Christmas, English style

Some street lights in Cambridge

While we won't be here for the big day, we have experienced some of England's Christmas customs.  The city of Cambridge put up its outside lights early in October but didn't turn them on until the end of November.  There's a Christmas tree next to the Guildhall which is modestly decorated with lights.  Given that nightfall comes early, the street lights are on at 3 P.M.




Probably the most glitter and festive decorations are in the Grand Arcade, Cambridge's downtown shopping center.  The John Lewis  department  store had its decorations and lights up by the end of October.

Decoration in the Grand Arcade

Alas, there are no clever window displays with moving mechanical features like we saw in large German stores or which used to decorate our own department stores.  There are also no Christmas markets in Cambridge with fancy ornaments or Gluhwein to entice shoppers.  Other cities in England are bringing in German style Christmas markets and skating rinks because of their popularity.




Singing carols and special foods are a big part of the English Christmas and I've been able to experience both.  Before the Christmas lunch on Dec. 16, St. Paul's Church  had a carol service which a number of us volunteers attended.  While the lyrics of the carols were familiar, sometimes the music was different.  The Christmas lunch featured turkey which has become the traditional Christmas Day lunch, lots of steamed vegetables, and my favorite: Christmas pudding with brandied butter.  The pudding is actually a very moist cake filled with dried fruits, steamed and SOAKED in brandy.  It was a knock-out!

 Serving the Christmas Pudding

Another delicious dessert this time of year is mince pies.  They are small, like tartlets, and served with heavenly (and probably dangerous) double cream.  I think I'd like to try making some at home.

One of the Christmas customs is to "snap" a Christmas cracker.  When the cracker is pulled apart, out fall a paper crown, a silly toy, and a joke or pun.  Kind of like a combination of Cracker Jacks and Fortune cookies.









There are other customs and activities we'll miss: the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College on Christmas Eve, the Queen's speech to the nation on Christmas Day, and Pantomimes or "Pantos" which are family plays featuring outlandish characters and plots.  Just more reasons for return visits.