Internationalism at Wellington College International Hangzhou

A traditional British Christmas celebration 

Christmas tree

For many British citizens worldwide, Christmas is a time to return home and spend time with each other.  The meaning of Christmas is based on sharing and giving gifts to family loved ones. Traditional symbols of Christmas such as a green pine tree decorated with tinsel, colourful baubles, a star and small fairy lights and a large Santa Claus (also called Father Christmas in the UK) sitting in his sleigh with a sack of gifts being pulled by reindeer will be displayed all across the UK.

Advent calendar

The lead up to Christmas for UK families starts typically from 1 December. However, some families can not contain their excitement and start decorating their houses from November. On 1 December, some children receive advent calendars. The calendar includes 25 windows to open, one each day leading up to Christmas, and behind each window is a small Christmas picture or chocolate treat.  

Write a letter to Santa Claus
Image credit to: GETTY IMAGE

During this period, children will also write a letter to Santa Claus with a wish list of presents they would like to receive. Once finished, they will post the letter to Santa’s home in the North Pole, where his elves will receive the list and start making some of the presents.

Christmas Eve, 24 December, is possibly the most anticipated for children in the UK. It is the day Santa Claus arrives. As the legend says, Santa will leave the North Pole (his home) and fly in a red sleigh being pulled by his Reindeer (Rudolph with his red nose being the most famous) to deliver presents to children who have been “good” for the year. 

Mince pie and carrot for the reindeer
Image credit to: 
www.lasermadeoccasions.co.uk

To help Santa on his way, families leave a drink and a mince pie for him. Children also leave a bowl of milk and a carrot for the reindeer. Traditionally Santa will enter homes to leave presents by coming down the chimney….a bit of a challenge with apartments, but Santa always finds a way.

On Christmas Day, 25 December, children are excited to see if Santa has arrived and left them presents. Often Santa and his reindeers will have eaten the mince pies and carrots.

Throughout the morning, presents are unwrapped, each person taking their turn until all of them have been opened. By then, it is time for lunch, and on Christmas Day for British people, it is the best lunch of the year. Usually, this lunch is a large roast dinner: roast turkey, roast potatoes, vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce and a Yorkshire pudding and maybe a few Brussels sprouts too. Once all the food has been eaten, it is time for dessert. Traditionally it is Christmas Pudding that is set on fire before eating. 

Christmas does not end with Christmas Day. On 26 December, people in the UK celebrate Boxing Day. This is when people depart from their families and meet with their friends to drink and eat the leftover food from the roast dinner the day before.

This year Christmas will be different, and much like many UK citizens living abroad, we will be unable to visit home to see our families. However, we will do our best to bring the UK Christmas to our own homes here in China.

Article and family photographs by:
Philip Stainton
Deputy Head of Senior School