Christmas traditions in the UK

Most British Christmas traditions are younger than people assume. The tree, the card and the cracker all arrived within a few decades of each other in the 1800s, and the television speech is barely a century old.

Here's where each one came from, and the newer ones that have quietly become traditions anyway.

Dates and origins below follow the widely documented Victorian record; where a story is disputed we've said so.

Victorian traditions that stuck

• The Christmas tree: popularised in Britain after an 1848 illustration of Victoria and Albert's tree at Windsor, though German families in Britain had them earlier. Shop this card
• The Christmas card: the first commercial card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in 1843, and cheap postage did the rest.
• The Christmas cracker: created by London confectioner Tom Smith in the 1840s, originally a sweet wrapper with a bang added later.
• Carol singing: revived in the Victorian period, when many of the carols we still sing were written down and printed.
• A Christmas Carol: Dickens published it in 1843, the same year as the first card, and shaped the modern idea of a family Christmas.

Food traditions

• Turkey replaced goose as the standard British Christmas bird through the 19th and 20th centuries as it became affordable.
• Mince pies originally contained meat, and shrank into the sweet version over centuries.
• The coin in the Christmas pudding was a silver sixpence, said to bring luck to whoever found it.
• Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, is when the pudding is traditionally made and everyone gives it a stir and a wish.
• Brandy butter, bread sauce and pigs in blankets are all comparatively modern fixtures of the British table.

Christmas Day traditions

• Stockings hung the night before, with a satsuma and a coin in the toe.
• A carrot for the reindeer and a sherry or mince pie for Father Christmas.
• The King's Christmas broadcast at 3pm, a tradition begun by George V on radio in 1932 and televised from 1957.
• Crackers pulled before the meal, with the paper hats worn whether anyone likes it or not.
• A walk after lunch, largely to escape the kitchen.
• The Christmas Day film or special, from Morecambe and Wise to whatever is on now.

Boxing Day and after

• Boxing Day takes its name from alms boxes and the boxes of leftovers or money given to servants and tradespeople the day after Christmas.
• Football on Boxing Day is a fixture of the English calendar.
• Sales, walks, and leftovers in every form.
• Pantomime season, a distinctly British tradition with roots in commedia dell'arte and Victorian music hall.
• Twelfth Night, 5 or 6 January, when decorations come down - superstition says leaving them up brings bad luck.

Newer traditions

• Christmas jumper day, now a major UK charity fundraiser in December.
• Elf on the Shelf, imported from the US in the 2000s and now near-universal in UK households with young children.
• The Christmas Eve box, another recent arrival that has become standard within about a decade.
• Secret Santa at work, with a budget argued over every November.
• The John Lewis advert as an unofficial start of the season.
• Advent calendars for adults, from gin to candles.

Regional traditions

• Scotland: Hogmanay dominates, with first-footing after midnight and a dark-haired visitor bringing luck.
• Wales: the Mari Lwyd, a decorated horse skull carried door to door in a rhyming contest, revived in recent decades.
• Cornwall and the West Country: wassailing the apple orchards in January.
• Northern Ireland and Ireland: the Christmas candle in the window, and St Stephen's Day on the 26th.
• Yorkshire and the North: Christmas markets and brass band carols on the high street.

Shop Christmas cards

Banners, toppers and confetti

Party bits designed in house and printed in the UK.

How to write it so it lands

• Write the year inside one card each Christmas and keep it - it becomes its own family record.
• Stir-up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent if you want to make the pudding properly.
• Pick one new tradition a year rather than trying to run all of them.

Where to shop next

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Frequently asked questions

What are the main British Christmas traditions?

Cards, a tree, crackers, stockings, turkey with all the trimmings, the King's 3pm broadcast, a walk, Boxing Day football and pantomime. Most were established or popularised in the Victorian era.

Why do we send Christmas cards in the UK?

The first commercial Christmas card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. Cheap postage made sending them affordable, and the habit has held for nearly two centuries.

Why is it called Boxing Day?

It comes from the boxes of money, food or gifts traditionally given to servants, tradespeople and the poor the day after Christmas.

When should Christmas decorations come down?

Twelfth Night, which is 5 or 6 January depending on which count you follow. Superstition says leaving them up beyond that is bad luck.