Anglophenia » A Very British Christmas

Anatomy of a British Christmas Dinner

Fraser McAlpine — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:32:43 +0000

Let’s start this by admitting that everything we assume about what everyone else does on Christmas Day is probably wrong. And certainly within the field of Christmas dinner, in Britain as in America, There are traditions, and ...

10 Ways to British Up Your Christmas Holiday

Brigid Brown — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:41:54 +0000

Many American Christmas traditions trace back to England, like the main staples of decorating your home, putting up a tree, exchanging presents and having a mid-day dinner. Why not British it up a bit more this year?

A Very British Christmas Part 10: Five Great TV Specials

Fraser McAlpine — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:37:36 +0000

If there were no Christmas, there would still be a need for everyone to mark a point in the year in order to let their hair down and lark about. Birthdays are fine, but too specific to one person.

A Very British Christmas Part 9: Top of the Pops

Fraser McAlpine — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:32:41 +0000

So far, we’ve looked at the Christmas meal, the pudding, the collapse into a TV coma afterwards and everything that happens on Boxing Day, but what of Christmas morning itself? What of that precious time where the children of the ...

A Very British Christmas Part 8: Christmas Pudding

Fraser McAlpine — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:44:31 +0000

The only definite fact about Christmas pudding that is applicable to all British people at Christmas time is that they know what it is. They may call it a plum duff, or a plum pudding, and they may serve it with brandy butter (exactly ...

A Very British Christmas Part 7: Boxing Day

Fraser McAlpine — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:59:19 +0000

You know me, I like to see both sides of the enormous cultural gulf between America and Britain. I like to shrug at the things we do differently, roll my eyes in an amused fashion, and tut upwards, as if to say “what are we like, ...

A Very British Christmas Part 6: The Queen’s Speech

Fraser McAlpine — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:07:44 +0000

There are two views on what every British person should do when the Queen makes her annual address to the nation at 3pm on Christmas Day. One is respectful, the other less so, but not out of any sense of malice.

A Very British Christmas: Sprouts

Fraser McAlpine — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:39:34 +0000

Apart from the Christmas tree itself, no single item of vegetation dominates the British Christmas as much as the humble Brussels sprout. These tiny green balls of misery/delight are the single most controversial course on any ...

A Very British Christmas Part 4: Pantomimes

Fraser McAlpine — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:17:52 +0000

Finding out about pantomimes is like being asked to join the Freemasons, or finding the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. If you know, you don’t need to ask, if you need to ask, you’ll never know.

A Very British Christmas Part 3: Crackers

Fraser McAlpine — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:16:47 +0000

Let me start with a story. A couple of years ago I was interviewing a singer in an American band over the phone, and I asked what his plan for the holidays might be.