Like many places during the holiday season, England celebrates Christmas with a holiday feast. While most Americans will have had their fill of turkey weeks before, in England (where Thanksgiving is not observed, of course) a golden, roasted turkey is a staple of the Christmas dinner. Mince pies and Christmas pudding are old, traditional favorites and round out a complete Christmas dinner. Some folks still put a silver coin in the pudding to bring good luck to the person who finds it. This tradition dates back to the time of King Edward II where a bean or dried pea would be hidden in the pudding and the person to find it was crowned king or queen for the day. Although many European countries celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve, most people in the British Isles open the gifts that Father Christmas left overnight on Christmas morning. Christmas morning is a noisy and merry affair anywhere you go but the tradition of pulling Christmas crackers makes this especially true in England. Christmas crackers are cardboard tubes decorated like wrapping paper and containing a small gift like a party favor. They must be pulled to be opened and they make a snap or cracking sound that gives them their name.
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