Christmas would not be the same without the tree, turkey, and, of course, the mince pies.
But we Brits aren’t the only ones on the planet with our festive traditions that make Christmas special.
Families around the world all have their very own Yuletide customs – some of which we might find strange, bizarre or just plain ridiculous.
But no matter where you are on the globe today, we have a Christmas traditions expert, James Cooper, to explain how countries around the world get their Christmas kicks.
Festive fanatic James, 43, of Somerset, admits he owns more than 400 Christmas music albums and his site whychristmas.com gets more than 20 MILLION views each year.
James says: “Christmas traditions give us a grounding, they give us a sense of things we have shared together, a sense of family, which is really important.
“And with people coming to the UK from all over the world we have imported quite a few traditions as well.
“In fact most of what we think of as our festive traditions really come from Germany and France - like the Christmas tree.”
The big year for Christmas in this country was 1843 – it was:
■ When the first Christmas card was sent.
■ When author Charles Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol was published.
■ When Christmas trees began to spring up in our homes.
■ And when Christmas crackers were being invented.
The cracker is James’ all-time favourite British Christmas tradition. He explains: “I love crackers because they are just so bizarre. Why would you have an explosive thing sitting next to your Christmas dinner with a hat, a toy and a lousy joke in it?
“Crackers were created by Victorian sweet seller Tom Smith. He had been over to France and Belgium and seen their really posh wrapped sweets.
“The legend goes that he was sitting by the fire one evening and the logs went crackly pop, and for some reason he thought: ‘Oh, I could put something explosive in the wrapping.’
“It was then one of Tom’s sons got involved too and put the jokes and hats in them too.”
But James says one tradition he would love to be at the forefront of our minds this year is the true meaning of Christmas.
“It would be nice to reintroduce the religious things that are what Christmas is all about, like carol services. We all need to remember it isn’t just about buying things.”
Here James takes us through some amazing festive traditions worldwide.
South Africa
Forget pigs in blankets – in South Africa they have a more unusual festive food – deep fried caterpillars.
Mopane worms, the caterpillar stage of the pine tree emperor moth, are harvested around Christmas and can be preserved to eat through winter. They taste like tea and are full of protein.
Ukraine
Decorating the tree with baubles, tinsel and lights signals the start of Christmas for many families around the world.
But in Ukraine it is tradition to use decorations that mimic spiders’ webs shimmering with dew.
It goes back to a folk tale about a poor widow who could not afford to decorate a tree for her children. Legend has it house spiders took pity on her and spun beautiful webs over the branches that delighted the children on Christmas morning.
Poland
There's something fishy about Polish Christmas dinners. No turkey here – carp is often the main festive dish. Traditionally the fish was bought alive and kept in the bath until the lady of the house killed it on the big day.
The carp’s scales are said to bring luck and some people kept them in wallets the whole year. It was a custom for older ladies to put them in their bras during the meal and give them away next day for good luck.
Japan
In Japan the festive dinner is… er, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Christmas has only been widely celebrated in the country over the past few decades. The custom dates back to when US forces were based in Japan after the Second World War.
In 1974, the US fast food chain launched a 'Kentucky for Christmas' marketing campaign in Japan – and the tradition has lasted to this day. Families from all over the country head to their local KFC for a special Christmas Eve meal.
Iceland
Children in Iceland can expect a festive visit from the Yule Lads - playful imps or elves who like to eat a lot and play tricks on people.
They leave little presents for children in shoes placed on the windowsill.
If children have been naughty they might leave a potato or a note telling them to be good.
Mexico
On December 23 in the town plaza of Oaxaca City they have the ‘Night of the Radishes’.
There are competitions for scenes made up of carved radishes, from the nativity story, local traditions and wildlife, such as alligators. The radishes are grown large for the festival, around 20 inches long weighing about 6lbs.
Brazil
For the lucky Brazilians, it’s common to get a ‘13th salary’ at Christmas. So in December workers get twice the normal amount of monthly pay, The idea is to boost the economy for the festive period.
This has been going on for decades and most people don’t even consider that other countries might not do it.
