Our Favourite Things About Christmas

December 15, 2015

• Topical

We can’t believe it’s that time of the year again already; 2015 seems to have flown by at an alarming speed, and 2016 is knocking on the door. But, before we get to celebrating the New Year, we would like to spend some time focusing on just a few of the joys of the festive season. What are your favourite things about Christmas? Everyone has their own little Christmas traditions, and quirky ways of celebrating and enjoying this special holiday, but we are going to try our best to sum up our favourite things about Christmas. Let us know if we missed your favourite tradition!

• The food! Starting with a big one here – who doesn’t like festive food? We aren’t just talking about the main dinner itself, with plates piled high with turkey, potatoes, vegetables, gravy and all manner of deliciousness, but all the other foods that seem to appear in December. Mince pies, Christmas pudding, yule log, cheese boards, red cabbage, ham, leftovers. Warming, hearty, stodgy, festive food (all washed down with a lovely glass of mulled wine) is one of the things that makes Christmas, well, Christmas. And we are firm believers of a guilt-free festive season, so tuck in and enjoy!
• The music! Many people seem to have a love/hate relationship with Christmas music, partly due to the way that it seems to arrive in November (if not earlier) and overstay its welcome. But, would it really be Christmas without that handful of familiar songs and carols which herald the coming of the season and which everyone knows the words to? According to this 2012 Metro article, the top 5 Christmas songs of all time are: ‘Winter Wonderland’ by Doris Day; ‘Santa Baby’ by Eartha Kitt; ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham!; ‘All I Want for Christmas’ by Mariah Carey; and, topping the list, ‘Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. But we don’t believe in favouritism at the Kings Tutors office; any Christmas music will do.
• Reconnecting with friends and family! Perhaps this one should have topped the list, rather than food and music… One of the truly special things about the festive season, is the coming together of family and friends for a few days, away from hectic everyday schedules. After all, it isn’t about what you have underneath your Christmas tree, but who you have around the table. Is this one of your favourite things about Christmas?
• The films! Is there anything that can rival the joy of wrapping up in a blanket on the sofa, and indulging in a marathon of Christmas movie magic? I doubt it. With so many truly spectacular Christmas films to enjoy, how is it possible to narrow it down to favourites? We couldn’t, so we are using the top 5 from this article by Time Out: at number 5, ‘Home Alone’; at number 4, ‘Gremlins’; at number 3, ‘Bad Santa’, at number 2, ‘Elf’; and, taking the crown in this list as in many others, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Now, where’s the popcorn?
• The decorations! It is hard not feel a nostalgic pang of childlike joy when surrounded by huge, glittering Christmas trees, sparkling lights, festive ornaments and decorations. A smattering of Christmas decorations can make even the bleakest Winter’s day look magical, and the smell of a real Christmas tree takes some beating.
• Snow! OK, so perhaps this one is slightly wishful thinking. I can’t remember the last time we were graced with a ‘white Christmas’, but what a treat when it does snow. Whole cities blanketed in crisp snow, white rolling hills, Christmas lights making the snow sparkle, a Christmas Day morning family stroll through the snowfall… we are keeping our fingers crossed for a very snowy Christmas this year!
• The clothes (aka knitwear)! The festive season is the perfect time to bundle up in layers upon layers of cosy knitwear. Socks, cardigans, jumpers, scarves, hats, gloves, shawls, and of course the novelty Christmas jumper…leave no knitted stone unturned. If you are lucky enough to have family members or friends who are avid knitters, perhaps you will even be gifted with a new item for your Winter collection. For a perfect example of the joys that Christmas-friendly clothing can bring, we recommend re-watching ‘Love, Actually’ and enjoying the characters’ seemingly endless cosy jumpers.

So, there are just a few of our favourite things about Christmas. Please do contact us at Kings Tutors about what your favourite Christmas traditions are?! We would love to know!