How American Christmas Was a Huge Culture Shock
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- čas přidán 30. 11. 2020
- The presence of snow on the streets of Indiana was a firm declaration that the Midwest would be different to England in every way. And this very much included Christmas.
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Loved the impromptu kitty tail...."Do not ignore me, human. I will make my presence known!"
I enjoyed it too 😅
You must have missed him saying a "tale of two Christmasses". Lawrence is so punny!
My first time here and I thought this man was carrying around a shepherd’s staff, or that he was Christmas Gandolf? Later I noticed it was a cat. Oops!
Lol I just finished replaying Dragon Age Origins. Sad to say "brood mother" was my first thought 🤣
Made me giggle
"I fondly recall destroying my brother-in-law in a snow digging contest while holding a much bigger shovel."
You got conned into shoveling their driveway for them didn't you?
We aren't proud of "Grandma got run over...." we just can't figure out how to make it go away.
TotallyNotRedneckYall, Can I add the “Wonderful Christmas time” by Paul McCartney to that list? I’d love to never ever hear that song again!
@@TheLisaGate Agreed!
My favorite is “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas”
I never liked "Christmastime is here", that Charlie Brown Christmas song. But, I never confessed not liking it till my children were all grown. They loved it!
I haven’t heard that one since I was a kid. I think he mentions far too often. It’s rarely played if ever anymore!
As a Brit it’s my fourth Christmas here in Wisconsin. Our house becomes little England at Christmas, crackers, Christmas pudding, Boxing Day and all, even Morecambe and Wise Christmas specials get an airing. There are just some things you have to bring with you.
Are you used to our crazy Wisconsin winters yet?
My uncle moved from America to Great Britain, and his wife was delighted when he brought a little bit of American Christmas over. Of course we American relatives of his were absolutely delighted when he brought over the Christmas crackers and the Christmas puddin- complete with my aunt's recipe for Brandy butter and instructions on how to make it a flaming pudding❤ he died three Christmases ago, now, and I miss him dreadfully. But I cherish the wonderful memories that we all made.
And speaking of the winters, we are from Southwest Michigan, and he was absolutely delighted by the Winters over there, he said that we got the short end of the stick LOL. I graduated high school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and have lived most of my life in the Michigan Indiana and Ohio tri-state area... I wonder how you have adjusted to our awful cold snowy crud here. Have you gotten to experience the joy that is lake effect snow as yet?
This has driven me bonkers over the years and maybe you can help. I lived in East Anglia for four years. During Christmas, the shop owners in the village I lived nr would dress up in Victorian fancy dress and hand out shots of sherry and serve these little cakes. What are those little cakes called? They weren't sweet, almost like a roll. Kr
@@elenaderoet4926 Ha! I met and married my husband in the UP. We got to watch icebergs on Lake Superior for our honeymoon. We live on the Indiana/Ohio border now. Brutal winters indeed. On 21 Apr, we had an unwelcome snow storm after a beautiful warm March. Indiana weather! I'm a Texas gal, so it was all culture shock to me. Love your name btw. If I had a girl I would have named her Ellena, using a Greek accent. Would have called her Lena, Mexican accent, for short.
Watching the kittie's tail sail back and forth was an added pleasure, and I liked that it didn't even interrupt his monologue. Well done, Laurence.
I can't stop laughing myself
I couldn’t help but start playing the Jaws theme.
From the moment the video starts 🤣
A cat is not an it.
@@wvaspielady9371 the "it" wasn't in reference to the cat. The "it" was in reference to the situation, namely that the cat tail was bobbing back and forth. So that is, appropriately, an "it."
It is also appropriate when you don't know the sex.
Bauble is another word that doesn’t get used much in the USA. We mostly just say ornaments or decorations.
Christmas balls.
My dad's family calls them bingles.
@@tiptoes209 Your dad's weird
"Fairy Lights" Boo hoo hoo
Lol. I had no idea what he was talking about. Thanks for clearing up what Bauble is. I thought he was saying Bother.
My mom bought coloring books that explained how Christmas is celebrated around the world.
Have a book like that somewhere
At my kids’ school the first graders have a Christmas around the World celebration, where each student presents a different country’s traditions.
@@raij465 how well do they present it?
@@valkyrie941 About as well as you’d expect a group of 5 and 6 year olds. Their speeches are only about five minutes long. But at that school they’re used to speaking in front of class, because they do recitations each month, and their parents help out lots for this particular project, so that helps. There is food, music, and/or traditional clothing and dances. It’s really a fun celebration. Even as an adult I learned some interesting stuff about Christmas in Vietnam, Ethiopia, Brazil, Germany, and many others.
who?
cares.
We had roast pork "in the English tradition" growing up. As a Finnish-American, I'm proud to say that some of us know that Santa is one of ours.
We do in Puerto Rico too.
Xmas Day is turkey day in the UK. Everywhere is closed so the family are trapped together all day 😂
Saint Nicholas was Greek, idk what youre on
Nah, Santa is a Canadian. The closest landmass to the North Pole is one of the Nunavut islands. We even gave him his own, official postal code: H0H 0H0
Even in America it is crazy how differently people can celebrate
America has so many different cultures of course there will be different types of tradition...some difference happens even by States
@@tanyamckinnon5376 Sometimes even the counties and districts in each state vary widely.
