Christmas

When is Christmas 2022?

Celebrated on December 25th across the United Kingdom, Christmas Day remains a favourite holiday for many people. It is one of the widely recognized holidays in the world, especially in western influenced countries.

Is Christmas Day a bank holiday?

Christmas is a bank holiday in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. It is, therefore, a day off for the general population and banks, schools and most businesses are closed for the day.

What is the origin of Christmas Day?

Christmas is a Christian holiday that aims at celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Today, however, many aspects of this holiday have been associated with pagan traditions in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Such include lighting fires, evergreen trees in homes, holding parties, and indulging in special foods. When missionaries converted most of the people in the UK to Christianity, most of these customs did not die and instead became part of Christian celebrations.

Similarly, Christmas is associated with many symbols and figures. Pine trees, candles, small lights, and figures such as Father Christmas or Santa Claus have become part of Christmas celebrations.

What is open and closed on Christmas Day?

Christmas Day is a major holiday, and therefore almost all organizations are closed on this day. Public transport services and operations follow the holiday timetable, and, in some places, they do not operate at all. Some stores selling food and Christmas necessities may open, but they only operate for a few hours during the day. Many churches are, however, open as they hold special services on Christmas Day. Some churches also organize visits to shelters for the homeless, where they provide food and other necessities to them. A few others hold events in towns where they preach to the public and urge them to turn away from the commercial aspects of modern Christmas celebrations. The only places that are not likely to be affected by the celebrations are hospitals as they remain open the whole day.

People start decorating their homes and gardens early in preparations for Christmas Day. Decorations mostly include Christmas trees, fairy lights, leaves, and berries from holly trees and bright colours that spark the Christmas mood. The shopping streets of most cities and towns are also decorated with pine trees and lights.

Which are the Christmas Day traditions?

For most people, it is a tradition to spend Christmas Day with family members as they exchange gifts and cards. In many households, it is a tradition for children to find a sock or stocking filled with small gifts. The children are made to believe that the gifts were brought by Father Christmas or Santa Claus, who lives at the North Pole. He supposedly travels very fast in a sleigh pulled by a reindeer and drops presents to all houses with children. Long before Christmas, children usually write letters to Santa listing their requests and then toss them in the fireplace. Apparently, the draught takes the letters up the chimney, and Santa reads the smoke.

Things to do on Christmas Day?

If you would rather stay and relax at home, there is still a lot to entertain you. Check out the Christmas day tv guide and follow up on the best Christmas shows and series. If your family members are home, you could also have a great time reviewing and playing some Christmas Day games.

On Christmas day, restaurants open as usual or for the better part of the day. You may, therefore, check into your favourite restaurant for some Christmas Day meal such as roast turkey, Christmas pudding, and a variety of vegetables. If you prefer a cosy pub, you might need to wait until evening as that is the time most of them open.

You can attend a Christmas Day church services in a cathedral or a church near you. However, remember to arrive early as it can get very busy due to limited space in the churches.

Have you always wanted to tour London just like a tourist? Here is your chance. Although public transport usually takes a rest in most towns, you can still take this chance to explore the city of London in a different way. Hop on a Santander Cycle and enjoy the ride beneath the festive decorations lining the city’s streets. A hop bus tour can also be a great way to explore London at your own pace for 24 hours. Better still, you can take a traditional black cab or walk off those calories by exploring London on foot as you admire the city’s architecture, street art, and parks.

Most tourist attractions are closed on Christmas Day, but a few continue to operate. Such include the Body Worlds exhibition at Piccadilly Circus and Jw3 ice rink where you can have fun ice skating with friends on Christmas Day.

Londons’ Royal Parks and The Serpentine lake in Hyde Park are also open, and this can be a great time to have that well-deserved family walk.

You could also hit the open stores and buy some Christmas Day outfits and other gifts for your loved ones, all at great Christmas Day sales.

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