Christmas is the one time of the year which most families like to celebrate together.  With so many people working away from home or relatives that live in other parts of the country or perhaps even in a different country, Christmas is a time for getting together.  From September onwards Christmas cards (Weihnachtskarten) together with artificial Christmas trees, decorations and baubles are all on sale in the shops.  People like to prepare for Christmas well in advance and many people prefer to do their Christmas shopping before the shops become too crowded later in the year.  Some people like to order Christmas cards (Weihnachtskarten bestellen) that are especially designed for Charity where a percentage of every sale will be donated towards a particular charity.  This goes a long way in helping towards the costs of various charities which often run soup kitchens for the homeless and also provide meals over the Christmas period.  Volunteers are always needed to help out and many will spare the time to make collections during Christmas gatherings and around the main shopping areas during the run up to Christmas.

Children get very excited as Christmas approaches and parents often take them to visit Father Christmas who can usually be found at any of the big shops in town.  School children will take part in the Christmas Nativity play and learn the Christmas carols. Christmas parties are usually held before the children break up for the holiday and as each day passes the excitement grows as Christmas Day gets nearer.  Women start to bake mince pies, Christmas puddings and cakes and wrap up the last minute presents.  The traditional Christmas Day meal is usually Turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots, parsnips, chipolata sausages and cranberry sauce all followed by Christmas pudding and a glass of wine or beer. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day when many people like to go for a long walk to burn off the excess calories they have consumed over the Christmas period.  For many people however, particularly the homeless and people who live on their own, Christmas is made so much better by the help from various Charities who often arrange festivities for such needy people.