So true. His mention of sweet potato pie, pecan pie and coconut cake is not a thing in Minnesota. Must be an Indiana thing.
@@katiesoderling3596 Right, I was like... umm this isn't Thanksgiving. And the coconut cake really threw me for a loop. Oh and I'm from Ohio
It must be an individual thing. I'm from Indiana and I don't think I've ever had sweet potato pie. Sometimes someone might bring pecan pie to family Christmas gatherings, but it's not something that makes me think Christmas.
In Cajun culture, Santa is called Papa Noel, and he comes riding down the bayou in a pirogue pulled by alligators. On Christmas Eve, they build bonfires on river banks to light his way.
Is there any good sources on how this came about?
@@KnightofAssyria Who cares about the sources, the visuals alone are fascinating! I wonder if the naughty kids get to see the alligators? Briefly...
That is so cool
I am totally amazed I haven't seen this on television or a movie, sometime. That is a really unusual Christmas custom!
See comment below from a French Canadian. Lol
My familiarity with "Father Christmas" comes from C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
and Turkish delight
Me too. And it turns out I love Turkish Delight!
Thank you for the laughs as always! My husband is from South Africa, and I remember the look of shock and horror on his face when he realized I didn’t know what Boxing Day was. I have since moved him to Minnesota. 😂❤️
Am I the only American who thought “Boxing Day” was a day that celebrated the people and sport of Boxing Matches? Please tell me I wasn’t the only one!!!
It *does* seem to make more sense than a holiday dedicated to getting rid of all the boxes from Christmas Day, though!
I’m guilty of that. I’d like a holiday that has actual boxing.
I thought it was clean up day where you took all the boxes from Christmas and broke them down to recycle. 🤣🤣🤣
No, I was well aware of the British holiday. I don't know anyone who thought this day referred to pugilism.
@@BigSnipp great. Now i have to ok google another word.
Missed opportunity to name your channel Lawrence of America
😂😆
😊😊😊😊
Big yes, he did.
I freaking love Lawrence of Arabia, man. xD
Oh! Your good 😂🤣
Could always use it as a future format
This really made me lol. My step-sister's English girlfriend spent her first American Christmas in Iowa with our family this year. She was aghast at how cold it was and made Yorkshire Pudding to make her Christmas feel more homey.
As an American who lived for about a year and four months in England and still considers it home, I am so glad I found this channel! Finally! There's someone out there who can relate to just how insanely different the two countries are, and the crazy surreal experience of transplanting yourself into a nation that's far different than you could have ever imagined possible! Merry Christmas, Laurence! Thank you for this channel, and for Vlogmas! The sweater your Uncle Toby gave you looks absolutely smashing on you!
Love the cat tail casually going by...
... and tickled him once under the chin.😁
layers, Larry, layers ; that's how you stay warm.
remember, "there is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing choices"
That doesn't really apply to Texas summers, though! Even nudity isn't an option, due to severe sunburn! ;o)
@@randlebrowne2048 that's why only insane people live between the 30th parallels
I mean it was below zero for the first time this winter when I woke up, with wind chill down to -20F. Even if you're dressed warmly it still kinda sucks
@@harmonicaveronica yeah, any part of your body that is not sufficiently insulated really does suffer at those temperatures. I have chosen to live in the Great White North for my life, in part because I do not like getting too hot and I would much rather suffer through periods of cold, but I really do feel bad for anybody that was not prepared for that god-awful cold that you all went through in February. Hugs.
@@elenaderoet4926 eh, this was my third winter here and it wasn't that bad. The past two years were awful especially since I was commuting by bus with two transfers and 10 minutes of walking at the end! This year we just got two weeks of subzero temperatures that we were coming out of right as the rest of the country was being plunged into all the crazy storms and unprecedented cold. Besides, I live in a state only a little more north than where I grew up so it's not like I'm unused to properly cold winters!
My oldest daughter has friends from the UK she talks to on social media in a Frank Turner group. They told her about the crackers on Christmas day and she thought they would be fun for us to do as a family on Christmas. It was fun and we all put on the paper hats that came out of them. I think learning about how other cultures do things is so interesting. Thank you for your channel.
I spent Christmas with my Scottish friend's family (mix of English and Scottish) near the border of Scotland and England, and I was almost overwhelmed by their celebration too. I think it was more of their family's personal tradition, but they went all out on games and food especially, Christmas cakes, minced pies, and puddings... I was prepared for the crackers and different carols, but we were so busy every day! I think her mom wanted to keep me busy especially because she knew I missed my family. Opening presents on Christmas Day took hours because they rotated between each person opening one present and everyone else watching... And there were 7 people getting and giving presents lol. Honestly though? It was one of the best Christmases I'd ever had despite how much I missed my family and our traditions. I especially loved decorating the Christmas cake.
American Christmas is definitely an experience.
