Brits shun modern 'Elf On The Shelf' in favour of older Christmas traditions
It seems that the old traditions are still the best – as Brits say that putting up a Christmas tree, tucking into mince pies, and enjoying a turkey on Christmas Day, are their favourite festive rituals.
Other classic routines that people still enjoy during the holiday season include visiting Christmas markets, getting a stocking full of presents, and pulling a Christmas cracker with prizes inside. And when it comes to food, finding chocolate coins in your stocking, and lighting a Christmas pudding, still can't be beaten.
In fact, the survey of 2,000 adults, who celebrate Christmas, say they would much rather mark the occasion with these tried-and-tested favourite traditions – with six in 10 saying they don't enjoy more modern rituals.
The mischievous “Elf on the Shelf” on the shelf has been named as the most disliked tradition of recent years, for 27% – followed by emailing Santa a wish list, and tracking the big man online on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, a fifth turn their nose up at the modern trend of getting new, matching Christmas pyjamas for the whole family to wear.
Three in 10 would like to go to a different country for Christmas, to experience festive traditions from other cultures (St Pierre UK)The study, commissioned by bakery brand, St Pierre, also revealed the festive traditions from around the world that Brits would most like to try include tucking into Japan’s fried chicken dinner, and marking “little Christmas” on December 23rd, like they do in Norway.
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Iceland’s tradition of giving a book on Christmas, having a New Zealand-style barbecue instead of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and enjoying a Christmas Eve sauna, inspired by Finland, also made the list.
A spokesman for St Pierre said: “For a lot of families, keeping up with Christmas traditions is an important part of the season, and it is what makes this time of year so special. However, there are some modern customs which have made their way into people’s homes over recent years. It’s been interesting to see the nation’s take on these, and even more interesting to hear which global dining traditions Brits would most like to adopt.”
When comparing countries, a third of those polled (32%) believe our festive customs are mostly inspired by other cultures, rather than being original. And 20% even believe certain places are better at celebrating Christmas than we are – with the USA, Germany, and Norway taking the top spots for this. As a result, three in 10 are keen to spend this magical time of year in another country, while 22% have already done so.
The study, carried out via OnePoll, found one in three enjoy any rituals that involve food or family recipes, with 36% claiming that most of what they do at home revolves around this. And 21% have their own rituals outside of what is considered “typical” – with 16% seeing Christmas as the perfect time to start a new tradition.
However, 24% claim they take part in certain things each year because they feel like they have to – and almost half (48%) also admitted they still carry out some of their family heritages that they experienced as a child. The spokesman for St Pierre added: “It’s great to see food coming in as the number one thing people most enjoy about Christmas – and it’s no wonder, as not only is it the perfect time to indulge, but it’s also a special time for making memories.
“Food is more than a meal on your plate – it’s the nostalgia of growing up, the family recipes that come out once a year, and a wonderful way to bring people together, no matter where we are in the world.”
TOP 15 BEST LOVED OLDER CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS:
- Christmas trees
- Eating turkey on Christmas Day
- Mince pies
- Christmas cards
- Christmas markets
- Crackers (with prizes in)
- Having a stocking
- Carol singing
- Chocolate Yule logs
- Leaving milk and cookies for Santa
- Christmas pantomimes
- The King's Speech
- Lighting a Christmas pudding
- Chocolate coins in your stocking
- Visiting Santa's grotto
TOP FIVE MOST DISLIKED MODERN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS:
- Elf on the Shelf
- Getting new pyjamas for the whole family to wear
- Emailing Santa a wish list
- A Christmas Eve box
- Online Santa tracker
TOP 20 WORLDWIDE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS BRITS WOULD MOST LIKE TO TRY:
- “Jolabokaflod”, which translates into “Christmas Book Flood”, and involves giving or receiving new books on Christmas Eve – Iceland
- A Christmas Day barbeque – New Zealand
- A Christmas Eve sauna session – Finland
- Making your own advent calendars – Switzerland
- Celebrating “little Christmas” on December 23rd, with your own family rituals – Norway
- Dancing around your Christmas tree on Christmas Eve – Denmark
- A baked ham, decorated with pineapple and sorrel glazes – Barbados
- Eating a special meal at midnight on Christmas Eve – France
- Fireworks displays on December 24th and 25th – El Salvador
- Eating fried chicken on Christmas Day – Japan
- Visiting neighbours with festive food on New Year’s Day – Martinique
- Having a Pohutukawa tree, which blooms bright red in December – New Zealand
- Getting a postcard back from Father Christmas – France
- Exchanging gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve – Brazil/Portugal
- Leaving shoes by the fireplace on December 5th, to find sweets in them the next day – Germany
- Leaving a shoe by the chimney, to find treats inside on Christmas – The Netherlands
- The Yule Goat, when a giant straw goat is erected in towns and cities to mark the beginning of the season – Sweden
- The “pooping log”, a log with a smiley face which gets looked after by children in the lead-up to Christmas, before smacking it with a stick and singing on Christmas Eve to reveal treats located at its rear end – Catalonia, Barcelona
- A family “cookout”, called “braaing” – South Africa
- Finding a hidden almond in the porridge – Finland
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