Are these normal English Christmas traditions?

margaretclare

I agree with everyone else. I don't know that there are any actually 'English' Christmas traditions. So many of the 'traditions' that we now have were imported from other places - Christmas trees from Germany via Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband (yes, all right, it was a pagan tradition before that).

As to when presents are opened etc, it seems to vary with different families. When the children are very young they used to bring their presents and open them on parents' bed. Others open them at breakfast-time.

Last December I was in hospital in the next bed to a woman who had a large family, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And she said it was her tradition to go round on Christmas morning and see all the grandchildren opening their presents. She wouldn't be able to do it last year, she'd still be on crutches. And she'd prepared a pan of brussels sprouts before going into hospital - 3 weeks ahead of Christmas!! - because 'the family all expected their brussels sprouts as part of Christmas dinner'. (What's the big thing about brussels sprouts for Christmas, anyway?)

Someone mentioned Yorkshire puddings. Well, it's MY tradition, derived from where I grew up, that Yorkshire puddings are eaten as a separate course, with onion gravy, before the main course of meat etc. This is an old English custom if you like, derived from the part of England that Yorkshire puddings originated in i.e. Yorkshire. Not 'Aunt Bessie's' frozen ones - an abomination.

I don't like the tiddly little 'Yorkshire' puddings that you get on the side of your plate with a 'Sunday roast' if you eat out. And I wouldn't serve Yorkshire puddings at Christmas anyway.

Margaret

Beanietdc

Is anyone else reading this and saying a silent "thankyou" for having a relatively normal family!

We all just turn up at parents house and decide what order to do things when we get there!

Agutka

npsmama, I must say, that has made my day! :rotfl:

I do feel sorry for you, but I can sooooo see your description doing the rounds as a funny email!!

Amanda65

OMG - how do you put up with this?????? All I can say is that your OH must be absolutely wonderful for you still to be with him despite his completely bonkers family!!!

kethry

Beanietdc wrote:

Is anyone else reading this and saying a silent "thankyou" for having a relatively normal family!

yes!! In fact, i read the OP's post out loud to OH.. he looked at me in horror and said "I never thought i would say this, but.. your family could be so much worse, i realise that now... if your family were like that they wouldn't be allowed here!"

so yes, very much so!

to the OP: its always a difficult situation when OH's relatives want to do their traditions that you think are OTT/Ridiculous. I've had to put up with things that i thought were daft or wrong, like a big meal on christmas eve night (gammon etc.) and a big meal on xmas day.. (always eat lightly on christmas eve myself!), or having christmas breakfast about 1am christmas morning after the relatives had come back from midnight mass in the netherlands, and then going to bed afterwards!! (that one was nice though!)

The key to it all is compromise: my current in-laws gave us christmas presents (they don't usually do christmas pressies, pressies get given for Sinterklaas (feast of St. Nicholas) on 5th Dec), and allowed me to bring a HM christmas pudding which i served, together with the flaming brandy! They were very keen to make sure i wasn't too homesick, which was a lovely thought.

having said that... if they won't compromise you're in a pickle. At that point the only person who you can control is yourself.. you can talk to OH about doing christmas at home and if the relatives want to see you - they can come to *your* house and abide by your traditions. thats if the OH agrees with you that these are OTT traditions - if not, then you've got some way to go.

Good luck with sorting it all out!

keth
xx

doorstep

npsmama wrote:

If you can't find the aforementioned gift you have been instructed to buy, the receiver buys it, you pay them. They hand you the gift before Christmas and you have to wrap it up and place it under the tree. You must never on any account wrap your own gift.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

And I thought my IL's were bad!!

maow425

npsmama wrote:

DH is English, I am not.

Are these normal English traditions?
Are these people normal (believe me they have many other non-Christmas idiosyncrasies that run their lives and ours)?

IMO, this is not normal, this is sick! My DH is English too, and I'm Norwegian, but I have had some time to get used to the different traditions and customs of his family, but they are nowhere near anything like what you've just described! Depending on the kind of persons you and your DH are, I think you should stand up to them! You celebrate christmas in your way, and they will have to respect that! Yes, there will probably be that one christmas when the IL's won't speak to you at all, but by the sounds of it, I wouldn't consider that a great loss...:D

stamford

Your in laws sound like a pair of crackpots. Why don't you see if you can get them sectioned - that would be an unusual Christmas present

maow425

stamford wrote:

Your in laws sound like a pair of crackpots. Why don't you see if you can get them sectioned - that would be an unusual Christmas present

Aaahhhh - but no surprise presents allowed!!! :rotfl:

emmaBZ

sound way to heavy to me !!!!! i used to rush around with the kids on xmas....first theyd open pressys at home then go to my parents....then go to inlaws...the kids never had a chance to really play with anything...and by xmas afternoon when we got back i was shattered !!!! so last year we stayed at home... and said to everyone if they want to come along then thats fine....if not then we see them boxing day at my mums..... last year was great..... nice and quiet (ish !!) aand no rushing around to please every one else .... just do your own thing.... its christmas for you too. ......;)