Great video! I'm looking forward to learning more and more about Christmas in Britain vs. Christmas here in the States.
:)
Sjdk
It irritates me when people here in the UK call Father Christmas Santa. To me, he’s always been Father Christmas & we shouldn’t change that.
I love to watch videos & see pix of the outside of houses in the US, as they always look so lovely.
@@julietannOsfan1972 I don't like to see places with their own traditions adopting US ones, it makes me sad.
@Christian Bai oh, but American nationalism is just fine right?
Best part...the cat tail!!! That was hilarious! Like a skinny shark fin. 😂😂😂 More of that please!
One big difference-on my honeymoon I went to the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick (which I say as if I needed to distinguish it from all the other Derwent Pencil Museums in Bristol and Aberdeen). They took particular pride that “The Snowman” had been drawn using their pencils. I, a Yankee, was only vaguely familiar with it, having seen the VHS version advertised on an early version of Nickelodeon, but I got the impression that it was as much a part of the British DNA as gray skies, narrow roads, and the fake vinegar in chip shops.
I love the Pencil Museum! And yes, I suppose watching “The Snowman” is a tradition here, beautiful film!
I loved the Pencil Museum!
My first Christmas here was in 1997 and I went through all of those emotions and realisations you mentioned being a Brit myself. My biggest disappointment was not the food, but the fact that Boxing Day isn’t a thing over here. I’ve always made sure that my employers have given me Boxing Day off work every year!
What do you do on boxing Day? Visit with friends? Eat leftovers?
Boxing Day is also St. Stephen's Day, for any of you who were ever puzzled by the lyrics to "Good King Wenceslas."
@@saulcontrerasOfficial He's also named Steve. I think he's taking credit for the holiday.
"Good King Wenceslas looked out
"On the Feast of Stephen
"When the snow lay 'round about
"Deep and crisp and even."
I first sang this song in third grade music class. The teacher asked if there were any Christmas songs in the music book we hadn't sung that anybody wanted to sing. I didn't even read the lyrics. There was a picture accompanying the song that I thought looked cool, so I raised my hand. The teacher looked at me weird. I think she thought I wanted to sing it because it had my name in it. As I said, I hadn't even read the lyrics--I just thought the picture of St. Wenceslas trudging through the snow looked cool!
Only know St. Stephen by the Grateful Dead 💀
Saul Contreras Stephen Stills, Steve Miller, Stevie Winwood, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Perry,
Thank you
Cats like Boxing Day. Put all the boxes out in the room and let them play.
🤣😂😆
www.google.com/search?rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS715US715&sxsrf=ALeKk00t65MwPQmuiHg6SA5H6E1Fty4lnw:1607977232092&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=cat+in+box&hl=en-US&fir=JStWdO_-ewzmrM%252C2lIr2tRaC5QvRM%252C_%253BeCw4bT6dc7EMbM%252CoYNxjfwFLjwDNM%252C_%253B_O3TLBRv0ATqqM%252COKII732H_Y2xRM%252C_%253BXB80pIkC9dEVaM%252CmXVUG6TxI5NLDM%252C_%253B2qv4hG_Vxd-JJM%252CzihGSSNuRiHsLM%252C_%253BkAB5pq1XmCXd1M%252C0lBaudr8rhn9DM%252C_%253BOw7Of1uwn3MwsM%252CImYFO-EozSoKXM%252C_%253B7FHh-MiQlftRwM%252CXBPA4Lo7FqAxaM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kT9swtSzVeepJTdIV4nzkpy0LZCGw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjF2Ob9pc7tAhUQQK0KHQ-vDNAQ7Al6BAgFEFQ&biw=414&bih=622#imgrc=bN9mdBX2M90tgM
You just gave me a new family tradition
They also love diving into packing material, like paper and air pillows- our cats have a huge pile they throw themselves on like kids in fall leaves. 🍁
That sounds like an absolutely amazing boxing day. I am going to have to do that this year. I shall also save balls of crumpled up wrapping paper for them to bat around.
As a Lakota Sioux (First Nations people), we celebrate Christmas like almost everyone but more so just me and my family, we decorate our artificial tree each year, put up garland and lights in our living room and my mom puts up her Nativity Scene. For me, not only I love Christmas but also since December 2016, I have been drawn into German's "Dark Christmas" tradition, Krampusnacht (Krampus night which is celebrated on the 5th of December). You may be surprised, even here in the Midwest like Minneapolis, Minnesota, St. Paul and Excelsior (hub of Krampus in Minnesota) we celebrate Krampusnacht here in Minnesota, too, not only in Germany but still, Germany has a Krampuslauf (Krampus Run) which it's more active and participated than here in USA.
Excelsior? That's just down the road from me (I'm in Minnetonka). How come I've never heard of it? Dang! That would be fun to see (in a normal year, of course).
@@maidenminnesota1 If you go on Facebook or generally type up on Google Krampus In Minnesota, they are in Excelsior, MN. I found these guys out back in December 2017. And they do Special Appearance at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Parade. I haven't seen them in person which I was close but at that time it was freakin cold. Lol. We head home after watching the parade, just half of it. But yeah, I wanna see them in person, too and of course After when this pandemic is over with.
