18 quirky British Christmas traditions that might confuse AmericansNEWS | 08 December 2025Some Christmas traditions look a little different in the UK.
Some Christmas traditions look a little different in the UK. Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock
Some Christmas traditions look a little different in the UK. Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock
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If you call him "Father Christmas" instead of Santa Claus, you just might be from the United Kingdom.
Christmas in the United Kingdom differs slightly from celebrations in America and elsewhere around the world.
From what is traditionally served at a Christmas Day feast to festive activities and childhood traditions, families across the pond have their own unique and quirky ways of celebrating the holidays.
Something that's universal, though: the cost of the holidays and the anxiety it brings some families. A third of British people surveyed by YouGov in November said they were at least "fairly worried" about the cost of this Christmas and its effect on their finances.
Here are 18 British Christmas traditions that might surprise you.Author: Ann Schmidt. Erin Mcdowell. Source
