"The British celebration starts Christmas day, and it's 12 whole days of celebrating," said said the Rev. Carl Turner, rector of Saint Thomas Anglican Church in New York.

The Christmas pantomimes, which seem to be descended from the medieval "mummers plays," never caught on in America. But we do get a hint of them, whenever "Peter Pan" is revived here.

From lively pubs to cosy country houses, the nation is immersed in revelry that ranges from the profoundly tacky (festive tops, Christmas crackers) to the sublime (choirs, food markets).

With Christmas only a few weeks away, we have a feeling you'll be getting yourself and your home ready for the big day. From shopping for gifts, to decorating the tree, there's plenty to do before ...

The British "Christmas No. 1" has been a tradition for over half a century. Starting in 1952, the top song on the British singles chart has been a coveted spot every Christmas.

Here are 18 British Christmas traditions that might surprise you. Pantomime dames playing the role of the Ugly Sisters in a production of Cinderella. Gideon Mendel/Corbis/Getty Images ...

They’re still fairly obscure in the United States, but that’s changing. If you want to bring a little British merriment to your holiday celebrations, Christmas crackers are fairly easy to find.

8-Pack No-Pop Plaid Christmas Crackers ($21) Amazon This set of Christmas crackers comes highly recommended on Amazon, with the only catch being they don’t pop.

The remaining 11 airlines allowing passengers to bring Christmas crackers onboard include British Airways, Jet2 and Etihad Airways, if packed in original packaging and placed in checked luggage.

British Christmas Traditions that Might Surprise You Many Christmas traditions look similar as they’re practiced around the world but leave it to the Brits to have a few customs all their own.

Christmas crackers are paper-wrapped tubes filled with candy, prizes and a joke. They are traditional in Britain, where a baker came up with the idea about 150 years ago. (Alice Knisley-Matthias) ...