Your attitude about embracing the German tradition is excellent. We all need to understand, different countries and people have their own traditions and embrace that.
Ahh Krampus! What a nasty piece of work. Keeps the kids in line though!
Lived in eastern France as a child and we celebrated night of Dec 5 as Kris Kringle night. Could have been my mother's interpretation of what she heard about at the market. Still carry on that tradition. I'm in central MN. Will have to look into this Excelsior celebration. Put your shoes by the door Dec 5 night to see if they get filled with a treat or coal.
I live at the ocean we have seafood and prime rib for Christmas dinner.
Kafka will not be ignored. 🐈⬛
We have a nontraditional Christmas Dinner at our house. My husband's mom is from Mexico so every year she makes homemade tamales, enchiladas, corn and calabaza, rice, beans. This year while everyone is in lockdown I am going to keep up the tradition at our house until we can be together safely again. BUT because she lived in England for 5 or 6 years while her husband was stationed at the RAF Base at Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. So because of that we have crackers that she either makes or buys depending on what's going on that year, we get a triflle of sponge cake, custard, raspberry jello with real raspberries mixed in, whipped cream, and doused in soo much port. We also get Minced Pies, Cheese balls, and mulled wine.
Sounds delicious! 🍷🎄
RAF Bentwaters! I was born there!
@@Snickelfritz_ small world!
No Champurrado? That and tamales is a "traditional" christmas for me, lol.
Being a native Californian, that sounds hella traditional to me for xmas!
Lest we forget the Christmas dinners I grew up on: Lasagna.
Now I want lasagna but not the kind made for me when I visited England. It wasn't the Italian style lasagna I expected but had ground beef instead of Italian sausage and it had carrots. Gross!
@@npeace312 Vincenzo Prosperi ("Vincenzo's Plate") uses carrots in some of his sauces, and it works quite well, but everything is pureed. My mother used a combination of ground beef and sausage in her lasagna. Her family is from Formia; Vincenzo is from Abruzzo, on the Adriatic side.
Ours is homemade ravioli (I'm of Sicilian descent).
Oh my god, this is my family's tradition too! We never really liked the traditional Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, so we just make lasagna instead.
Baked ziti here! Actually it went salad, escarole soup, ziti, ham & turkey, dessert. Gotta love those Italian American holidays!
I love how the cat just casually walks back and forth.
Kafka's Christmas Tail? I particularly liked the mic thwap.
Cat's Tails are usually included in the Fall/Thanksgiving, floral arrangements.(-:
I liked that too 😂
Multiple visible edits in the video, but he left the cat tail passes in!
I also still get excited at great light displays that I didn't lift a finger for
I just got a notification for a drive thru of local holiday lights 🎄❄️
A street around the corner from where I live still has their Christmas lights up. In this weird time, it makes my heart smile.
@@trishthehomesteader9873 I was just thinking this today, as I drove past the occasional tree with multi-colored lights. A few places have left all white lights or red lights on some trees, but removed all other decorations. But a few xmas trees persist. Any other time, I think leaving them up all year would take away from the xmas magic. But this year, I think we need it
"I often left the house wearing two jackets and two sweaters, only for the cold to enter through my undies."
Yep, there's your problem my British friend, you're supposed to wear pants over the undies. Hope this helps!
I am an introvert.
The holidays are so.....overwhelming!
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!
This is going to be my first Christmas with family members in the last 6 years. Bloody pandemic and closed borders!
You simplify if you want, not everyone is you, I don’t get to cook like that most of the rest of the year so I turn it out with the cookies, pies and candies.
Baking a ham in July is just weird
Grinch.
In Romania we believe "Old Man Christmas" lives in "Lapland at the North Pole" which is not where Lapland is. xD
It's inside the Arctic Circle, or some of it is, so that's close enough.
My family's traditional Christmas meal is Chinese takeout. And we never get a white Christmas in North Carolina. Instead, it invariably rains, so one of our favorite carols is "I'm Dreaming of a Wet Christmas."
That's a Jewish Christmas tradition. Someone recounted (or made up) a story about a New York Chinese restaurateur who found he had lots of food and almost no customers on Christmas, so he donated the food to a nearby Jewish orphanage. One of the themes of Christmas is "believe" so one needn't question the veracity of this true historical event.
@@maxpenn6374 I didn't realize there was a story behind it! It did become a tradition in my family thanks to a Jewish coworker of mine. He mentioned that it was a tradition in his family, but I wasn't sure if it was a widespread thing. My family celebrates Christmas secularly, but we don't like dealing with the stress and mess of cooking on Christmas day, so Chinese takeout just makes a lot of sense.
Season's Greetings from a fellow tarheel 😁💕🎄
@@maxpenn6374 It's very much a New York Jewish tradition. Most places the Chinese restaurants are closed like everyone else. You would be hard pressed to find one open in Phoenix on Christmas Day.
We do Chinese ala "a Christmas Story" as well. Farararara, rararara.
