As every year, Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their children will travel with King Charles and Queen Camilla to Sandringham House to celebrate Christmas as a family. But Kate Middleton intends to make some changes compared to the time of Queen Elizabeth II.
Royal Christmas traditions
Until now, on December 24th, there was Christmas tea at Sandringham with small jam sandwiches, followed by the exchange of gifts, the guidelines for which are that they must be old-fashioned, simple, and inexpensive. Then, on December 25th, the family attends two church services, has a light lunch, and spends the evening watching a film.
What's new for Christmas this year?
According to The Daily Beast, Christmas celebrations could change this year: “Kate has always found the idea of Christmas Eve presents strange. They'll certainly get rid of it when they officially take over the family.” A friend of the Prince and Princess of Wales explains: “I imagine it will continue this year at Sandringham, in one form or another, but everything will be much more relaxed and have a middle-class feel at Anmer Hall. You can bet they'll give each other and the children real presents on Christmas Day.”
In France, according to Martyne Perrot, sociologist and author of Christmas Gifts: The History of an Invention (published by Autrement), “At the beginning of the 20th century, Christmas presents were usually given on the morning of December 25th. Today, Christmas Eve has become more important. We no longer give gifts just to the children, but to the whole family.” Gifts are then opened more often on the 24th, when everyone is together.”
Another change Kate Middleton wants to implement, after opening presents on the morning of December 25th instead of the evening of the 24th, is to host a Christmas party at Anmer Hall with her parents, Caroline and Michael Middleton, and the rest of her family. These changes, as reported by The Daily Beast, would appeal to Prince William, who is said to be “very keen on adopting a much more normal approach to Christmas.”
Another major change is the sharing of Christmas photos on social media. Kate Middleton is clearly planning a small revolution!
