked in the kitchen, next to the opened boxes of mince pies; the Christmas pudding steaming on the hob, and the yule log waiting to be hacked. Whether homemade or a supermarket brand, we are all loyal to the tradition of eating more until we burst!
Despite the familiar saying, we all like to receive something on Christmas Day; whether we have to wait until noon to open our presents together or rushing to the pile under the tree at 7am like we did when you were five. The childish excitement sets our hearts racing when we find out that the shiny parcel has our name on it.
We then sit down to a board game, nibbling at the half cut cakes, drinking the alcohol dry, go for a walk, or to the pub for more drinks with our grandparents. Some may stay loyal to the English tradition of listening to the Queens speech, others opting for the ‘Queen Vic’ in an Eastenders Christmas special.
Once we get past the commercial traits of Christmas, we find the underlying traditions that make Christmas unique to all of us. Although some traditions may be extravagant or ridiculous, our Christmases would not be the same without them.
This is what the Grinch realised when he ‘thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?’
