Christmas in Great Britain

On the 25th of December British people celebrate Christmas or X-mas.

It’s a happy holiday for many people in different countries.

Christmas is a religious holiday. On this day British people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ .

Some weeks before Christmas British people are very busy. They buy presents and send greeting cards to their relatives and friends.

Here you can see different Christmas cards.

Many children make their Christmas cards at school. They also write letters to Santa Claus.

Parents often make Christmas calendars for their children and put small presents or sweets there.

British families decorate their houses with coloured lights and figures.

They hang a Christmas wreath on the door and decorate houses with Holly plants. It is an evergreen plant with sharp-pointed small leaves and red berries.

People buy a Christmas tree and decorate it with toys, coloured balls and little coloured lights.

There is a big beautiful Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square in London. This is a present from Norway.

The streets and shops in London are decorated, too.

On Christmas Eve children hang their Christmas stockings near the fireplace or on the beds.

Christmas Stocking
by Eleanor Farjeon
What will go into the Christmas Stocking
While the clock on the mantelpiece goes tick-tocking?
An orange, a penny,
Some sweets, not too many,
A trumpet, a dolly,
A sprig of green holly,
A book and a top,
And a grocery shop,
Some beads in a box,
An ass and an ox,
And a lamb, plain and good,
All whittled in wood,
A white sugar dove,
A handful of love,
Another of fun,
And it's very near done,
A big silver star
On top - there you are.
Come morning you'll wake to the clock's tick-tocking
And that's what you'll find in the Christmas Stocking.

They also leave some cookies and milk for Santa Claus next to the fireplace.

Santa Claus comes from the North Pole. He has a reindeer Rudolph. They are good friends.

They fly through the air very fast. Santa has a big sleigh to carry all the presents.

Santa Claus comes down the chimney with big bag of presents.

He puts presents into the children’s stockings and under the Christmas tree.

In the evening before Christmas people go to the church. They also sing carols. It is a very important Christmas tradition.

At Christmas time groups of people go from house to house singing carols. They usually collect money for homeless and poor people.

On Christmas morning people open their presents and they are very happy.

For Christmas lunch people eat roast turkey with potatoes and green vegetables. Then they have the Christmas pudding.

At five o’clock it’s time for tea with Christmas cake and cookies.

At 3.00 p.m. British people watch the Queen’s speech on television.

The day after Christmas is Boxing Day. People usually visit their relatives and friends.

We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!
Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin.
Good tidings for Christmas
And a Happy New Year!