Christmas is a time where families get together and spend time celebrating in various ways. Most people enjoy a really good meal - traditionally Turkey or Goose is served, but these days many people enjoy duck, pheasant or various other meats, fish, or vegetarian alternatives to their own taste. Christmas pudding, mince pies, roast chestnuts, brandy butter and many other foodstuffs that can only be found at this time of year are enjoyed as well. Tables are usually decorated to show that this is a special festive meal, with Christmas crackers in bright colours and sometimes wreaths of holy and other evergreen decorations, or their more common artificial variants.



The giving of gifts is another traditional part of Christmas with stockings hung by children for Santa Claus or Father Christmas to fill, in other countries shoes are filled with bonbons by St Nicholas, but the general gist of things is still the same with family and friends giving each other gifts in celebration.

Christmas is of course a Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, but many people who aren't Christian celebrate today without worrying about the religious side of the event as the meaning of love and giving can still be carried out regardless of your creed. If you talk to different families you'll find that traditions within families can be quite interestingly varied from putting out reindeer food to leaving pies and brandy for Santa, to making sure a light is in the window to show him the way.

Houses are decorated inside and out by people, with some areas holding competitions for the best decked house, and many towns decorate their high street's or shopping centres as well so that lots of tinsel, bright lights, and other decorations can be seen when you go out shopping or visiting and the effects can be very striking. Santa's grotto's appear in the towns and children can be taken along to sit on Santa's knee and tell him what they want for Christmas with many of these events a small present being given out as well.

Singing and music has long been a part of the Christmas celebrations, from choirs in churches to bands and groups of carollers singing in the streets or moving door to door and collecting money for charity as they go. A wonderful mix has developed over the years from the Christian songs of praise, and the pagan celebrations of wassailing which has it's roots in pre-Christian beliefs where people would pass from door to door receiving hand outs of food and drink in exchange for songs and good cheer at this time of year. Many Christmas songs and Carols have passed into long standing and can be heard at this time of year now.

Many symbols have developed over the years which are now associated with Christmas from the religious symbols of the nativity scene to fairy's on top of the Christmas tree, Santa Claus in his red and white robes which aren't as traditional as many people think, and of course reindeer and snowmen as well.