The BBC America Blog is currently running a series on Christmas traditions in Britain. So far they have talked about minced pies, Brussels sprouts served alongside the traditional roast (which for the upper classes once involved such exotic meats as peacock and wild boar), as well as music and pantomime... It got me thinking about about American Christmas traditions, of which there are many - this is such a large country with so many different regional and cultural customs. America is also not a Christian country (despite what many people want/seem to believe), while Britain has a strong history and ties to the Protestant Churches of England and Scotland, as well has to Catholicism, so in addition to Christmas we celebrate a variety of other days as part of the Holiday Season.In my family, we have never had a set menu for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve we have a lasagna dinner with our extended family (a nod to my grandmother's distant seeming Italian heritage), but otherwise we are lacking in Christmas food traditions... We have made everything from cassoulet, to latkes, to paella for the actual day. This year, though, I am leaning toward the British-style roast with all of the trimmings. Prime rib, Yorkshire puddings, and plenty of vegetables, but I think we'll skip the fruitcake and have a Sticky Toffee Pudding instead - I will definitely be making mine from scratch though!
BBC America Christmas coverage: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/tag/a-very-british-christmas/
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