The Queen’s Christmas Celebration

Christmas is now less than a month away.  We all have our favorite foods, decorations and traditions.  The Queen is no different.  For the Queen, tradition and continuity are everything at this time of year, with Christmas evoking happy childhood recollections.   Her Majesty likes things at her family Christmas celebrations to be the same each year.  She spends each Christmas at her estate at Sandringham.  Though she has a royal train on which she travels at other times, at Christmas she takes the public train to Sandringham several days prior to Christmas.

In the White Drawing Room at Sandringham a Norfolk spruce, which has been cut from the estate, is decorated by servants with Queen Victoria’s antique angels and other shiny baubles and then the Queen finishes off the decoration with a large star just as her father King George VI always did.
When everyone has arrived on Christmas Eve, tea is served, complete with the Queen’s favorite jam pennies,  and gifts are exchanged.  The tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve was introduced by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. While the children receive traditional gifts and toys of all sorts, amongst the adults, gag or joke gifts are the order of the day and what ensues is what the Queen’s nephew once described as “total uproar”.

After the fun of the gifts being distributed and opened, everyone dresses for dinner.  Drinks are at 8 pm followed by a black tie dinner buffet of shrimps, lamb or game from the estate, vintage wines and champagne, and William and Harry’s favorite Sandringham cider.  After everyone has chosen their meats, the staff serves roasted chestnuts, potatoes and vegetables.

Christmas crackers with gold and silver crowns are a tradition.  The Queen is known to love to read the corny jokes from the Christmas crackers.  Dessert follows and consists of mince tarts and hard sauce, and the Queen’s Christmas pudding.

Christmas morning there is a church service for just the Royal family at the church of St. Mary Magdalene at 9 am where the Queen takes communion. Then they attend another church service along with the public at 11am.  After church everyone returns to Sandringham for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.  As soon as lunch is over, everyone retires to watch the Queens pre-recorded national Christmas message at 3 pm.

When it is finished, everyone is on their own until 5 pm to exercise, take a walk, or join the Queen in doing her favorite jigsaw puzzles.

At 5pm a light dinner is served and then the fun begins with games including the Queens favorite, charades.  She is apparently particularly good at charades.

The family all remain for Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, and then begin heading home on the 27th.  The Queen and Prince Phillip remain at Sandringham until February.  While most people take down the Christmas decor in early January, Christmas decorations at Sandringham remain up until mid February.  The Queen’s father, King George VI, died at the Sandringham estate on February 6, 1952.  Out of respect for him and his memory, the Queen remains in residence there each year until after the anniversary of his death and the Christmas decorations, that remind her of all her happy childhood memories spent there with him, stay up as well.

Whether you are an “average Joe” or the Queen of England, our traditions are what tie us together as a family.  Family Holiday traditions are what knits those young little ones in our families together with the older family members and even our ancestors whom they have never met.  Traditions are the glue of which family memories are made.

We challenge you to exam what your favorite family traditions are.  If you don’t have many, there is nothing stopping you from being the one who starts some for your family.  No matter who you are, Queen or commoner, traditions, especially at the holidays, are an example of an abundant life.  Amongst all the hubbub and the other facets that this time of year holds, remember that the holidays are full of opportunities for love, joy and so much abundant living.