I'm UK but you made me look up where Boxing Day came from :
Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1800s and has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. ... The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families.
Growing up in Australia we were jokingly told that it's the day you box up unwanted gifts for refunds.
Mexican family's eat tamales with their turkey. My British sister in law made yummy roast. Most eat pumpkin pie. Christmas is real about Christ and sharing the day with family.
I was not brought up in a religious family.... I am an atheist and don't see that ideology changing anytime soon. For me, because I know that it's improbable that Christ was born anywhere close to Christmas due to weather patterns and pagan holiday appropriation, Christmas has always been the one time of year that everybody in my family who does not work in the healthcare industry can get together and have a good time visiting each other. Unfortunately we poor sods who have done Nurses Aide work and nursing work don't always get to participate, but the years that we do are all the sweeter. That goes for the years that hubby was a farmhand and never got time off for the holidays. I hope that your next Christmas is amazing and I hope that this year is a good year for you and yours.
Tamales, yum yum!
That is the formal tradition in most Latin America. Christmas is all about Jesus Christ, therefore the name Christ-mas. Of course, not everybody is into the religious meaning but celebrate equally just for the joy of it.
@@elenaderoet4926 it's so weird to me that people think it's ever cold enough in the middle east that you couldn't have your sheep outside. what, do they think they had huge elaborate barns for them all? this was long before the colonial period of "let's just move the animals we feel like eating to whatever land we feel like conquering and they'll fucking adapt or we'll build them structures to assist with that"
if they had sheep and shepherds, who were out at fuckin night, it stands to reason these are outdoor sheep. and unless you only let them live for a few months, that means they have to be comfortable outside in the climate of _the region they're fucking native to._ I mean yeah the shepherds put on an extra robe that time of year, but it never gets so cold you can't be outside. Sure we have no idea when the bIg J's birthday was (and we know that the early christians tried celebrating it but also didn't know when it was), but there's no reason it _can't_ be around the winter solstice, a jolly time to celebrate that basically everyone everywhere enjoys.
"Especially knowing I didn't do any of the work"! Priceless!
That is how I always looked at Christmas house decorating. I was always too lazy or I could not afford to purchase enough lights to justify the work. So in the car we got and off we drove to neighboring 'rich' neighborhoods to enjoy their efforts. It was like a tradition, and the kids looked forward to the 'hunt' for the best neighborhoods. The more overdone the better! And people hate rich people. Go figure.
@@reesaserik3759 Our city had outdoor Christmas decoration contests, so the competition made for some really elaborate or clever decorations.
@@reesaserik3759 I lived in a small town in northern California. The local newspaper judged the house lighting and yard decorations. They gave out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cash prizes. The whole town enjoyed cruising around town in the family car to see the displays.
As a born and raised midwesterner, I have never participated in a Christmas dinner. Our family tradition was brunch, followed by snacking on candy and treats throughout the rest of the day and into the evening.
Same here. Mom was too tired to cook on Christmas Day. I'm from Illinois.
I Midwestern as well but we always did the traditional dinner at 1 o'clock. Now that I am older and by myself often I do what you guys do lol! A good brunch, and then pick at baked brie and grapes for the rest of the day
I'm from Illinois. Our family did a big dinner in the afternoon on Christmas day when I was growing up. Now that we all have our own families, we get together for a big dinner on Christmas eve, so that we can stay at our own homes with our kids on Christmas day.
That’s how our Christmas Day would go too. Very laid back. Christmas Eve was always the day for the big meal with extended family and candlelight service.
@@UtahTabby was she the only one that cooked? No wonder, no one should have to take on a Christmas dinner all by themselves
No boxing day in Ireland, it is always St. Stephen's day. And Christmas usually lasts about 2 weeks.
Only the Irish would want to trample on celebrations by reminding everyone about the first Christian martyr!
In Italy it's also called St. Stephen's Day.
If it lasted for two weeks, I would just faint. Too much. I'm a fan of minimalistic Christmases
@@idek7438 The Irish and Italians are so 'Catholic'.
If you weren't reined in by 'Catholic Guilt', you'd rock the world! ;)
Lol, well my family's Christmas didn't even get to happen until January 6th because we were quarantined with Covid. So our Christmas only ended last week. But it was surprisingly easy to stay in the Christmas mood because we weren't out in the world seeing how everyone else had already packed it away. We just kept on listening to the Christmas songs and having the tree up and it was actually one of the most peaceful, happy Christmases we've ever had.
When stationed in UK while in USAF in 91-93 I realized how different we celebrated the holidays. Nvr knew what Boxing Day was, actually went to a British family's home for Christmas n was surprised........
Gumbo is popular to eat during Christmas or Christmas Eve in southern Louisiana. I know a lot of people who eat raw oysters too.
I am of Cajun decent and yes, Christmas means gumbo. If not by Christmas then by New Years. For us, going extravagant meant a Sea Food gumbo. Not possible every year, so extremely exciting when we could do it. And sweet potato pie over pumpkin. Oh, and you have to have potato salad no matter what kind of gumbo, and you scoop the potato salad with a fork and dip it into the gumbo before eating. It is just the way.
