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Yule Britannia

From cherished traditions to the all-important Christmas roast, there’s so much more to Christmas than just presents. Find out what Brits love about it.

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Christmas is a time for merriment with friends and loved ones but there’s no one way to celebrate the day. The traditions and festivities can differ vastly from one household to another, like when to open presents, what we’re piling our plates and what we’re washing it down with. We surveyed Brits to find out what the favourite part of Christmas is and what traditions we’re sticklers for.

The great Christmas carve-up

Food is undoubtedly one of the best parts of Christmas. From crispy spuds and sumptuous stuffing to buttery mince pies and a chocolate treats, the full spread is delicious and usually the star of the show (after the big man dressed in red shows up, of course). But what exactly are people reaching for first?

Well, it turns out that turkey still reigns supreme as the UK’s favourite meat, with over half (54%) of respondents claiming this is what they look forward to the most on their Christmas dinner plate. Behind the poultry of the season, roast beef (22%) and roast chicken (21.8%) are reached for next. But don’t worry, vegetarians aren’t to be forgotten. Of everyone who responded that they eat Christmas dinner, a quarter chose vegetarian mains – with stuffed mushrooms being the most popular choice. So, even though the traditional meaty features of a Christmas dinner (think turkey, pigs in blankets, and sausage stuffing) won’t be featuring on many plates, the love of the dinner itself won’t change.

The trimmings are arguably the best part of the dinner, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without golden crispy roast potatoes. And it appears the nation agrees as it won the top spot with 24%. Pigs in blankets (20%) are what people are piling on their plates after the spuds and, shockingly, one in ten people state that Brussels sprouts are what they look forward to the most, earning it the third spot on the plate.

A good roast needs to be rounded off with something special and decadent and the iconic festive treats that are filling the post-dinner hole are Christmas pudding and mince pies (27% and 21% respectively). Add a dollop of brandy butter, cream or custard and it can’t be beaten. However, some people are opting to forgo the baking scales and instead of putting out something sweet, 15% opt for a tasty cheese board to end the day.

Seasonal, cheers!

Getting into the festive spirit often goes hand-in-hand with a tipple. It is Christmas after all. So, what is the nation drinking the most? It turns out that while making the most of the holidays, people aren’t necessarily opting for the well-known Christmas drinks. While it may not be entirely Christmassy, Britain’s go-to tipple over the holiday is wine with 22% admitting to reaching for a bottle – while its festive counterpart, mulled wine, only made it to the seventh spot of festive favourites. Other top Christmas beverages that made the list are Baileys (16%) and prosecco or Champagne (13%).

Getting merry is a rite of passage that many take seriously, and often societal norms are thrown out the window to compensate for it. So, it’s normal for alcohol like Bucks Fizz to pop out before noon, (making sure the turkey is cooked properly is thirsty work, you know). So much so, one in ten Brits admit that they wash their Christmas brekkie down with an alcoholic drink, while a quarter will start drinking at lunch. For some, the boozing doesn’t wait until Christmas day. While many people are at home leaving a mince pie out for Santa’s visit, just over one in ten (12%) of Brits will go to the pub on Christmas Eve as part of their festive traditions.

Rank Tipple % Brits who prefer this
 1  Wine 22.0% 
 2  Baileys 15.5% 
 3  Prosecco or Champagne 12.5% 
 4  Spirits (gin, vodka, run, etc.)  11.4%
 5  Lager 10.5% 
 6  Hot chocolate with marshmallows  10.3%
 7  Mulled wine 10.1% 
 8  Bucks Fizz 9.5% 
 9  Craft beer 5.5% 
 10  Brandy 5.4% 

UK Christmas traditions unwrapped

From wearing goofy Christmas jumpers to adorning the paper crown from Christmas crackers, traditions are a huge part of the festive magic that people look forward to the most. While some Christmas traditions are religious in nature, others are more informal like watching movies and decorating the tree, the idea behind them is the same: they’re meant to be enjoyed with family and friends and bring people together.

The festive excitement really peaks on Christmas Eve and many of us have activities that we like to do on the night Santa comes. Snuggling down on the sofa and watching a movie is the number one tradition that 37% of Brits insist on doing. Other wholesome traditions that made the top of the list are opening the last door on the advent calendar (20%), hanging out stockings for presents (19%) and wearing new Christmas PJs (18.8%).

Opening presents is undoubtedly the main event on Christmas Day but when to dive in is a tradition in and of itself and can vary from family to family. Nearly half (46%) of Brits open their presents as soon as they get up, but it’s not the age group you’d expect to be ripping them open first thing in the morning. Of the respondents aged 35–44-year-old, 55% open them ASAP, compared to just 38% of those in the Gen-Z age bracket. Revealing to waiting until after breakfast to open gifts (which must seem like torture) but a whopping 28% will do it, while 18% of Brits will have to wait until after lunch! Good things come to those who wait – hopefully.

Christmas cinematic crackers

Nothing says “Christmas” more than settling down and watching your all-time favourite Christmas movie, which is why it’s an important and upheld tradition for many across the nation. But what are we flicking on our TV screens? Well, watching little Kevin McCallister on his funny, festive adventure in Home Alone tops the list as 21% state it’s their all-time favourite Christmas movie. This is flanked by other Christmas classics like Elf (19%) and The Grinch (15%) in second and third place. And the great debate as to whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie is perhaps settled having made it to the list of top ten favourite Christmas films. In fact, one in ten stated it’s their favourite Christmas movie.

Rank Movie % Brits who will watch it this festive season
 1  Home Alone (any version) 21.0% 
 2  Elf 19.3% 
 3  The Grinch 15.4% 
 4  A Christmas Carol (any version)  14.0%
 5  The Polar Express 13.4%
 6  Miracle on 34th Street  13.3%
 7 The Snowman 13.2% 
 8  Love Actually 12.2% 
 9  The Santa Clause 11.6% 
 10  Die Hard 11.2%
 11 Scrooge  11.0% 
 12 It's a Wonderful Life  10.8% 
 13 White Christmas  9.6% 
 14 Jack Frost  9.2% 
 15 The Muppet Christmas Carol  9.2% 

The leftovers

Boxing Day originated from a time when the rich used to box up gifts and leftovers to give to the poor. But today, it’s usually a day allocated to recovering after the festivities of the day before but it is looked forward to as much as the big day itself.

As a result, Boxing Day traditions are just as important to the nation as Christmas and Christmas Eve – they’re just toned down a little more. Spending time with family (36%), watching movies (25%) and lounging around (24%) are the more relaxed traditions you’ll find that Brits are opting for over more strenuous traditions like hitting the Boxing Day sales (11%) and watching a football match (10.6%).

Rank Boxing Day Tradition % of Brits
 1 Spend time with family 36.0% 
 2 Watch a movie  25.2% 
 3 Lounge around  23.5% 
 4 Feast on leftovers  21.6% 
 5 Go for a Boxing Day walk  16.4% 
 6 Play board games  14.7% 
 7 Spend time with friends  13.1% 
 8 Boxing Day sales  11.0% 
 9 Watch a football match  10.6% 
 10 Go to the pub  8.6% 

Methodology

This survey was conducted with a sample size of 2007 people across the UK with Censuswide.

The British Christmas is a wonderful blend of tradition, indulgence, and togetherness that people look forward to the most when it comes to Christmas. This can mean a lot of pressure for the head chef of the family, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right kitchen utensils, like good pans and pots, food thermometers and a reliable baking mixing machine you can whip up a festive feast that you’ll be talking about until next Christmas rolls around.

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