This Is Why Mainland Europe Is Better At Christmas Than Everyone Else

    TL;DR: They open their presents on Christmas Eve.

    Tabatha Leggett
    by Tabatha Leggett

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    1. OK, first things first: Most Europeans open their presents one. entire. day. earlier than everyone else.

    theodysseyonline.com

    When the rest of the world goes to bed giftless on 24 December, most people in Europe are busy playing with their gifts. That's everyone in Austria, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia.

    2. And they open them after sunset, which is far more civilised than doing it first thing in the morning.

    Flickr: alancleaver

    Opening your presents in the morning is fine when you're a child, because children don't mind waking up at 7am. But when you are an adult, it's unnecessary. It's far nicer to wait until after dinner.

    3. So everyone gets a lie-in on Christmas Day.

    20th Century Fox

    The best thing about being on holiday is sleeping. So why, on the one day a year that no one is at work, would you not have a lie-in? Why would you force yourself to get up? It makes no sense.

    4. Let's move on to a very important part of Christmas: dinner. This is a picture of a typical British Christmas dinner:

    Flickr: ruthanddave

    It's a very nice-looking meal, but we could do more with it.

    In Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, everyone eats a 12-dish dinner. A 12-dish dinner!

    And in Poland, people eat pierogies:

    But best of all: In Sweden people get meatballs!

    5. Most Europeans don't decorate their tree until Christmas Eve, which means they have less time to get sick of it.

    Warner Bros

    Putting up a tree your tree on Christmas Eve gives the whole family a non–food-based Christmas activity to do. And also it means you don't have to live with a random tree in your living room for a 12th of the year.

    6. While we're on the topic of trees, let's address the fact that, on the whole, Europeans have somehow managed to avoid tacky decorations. Look at this very tasteful Finnish tree:

    Flickr: visitfinland

    And look at these stylish wooden decorations on a Swedish tree:

    7. But let's go back to food. In the UK we eat a pudding made from dried fruits held together by egg and raw beef fat. Raw beef fat.

    Flickr: markhsal

    It is often made UP TO A YEAR in advance, and yet somehow it doesn't go off. The whole thing is very suspicious.

    We could be eating delicious stollen like everyone in Germany.

    We could be eating honey ginger cookies like everyone in Poland.

    Or we could be eating delicious plum pastries like everyone in Finland.

    But no: We opt for this:

    8. Also, just think about it. Celebrating a day early means you get two fancy Christmas meals: dinner on Christmas Eve, and lunch on Christmas Day.

    9. And getting started a day early means lots of people are allowed to take 23 December off work.

    Universal

    You basically get to celebrate Christmas Eve Eve.

    10. So by the time Boxing Day comes around, you've already spent two days with your family so you can go hang out with your friends.

    Warner Bros.

    Let's be honest: By the end of Christmas you miss hanging out with people you're not related to.

    11. But the best thing of all is that, if you live in most parts of Europe, Santa bothers to visit your house in person. He doesn't sneak down the chimney in the middle of the night. He comes round and hangs out for a bit.

    Tabatha Leggett / BuzzFeed

    Which makes the main event of Christmas much more believable.

    This is ~quite~ a nice Christmas image.

    But this is much nicer.

    It's pretty obvious really. Everyone else has got a lot to learn from Europe.