How is Christmas celebrated in the UK?
In the UK (or Great Britain), families often celebrate Christmas together so they can watch each other open their presents.
Christmas Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom on 25 December.
Most families have a Christmas tree in their house for Christmas. The decorating of the tree is usually a family occasion, with everyone helping.
Christmas trees are decorated with lights, tinsel and baubles. An angel is usually put at the top of a Christmas tree.
Holly, ivy and mistletoe are also sometimes used to decorate homes or other buildings.
Most villages, towns and cities are decorated with Christmas lights over Christmas. Often a famous person switches them on.
The most famous Christmas lights in the UK are in Oxford Street in London. Every year thousands of people go to watch the big 'switch on' around the beginning of November.
Father Christmas or Santa Claus leaves presents in stockings or pillow-cases. These are normally hung up by the fire or by a child's bed on Christmas Eve. A mince pie is usually left out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
In the UK, the main Christmas meal is usually eaten at lunchtime or early afternoon on Christmas Day. It is normally roast turkey, roast vegetables and 'all the trimmings' which means vegetables like carrots, peas, stuffing and sometimes bacon and sausages. It is often served with cranberry sauce and bread sauce.
Dessert is often Christmas pudding. Mince pies and chocolates are often eaten as well!
The dinner table is decorated with a Christmas cracker for each person, usually with a joke inside.
