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When it comes to Christmas traditions, every family is different.

Over the years, we’ve all developed our own preferred ways of doing things but traditions often evolve as the location, people and fashions change. From opening presents to choosing what delicious food items make it to the Christmas dinner table, there’s a lot of choices to be made.

But where do you stand on these contentious Christmas dilemmas?

Is there a place for Yorkshire puddings at Christmas dinner?

A golden fluffy delight with a crispy exterior, the humble Yorkshire pudding is an absolute staple of the classic roast dinner. And who wouldn’t want to enjoy such a savoury sensation on Christmas Day?

Well, a traditionalist would say it all comes down to your choice of meat. Historically, Yorkshire puddings were usually eaten with beef, not turkey or chicken.

Originally served with gravy as an appetiser, they were used to fill hungry stomachs as meat was expensive and so could not be consumed in large amounts. The batter was cooked underneath the beef as it was roasted on a spit above the fire, allowing all the meat’s fats and juices to drip down. This added both flavour and colouring, as well as ensuring that those enjoying their Yorkshire puddings got the necessary fats in their diet.

However, in 2020, the ����ý Food recipe for Yorkshire puddings was the most searched for recipe on the website across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That’s a whole lot of people looking to dish up some scrumptious Yorkshire puddings with their turkey dinner!

When should the Christmas decorations be put up and taken down?

Deciding when to open the cupboard or head into the loft to unearth the Christmas decorations is a much disputed decision.

For some people, decorating their home with tinsel, baubles and figurines can be a real mood booster and so they might choose to do it as soon as they feel they need that uplift. Even if it’s November!

Others prefer to wait until December begins or until family can come together. Some might choose the start of Advent, which always begins on the Sunday nearest 30 November, St Andrew’s Day.

In Italy, 8 December is a national holiday, coinciding with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. According to Roman Catholic tradition, this holy day marks the conception of the Virgin Mary, free from original sin, allowing her to give birth to the Son of God. On this day, many Italians will decorate their tree and the Christmas lights are turned on in Rome.

There is greater consensus, however, about when to take down the Christmas tree. An old superstition states that to leave your festive decorations up past Twelfth Night is to invite bad luck. Unfortunately, there is disagreement over the exact date of Twelfth Night.

Depending on whether you include Christmas Day itself in your calculations of the twelve days of Christmas, this all important date falls either on the 5 or 6 January. The Anglican church favours the earlier date (counting Christmas Day as the first day), whereas other communities celebrate on the latter.

Twelfth Night is sometimes known as Epiphany Eve, as the Christian feast of Epiphany takes place on the 6 January. It marks the visit of the Magi (also known as the Three Kings or Wise Men) to the infant Jesus. The word ‘epiphany’ means ‘manifestation’, and this was the day that Jesus was revealed to the wider world. In some Christian communities, Epiphany/Theophany also celebrates Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist.

At what time of day should presents be opened?

Are you the sort of person who wakes up at the crack of dawn to check what might be lying under the Christmas tree? Or do your loved ones have a strict schedule to follow on Christmas Day that keeps you waiting until a specific time?

In some families and cultures, Christmas presents aren’t even opened on Christmas Day. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the British Royal Family typically opened their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, in the White Drawing Room at the Sandringham residence in Norfolk. This was to honour their German heritage.

In Germany, presents are delivered on Christmas Eve by either a version of Father Christmas known as the ‘Weihnachtsmann’ or by the ‘Christkindl’, the Christ Child. This exchange of gifts is known as ‘die Bescherung’.

In the UK, Twelfth Night marks the end of the Christmas festivities, but it’s not the same elsewhere. In Spain and Latin America, families might celebrate El Día de los Reyes. On the 5 January, there are street parades and firework displays and then on the 6 January, children receive presents that have been delivered by the Three Kings.

This article was published in December 2022.