Southern, too. The gumbo, yes. The raw oysters, no! Fried oyster po-boys are pretty good, though! IMO.
Nothing like a $300 gumbo
I’d throw a whole gator in there if they’d let me. But I’ve easily put $300 of meat in it every year.
@@Heavywall70 i am not from the South, but I think spending lots of money on seafood only to create ugly brown sludge called gumbo was a huge waste.
Oh you just made me hungry... Lol
give my bell a little... jingle...
me - immediately starts singing " my ding-a-ling... my ding-a-ling... i want you to play with my ding-a-ling... "
that's gonna be stuck in my head for days now, lol.
And ours, too....thanks?
Wow, I'd forgotten THAT one. Chuck Berry. I am old!
And was the sole № 1 song performed by Chuck Berry
I'm a yank whose been dating a Brit for over 10 years, and it's still a cultural awakening every Christmas
"The cold air entered through my undies" lmao They failed to tell you about long johns. lol
insulated overalls
Or as my parents called them, thermal underwear.
"Pere Noel" in Quebec. Santa Claus' workshop has a Canadian postal code H0H 0H0.
That’s so cool!!!
Thank you for this reminder. My children are now adults but they used to love mailing their letters to Santa's "actual" address and it was always magical to watch them receive Santa's reply back! Such a cool program. Thank you also, Canada Post 😊
That's amazing 🤣
yes, totally Canadian. Love it!!
Canadian postal workers answer the letters.
It seems that Christmas traditions is one area where Canada is sometimes culturally more similar to the United Kingdom at times than a lot of the US.
We have the turkey and the ham...not either of the US or British desserts.
I think the reason we celebrate more like the british is im pretty most english speaking Canadians are of british decent
@@nikkimatthys1995 another reason why is likely not rebelling for independence and remaining in the Commonwealth.
I've spent a couple Christmases in Canada. At one of them, someone gave a traditional (so he said) toast to the Queen. Another person at the table objected but was discreet enough to wait til Boxing Day to mention it. The last bit, about being _quietly_ offended is the typically Canadian part of the story.
Cool!
I look forward to the Christmas gumbo every year. We eat gumbo in Cajun County at many other times, but there's something special about the Christmas one.
What 𝑖𝑠 gumbo? I always see it mentioned on tv but what exactly is it?
@@juliaw151 it is the official Louisiana state cuisine. I guess the best way to describe it, to someone who is not from Louisiana, would be to say it's sort of like a cross between a stew and a soup is that is thickened with dark roux. Eastern Louisiana and New Orleans usually eat the Creole style, while south central and southwest Louisiana eat the Cajun style.
@@briand1972bd oh okay! I'd love to try it. Hopefully one day when i can visit LA.
Yes! A native of Baton Rouge!
@@sunnyhill2250 You are?
Very good monologue and the cat's tail sailing by was also intetesting... 🌲🎄
I feel like I should send Uncle Toby a gift for pressuring you into VlogMas again!
I learned about Boxing Day from an episode of MASH.
As another midwesterner... My family always does a fancy, homemade soup. I think this is a Norwegian/Swedish influence.
Last year we did a bree and mushroom soup. This year is roaster red pepper tomato soup.
Texan here. We switched from turkey to ham a few years back. My mother asked, and we were all like, “heck yeah!”
Cuban-American here in Florida and we do a "Roast Pig" over a pit and we celebrate that feast on "Noche Buena" which is Christmas Eve...We just eat the leftovers on Christmas !
Festive meals are consumed in my family on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Around 2005, my sister began to make Christmas Day Dinner and switched it to a roast beef tenderloin. It's good, but I miss the turkey.
God bless the Great State Of Texas! Long live Tom Landry!
My Mom used to make plum cake. By the way, I have gone karaokeing with Patsy who sang with her husband Elmo, "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer".
Kafka's tail...too funny! 😂
2020: Year of the corona and year of the photobombing cats.
The cats don't make up for the corona, but they are a bright spot.
American here: I heard “Driving Home for Christmas” for the first time a few years ago and I love it!
When you mentioned "Lapland" they probably thought you were talking about a strip club and that Santa was checking his Naughty and Nice list twice with some 'Prancers' and 'Dancers' while picking up some VERY different "Candy", "Cinnamon", "Vixen", and hot "Coco"! lol! 🤣🥳😎🎅
You made me laugh out loud when I read your comment! Although I knew what Lapland was, similar thoughts flashed before my brain when Laurence said it!! I think it had something to do with his emphasis on "lap"!
@@becb7936 The way he said it almost as two words, Lap - Land, I thought for sure he was going to make a joke about it! Usually when he stresses something in his comments he's setting it up for a joke. Can't believe he missed that one! lol!
@@kevinfleming9919 I think he just set us up for our imaginations to run wild!!
Boxing Day? Hmmm....
[Cue: "Eye of the Tiger" music from Rocky III]
Time Until 2020 Dies: 30days
LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!!!
