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| Mince pie and sherry for Santa. We thought he'd like the napkin. |
In the US, the holiday season is shared among different religions and occasions. You might see a Christmas tree and menorah in downtown State College, a Kwanzaa flag or candles on display, festive holiday lights strung across the streets, people ringing bells for the Salvation Army. There might be a nod to the holiday season in the public schools.
Here, it is all Christmas all the time. Images of Santa (or more iconically called Father Christmas), mince pies, Christmas crackers, Rudolph ears, Christmas trees all along the road, kids in nativity costumes, Christmas ties, flambed Christmas pudding... very spirited and festive. I've learned to say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays". I have had nice conversations with shopkeepers about Christmas traditions. Most people have turkey at dinner. A lady at the Village Shop told me that Father Christmas' reindeer used to leave magical glitter footprints in their living room.
Not being familiar with mince pies in the US, I did a little reading up on the tradition. Apparently, they traditionally represent Jesus' cradle and started out large, oval shaped and filled with different types of minced meat in addition to fruit, sugar and peel. They became popular in the 1400's and then modified and reshaped and resized over time with the introduction of new spices brought back from the Medieval Crusades. A star on top represents Christ, though there can be other decorations. Mince pies used to be quite a status symbol and have now completely infiltrated the masses.
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| Uncle Malcolm's family dinner |
As part of the Christmas spirit, going out for a Christmas lunch with a group in December seems quite common. Our art group organized a Christmas lunch at a nice pub. The Year 1 mums at school invited me for Christmas lunch at Thornton Hall--very beautiful old oak room, all the mums were looking fabulous and donned crowns from our Christmas crackers, some had cocktails or wine, and enjoyed a traditional roast. Uncle Malcolm invited our extended family for dinner at Pollard's. There are always Christmas crackers. It is good fun to wear a crown, exchange riddles and check out the prizes. We struck gold at Uncle Malcolm's dinner where we got little brushes in our crackers, perfect for cleaning school uniforms!
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| Mince pies and nibbles at our Christmas Eve gathering |
It is also quite common to be invited for mince pies and sherry at a friend or neighbor's house. Just a quick drink and a chat, meet a few people,, catch up. We had family and our neighbors over on Christmas Eve for such an occasion. Our neighbor across the road invited us around on another day for drinks and to celebrate her grandson's 1st birthday. We had never met (though the kids know her through Sally)--it was a nice gesture, and we enjoyed meeting her family and neighbors over a celebratory drink.
Dressing up--whether a little bit fabulous or festive--also seems the thing to do. Shopkeepers often wear holiday pins, ties, hats. Michael and Anna got some pretty cool Christmas accessories at the Village Shop and in their comics.
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| Aren't you a little skinny for a stormtrooper? |
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| Christmas breakfast |
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