Christmas Traditions on Both Sides of the Atlantic 英美圣诞节大不同

Christmas is a time for nostalgia， where families come together from all around the world and traditions are observed. However， these traditions can be different even among similar cultures， like the UK and the US.

Christmas dinner is perhaps where we see the biggest differences. British people traditionally consume turkey， mince pies， mulled wine for refreshment， and Christmas pudding for dessert—a type of boiled fruitcake.

Indeed， youll be hard-pressed to find this in the US where eggnog is the preferred drink alongside turkey or ham. As for dessert， youll be tucking into sweet potato pies.

Another slightly weird difference is the UKs obsession with Christmas TV advertisements. Unlike the US， each year， major UK department stores spend millions on advertisements that tell heart-warming short stories. Among the most famous is the John Lewis Christmas advert. It features a little girl called Bridget， whose trampoline becomes popular with local wildlife. It cost about ￡8.7 million in 2016. People that day may have nothing to do but watch TV at home. If one brand can come out on top， that will leave a deeper impression with shoppers and increase their sales during the holiday shopping frenzy.

The language of Christmas is also a subtle cultural difference. In the US， people would usually say “Merry Christmas”. While in the UK， “happy” took on a higher-class connotation than “merry”， which was associated with the drinking and rowdiness of the lower classes. The royal family adopted “Happy Christmas” as their preferred greeting and others took note. So this term remains popular in the UK.

There is also a similar distinction on how to address the fat man in red. Americans call him “Santa Claus” or “Santa”， while Britons would refer to him as “Father Christmas”—though “Santa” is sometimes used as well.

Whatever his name is， most people in the US believe Santa， and his reindeer live at the North Pole during the year. However， they would probably raise an eyebrow if a Briton mentioned Lapland—the far north of Norway， where “Father Christmas” is said to reside.

For all these subtle differences， even the most stubborn Briton or American would find it hard not to enjoy Christmas in another country. After all， the Christmas spirit is about spreading goodwill to all and spending quality time with family.

圣誕节是个怀旧的西方节日，西方大多数家庭在这时都会从世界各地赶回来齐聚一堂，庆祝传统节日。然而，即便是文化相似的英美两国，圣诞传统也不尽相同。

圣诞晚餐或许是最大的不同之处。传统上，英国人会吃火鸡与肉馅饼，再喝杯热红酒提神，甜点是圣诞布丁——一种煮熟的水果蛋糕。

的确，你很难在美国的圣诞晚餐中找到以上食物，美国人更喜欢用蛋奶酒就火鸡或者火腿。至于甜点，你能大吃一顿红薯派。

另一个略微奇怪的不同之处就是英国对圣诞电视广告的痴迷。和美国不同的是，每年英国的大百货公司都会花费上百万，拍摄讲述暖心短篇故事的广告。其中约翰·路易斯百货公司的广告最为著名。广告中，小女孩布丽奇特的蹦床大受当地野生动物的欢迎。这条2016年的广告的制作费用为870万英镑。圣诞节那天，没事可做的人们或许都会在家里看电视。如果某个品牌能够脱颖而出，就能给顾客们留下更为深刻的印象，进而在节日的狂欢促销中增加销量。

有关圣诞节的语言也有着细微的文化差异。在美国，人们通常会说“Merry Christmas”来表达圣诞祝愿。而在英国，“merry”的用法往往和下层社会的饮酒与粗鄙联系在一起，而“happy”一词则体现出了更高的阶级地位。英国王室就更喜欢用“Happy Christmas”，其他人也纷纷效仿。因此，这种说法在英国一直流行。

而在对那位穿红衣服的胖大叔的称呼上，两国也有这样的差别。美国人称他为“Santa Claus”或者“Santa”（圣诞老人），而英国人称他为“Father Christmas”——有时也会用“Santa”一词。

不论他的名字是什么，美国大多数人都认为圣诞老人一年之中都住在北极。他们或许会对英国人口中的圣诞老人居住地——拉普兰德惊讶不已，那里是挪威遥远的北方。

因为这些细微的差别，即便是最古板的英国人或者美国人都会觉得在别国庆祝圣诞节相当有趣。毕竟，圣诞节的主旨就在于向每个人传达美好的祝愿，并与家人共度美好时光。

Word Study

observe /?b'z??v/ v. 庆祝;欢度;观察

He will observe Thanksgiving with family members.

subtle /'s?tl/ adj. 不易察觉的;不明显的

There are subtle differences between the two versions.

stubborn /'st?b?n/ adj. 固執的;顽固的

He was too stubborn to admit that he was wrong.