2021 is going to be worse
Back in Kentucky we used to play a song on our guitars and fiddles at Christmas around the fire that my grandma wrote called “Grandpa Got Eaten By A Grizzly.” I think it was her Christmas wish
My 4th generation central-Californian family really has 3 Christmas celebrations, the biggest being Christmas Eve. We’re mostly WASPs but we make a big Mexican feast of tamales, enchiladas, chile relleno, etc. and go to the midnight service at our church. Christmas morning is for bakery pastries and opening presents with close family, then Christmas evening is for a slightly more formal prime rib dinner and an at-home sermon.
Laurence, I don't remember if I mentioned this last year or not, but when I was in the theater some years back, watching "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", it took me more than a few seconds to realize that the old guy chasing the kids across the frozen lake was none other than Father Christmas. The reason for my ignorance is that I've still never seen a picture of him.
Just for the purpose of strutting my stuff, Lapland is the northern 25-30% of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia's Kola Peninsula, where the Lapplanders/Sami and Father Christmas live. They're the European version of Alaska, Canada and Greenland's Eskimos/Inuit, and herd and eat reindeer, whereas this side of the pond, they depend more on whale blubber (muktuk).
We’re from Texas. We had Mexican food for our Christmas dinner, but sometimes we have BBQ. The last thing I want to eat is Turkey. Thanksgiving only.
Im from Japan. We ALWAYS have KFC chicken and strawberry shortcake. Those two are a must for Christmas Eve.
@@azabujuban-hito8085 that’s great. We should all celebrate however we enjoy. 😀
@@penelopepitstop762 here in Japan, during Christmas Eve you will always see people lining up outside KFC and cake shops.
Those are usually the absent-minded people who forgot to place an order beforehand and have to buy at the last minute..and lining up outside the stores in a freezing weather is not exactly a fun thing to do in Xmas eve !😂😂😂
@@azabujuban-hito8085 that’s pretty funny. I don’t ever eat at KFC. If I was going to eat fried chicken there’s a lot of much better places here to choose from.
@@azabujuban-hito8085 That is very unusual and endearing.
My ancestors came over from England and my grandmother's family carried down all the traditions, so I grew up having plum pudding with hard sauce at Christmas, and mince pie, and my mom makes wassail!! I love it ❤️
You’re a hoot! I just discovered your channel. 😀 I’m from Germany, lived there for my first 20 years before moving to California decades ago. Yes, Christmas is being celebrated quite differently here than in Germany! Germans enjoy 2 paid holidays on Christmas as well, thought they refer to Boxing Day simply as “ Second Christmas Day“.
When I miss Old World Christmas Charm I head over to San Francisco for the “Charles Dickens Fair”. It runs late November through Christmas. They build up a large outdoor venue as “Old London”, They build Old Tyme shops and restaurants to resemble those which might have been around at Dicken’s Time. Actors dress in period costume, and Faire goers are invited to do so as well. I really quite enjoy it! Google it, they might have similar faires in other cities!
This one made me giggle. (Love the "Turtle" sweatshirt!}
Why do you call them "jumpers" when they don't jump? Of course, they don't sweat either.
But they make YOU sweat.....
Sweaters can make you sweat, at least.
Jumpers were traditionally made from wool which comes from sheep and young sheep jump! You can't beat a nice woolly jumper!
We call them jumpers where I come from. In my area, they are like sweaters, but they have no buttons, so if you jump while wearing them, the buttons won't pop out and your shirt won't fall off. Since I'm told I'm no good at making my jokes obvious, I'll just confess that I completely made up that reasoning.
Ha ha
Dude i nvest in a good pair longjohns /thermal underware when its cold outside they keep your legs warm and also your "bits"
Your vernacular combined with your accent makes your voice sound so poetic.
I decided to listen to "Driving home for Christmas" I've never heard this song before and I'm not sure why it never made it to America as it's the perfect Christmas song.
I don't know when/where I heard it first, but I agree! I added it to my Christmas playlist a few years ago. I've only found a few others I think are as perfect. My sister says it's too boring. 🤷🏻♀️😂
Interesting as it's on the radio here (Toronto) quite frequently, and most of our music is from the US.
This may prove to be a mistake as you'll now find Slade, Wizzard and, if you're really unlucky, Cliff bloody Richard wheedling their way into your CZcams feed.
@@rachelgreatrex7090 That's just... evil. I like it.
It's about time we made the Cousins suffer a bit after having to put up with their bloody election for the last decade (I know it's not really that long, but it feels like it.)
This My 3rd Vlogmas. The Highlight of The Season. Thank You Young Man!!!!
As an American who grew up in the midwest with an English best friend I adore your channel. Brings back fond memories of him and his family and feels a bit like home.
In USA a sartorial "jumper" is a women's and girls' one~piece
knee~length or above skirt with loose fitting low~cut square~necked
bodice, worn over a sleeved top, cut 2 inches wide at each shoulder.
Inspired by 19th century~fwd farmhand usually denim trousered overalls,
waist up it is cut similarly, but usually more close fitting.
"And don't forget to give my bell a little... Jingle." It's so wrong, I like it.
