5 Weird And Wonderful Things That Happen During British Christmas Time.

Christmas is a wonderful time therefore each year Brits all over The UK like to practice the same rituals, customs and habits no matter how predictable or insufferable they have become.

1. The quality street tin

The guardian / Via google images

Every year just after the musky smell of bonfire night has slowly disappeared christmassy themed items start appearing ever so subtly in supermarkets and shops beyond. Then, all of a sudden, BOOM the quality street tin graces us with its presence. The arrival of this shiny glimmering Christmas miracle is a sure fire sign that the holidays have well and truly arrived albeit frustratingly getting smaller and smaller every year... Not to be confused with the Roses tin (OK but just not good enough) the celebration tin (cheap imitation) and the heroes tin (Can’t even be listed in the same breath!) the quality street tin holds a special place in the typical British family home even if it is infuriating when people put the wrappers back in the box.

2. Soaps

the mirror / Via google images

From January to November we spend the year happily not caring about who’s sleeping with who’s Mum or who’s long lost sister murdered someone’s twice removed Grandchild however once December starts we swiftly find ourselves drawn to the likes of every soap on television. Suddenly Eastenders and the lark become essential viewing especially on Christmas day. This strange anomaly also crops during the annual ‘queens speech’ which has now become an obligation in many British households even though it is very probable that they have had no interest in the royal family whatsoever throughout the whole year. Sssssssssssh the queen is talking!

3. Christmas specials

shortlist / Via google images

Talking of TV every year we callous Brits are treated to many a Christmas specials which always seem to be a million times better than the regular version. From The Office to the more recent Downtown Abbey, sitting in front of the telly has become a staple part of British festivities to the point that when someone suggests a Christmas day walk you gasp in shock at the ridiculous notion of exercise and the even more ludicrous expectation of leaving your sofa.

4. Food , booze and plenty of it

the guardian / Via google images

If you don’t feel bloated, sick or drunk then you’re not doing it right. It has now become a household rule to start drinking as soon as you wake up - up until you go to bed. (Although if you are an actual real Brit then you have probably been drinking throughout the whole Christmas period/year). The standard British attitude has developed into a ‘it’s Christmas so you have to’ approach. Starting the day with a glass of champagne, eating chocolate before Christmas lunch, eating cake before Christmas dinner, exceeding the standard 2,000 calories a day by 10 thousand all whilst getting wasted on prosecco, baileys and mulled wine followed by no guilt whatsoever -It’s Christmas, it’s the rule!

5. Family

The telegraph / Via google images

It wouldn't be Christmas without them! We spend the majority of the year screening our phones, avoiding monthly luncheons and dreading the thought of returning home for Christmas. The return to your old bedroom haunts you to the core as well as the awkward extended family members prying into your life. However as D day occurs and you walk through that door on Christmas Eve the faint whiff of dinner in the oven and the overtly decorated house brings you a sudden feeling of joy forcing you to feel all cosy inside. Then from nowhere you absolutely LOVE being at home to the point that you get mildly outraged if a family member has the cheek to go elsewhere. We revel in home cooked meals, drinks with old friends, life lessons from grandparents and the prospect of millions of presents that rapidly turn you into a little kid excitedly on Christmas morning. You enjoy it so much that the idea of going back home seems awful…until New Years Eve of course and you’re out of there as fast as you can say pigs in blankets.