Christmas can include a shared meal, time with friends or family, gifts, decorations, entertainment, religious observance—or only the parts that feel right to you. There is no required checklist. Start with what matters to your household, then keep a familiar custom, adapt one, or try a small new ritual.
What do people commonly do at Christmas?
Customs vary by country and household, but surveys offer a snapshot of what some people report doing. In the 2025 National Folklore Survey for England, 66.6% of respondents said they give or receive gifts at Christmas, 63.5% have a Christmas meal, and 58.3% decorate a Christmas tree. Watching Christmas films or television and visiting or hosting friends and relatives were each reported by 57.1%; 57% said they decorate their home. These are England-specific findings, not a global ranking or a standard everyone is expected to follow. Sheffield Hallam University’s report describes the survey’s wider results.
For comparison, a Pew Research Center survey conducted in the United States in 2013 found that 86% of respondents planned to gather with extended family or friends on Christmas or Christmas Eve, and 69% said spending time with family and friends was what they most looked forward to about Christmas and the holiday season. In that same 2013 survey, 86% planned to buy gifts and 79% planned to put up a Christmas tree. Those figures are historical U.S. survey results, not current estimates. Pew’s report also discusses religious and cultural views of the holiday.
Choose traditions that suit your household
Rather than trying to reproduce someone else’s ideal holiday, choose activities around the time, energy, budget, beliefs, and access people in your household have. A celebration can be lively or quiet, large or small, religious or secular. It can also change from year to year.
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Gather in a way that works
Host a meal, visit someone, arrange a smaller get-together, or make a call if distance, mobility, health, or schedules make an in-person gathering difficult. You can share the day with relatives, friends, neighbors, or chosen family; a gathering does not need to be large to feel special.
Share food without prescribing a menu
Make a festive meal together, repeat a favorite recipe, or keep the food simple. The England survey found that 38% of respondents made festive foods, but its headline results do not establish one universal Christmas menu. Ask about dietary needs when planning, and choose a meal that suits the people eating it.
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Decorate as much—or as little—as you like
A full tree is one option, not a requirement. Try a tabletop tree, handmade ornaments, greenery, a few lights, or no decorations at all. If you enjoy marking the days before Christmas, an Advent calendar is another optional ritual. Calendar formats differ, and there is no need to buy one to celebrate.
Make gift giving personal and manageable
Giving and receiving gifts is common in the cited surveys, but it is optional and does not need to be expensive. Consider a handmade present, a book exchange, a shared experience, or an agreed spending limit. A household can also decide together to skip gifts.
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Make room for entertainment
Choose a film or television special, read stories aloud, play games, listen to music, or sing together. Watching Christmas films or television was reported by 57.1% of respondents in the 2025 England survey. These activities can be familiar favorites or new household rituals; they need not be ancient customs to become meaningful.
Include religious observance if it matters to you
For Christians, Christmas may include a church service, carols, a Nativity display, prayer, or quiet reflection. Others may celebrate culturally or through family customs without religious observance. Pew’s 2013 U.S. survey found that Americans who viewed Christmas as religious were more likely to plan to attend a service than those who viewed it as cultural; that finding reflects the survey’s time and place, not all Christians or all Christmas celebrations.
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How to start a new Christmas tradition
A new tradition can be modest: the point is to choose something people want to repeat, not to add another obligation. Pick an idea that fits your household and make it easy to adapt as circumstances change.
- Take an annual walk to look at neighborhood lights.
- Make the same recipe together, or try a different one each year.
- Share one thing you appreciated during the year at dinner.
- Exchange handmade cards or write a letter to your future selves.
- Set aside an afternoon for a craft, a game, or a favorite film.
- Volunteer or help a neighbor, if that is practical and welcome.
These are ideas to try, not customs every family already practices. Let children and other household members contribute suggestions, and keep the ritual flexible enough to work when plans change.
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Why Christmas traditions keep changing
What people call traditional is often a blend of religious practice, regional custom, family habits, and popular culture. The National Trust’s account of Christmas customs ranges from Tudor-era music and storytelling to Victorian games and skating parties. It describes plum pudding’s earlier form as plum porridge and notes that Gerhardt Lang produced his first printed Advent calendar in 1908. Such examples show how customs develop; they are not a checklist for recreating a historical Christmas. The National Trust’s history of Christmas traditions provides more context.
Nordiska museet, whose coverage focuses on Sweden and the Nordic region, explains Christmas customs as layers shaped by religious celebrations, farming-society rituals, European influences, and modern popular culture. Its account emphasizes that traditions evolve with people and circumstances. Nordiska museet’s Christmas exhibition is a regional example, not a description of every country’s practices.
Some customs are strongly associated with a particular place rather than shared everywhere. The Associated Press has described how ordering fried chicken for Christmas became popularized in Japan after a 1974 KFC campaign; that is a specific popular practice, not evidence that every Japanese household celebrates that way. The AP also describes caroling as a European practice tied to visiting homes and renewing community relationships. These examples illustrate how religious and cultural elements can coexist and change. The Associated Press’s account of Christmas traditions around the world offers further examples.
Quick Recap
A simple way to plan your celebration
- Choose the emphasis. Decide whether you want religious observance, a cultural celebration, time with others, a quiet day, or some combination.
- Pick one or two anchor activities. For example, plan a meal and a film, or a service and a visit. Avoid filling the day simply because other people do.
- Make the plan workable. Consider travel, access, dietary needs, budget, and how much preparation people want to take on.
- Leave room for change. Keep a tradition that still feels good, adapt one that no longer fits, or drop it without treating that choice as a failure.
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