Your bro in law tom sawyered you. Shoveling snow isn't fun. Bless ur heart. 😂 PEACE
Gotta agree with you Lawrence. I love looking at the lights knowing I didn’t have to do all that work too. Cat tail was cute. Next time lets see the front end!
Hi Lawrence. Another Brit transplant here. Living near Seattle where the welly boots are high fashion for our wet winter months.... we've already had 7"+ since New Year. 😳 Love your monologues...or is that monologs? 😁. Been here since '97. I miss a good old British Christmas. Who wouldn't miss the madly decorated sitting room, making streamers with endless strips of colored paper, clusters of balloons, and huddling round the coal fire. Can't forget the homemade Christmas puds, mince pies, sausage rolls, and ginger wine. The women in the family made dinner and the guys got to do the washing up and drying the dishes....all in a single sink. And don't forget the annual family feud on which family or inlaws you went to on Christmas day or Boxing day. Then there were the pillow cases filled with gifts, and deposited by Father C. overnight at the bottom of the bed....just to keep us hyperactive kids quiet until mum and dad got up in the morning. Christmas was one big holiday through New Years. Oh how I miss those days. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year mate. 🎅⛄🎄🦌⛪🇬🇧
I love the spontaneous cat tail!
Do you guys also call him Kris Kringle? You don't hear it around here much, but you do hear it.
It's not very common; however, we do know it
Father Christmas 🎅
I think Father Christmas or Santa are the most common. Most people would understand Kris Kringle (from American media references), but I've never heard anyone use it.
My husband and I were watching a documentary the other night. It made mention that it was the Coca Cola corp that put the fur lined red jacket and cap on Santa Claus in a Christmas time advertising run -- can't remember when. I want say maybe the 30's -- not sure though. I just remember us saying, well leave it to marketing. Just like we saw in another documentary -- many years ago (as we are in our late 50's) that it was Hallmark that started Father, Mother's day and several other 'days'. They did it to spur the sale of their cards. The more days recognized the more cards you sell. We are so conditioned by pop culture it is ridiculous.
@@reesaserik3759 It's not true. Santa's image, including the red suit and hat, was very well established by the time of the Coca Cola adverts.
It’s been almost a whole year since I discovered your channel! (Early January 2020, what a different world we lived in!) and I’m super excited to experience your vlogmas! It’s my second Christmas in the US and the first Christmas was different! My in-laws have been so welcoming to some of my traditions which has made the transition easier but it’s been so interesting to learn new traditions of Christmas!
I love your humor. I’ve just discovered your channel and I can’t get enough. Thank you !
I really enjoy your takes. They are fun.
We either have pizza or Mexican on Christmas. This year we're having both, because 2020 sucks and we need an actual feast to give us the energy and enthusiasm to kick it to the curb.
My daughter works in a Pizza shop. Their busiest days of the year are Superbowl Sunday, christmas eve, and thanksgiving eve.
I absolutely LOVE your channel! Please keep posting! 👍🏻😁😊
If it makes you feel better I’m from Washington state and we ALWAYS had a mince pie. When I moved to Texas they thought I was crazy and said it’s pecan pie here along with pumpkin! ❤️🤗🙌🥰✨
I am from Washington state as well and I grew up having mince pie on Christmas as well. Sixty years later and we still have mince pie.
Vlogmas is here! And this vlog features an appearance of Kafka's tail!🐱 (I'm definitely going to check out the Whisker Reel as I love seeing Kafka!) It's always enjoy your thoughtful reflections on all things Christmas! 🎄👍
My favorite Christmas carol is "Christmas in Hollis" by RunDMC.
This and Kurtis Blow “Rappin Christmas” are the best Christmas songs. They stay on repeat 🤣
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" by the late, great Ronnie James Dio.
You're delightful! Love learning about the different customs.
The floating kitty tail is making me giggle :D
The reason you had the bigger shovel: See Tom Sawyer.
I don't know where this Lapland thing came from but most people I know here in the UK know santa lives in the North Pole 😂
Randomly found you thanks to being quarantined and I’m glad I did. This is interesting. I love hearing how other countries and cultures do things. It is very interesting to me.
I was living in England - specfically London - for 2 Christmasses. Luckily, both years my Christmas gift from my husband was a ticket home to Pittsburgh.YEAH, so I've never really celebrated a Christmas away from Pittsburgh.Being a nurse I have celebrated many Christmases at work though. Having a family with a Cop, 2 paramedics and a nurse in it - my family - esp. my Mum , are very good at adapting to several various working schedules on holidays. She always saw to it that each one of us had a Christmas, Thanksgiving celebration.
Lol I am loving the cat tail !
Want a Christmas culture shock ? Try here in Australia in the middle of summer. For us winter for Christmas is unusual lol !
Winters in the Midwest are the worst. They make me wish I lived somewhere else.
Didn't they already get a big snow ❄️ storm the other day? Too soon!
Is it because of the Great Lakes? I know Chicago is icy cold and windy due to being on Lake Michigan.
I love this guy! Thanks for the upload!
I'm born and raised in Indianapolis, so it is always great to hear you speak about my home! Thank you for the fun videos :)