Real Reason Why the Royal Family Opens Their Gifts on Christmas Eve — Not Christmas Morning
The royal family's Christmas Eve traditions have long fascinated royal watchers around the world and actually have an interesting link to their German roots.
When it comes to Christmas, the royal family likes to go all out. From Princess Kate’s annual carols at Westminster Abbey to King Charles’ pre-Christmas lunch, the family recently got together on several occasions to mark the festive season. Along with these events, tradition also plays a huge role when it comes to a royal Christmas. One such tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve has remained a staple of the family for centuries. This has long fascinated royal watchers around the world. But why do the royals exchange gifts on December 24 instead of December 25? It actually has an interesting link to their German roots.
According to PEOPLE, the custom of opening presents on Christmas Eve traces back to Queen Victoria. Even Prince Harry talked about the same in his 2023 tell-all memoir, Spare. He detailed that it is “a German tradition that survived the anglicizing of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.” According to House Beautiful, in Germany, Christmas Eve is known as Heiligabend and is traditionally when the festival is celebrated. The royal family’s German connections go back centuries, with King George I becoming Britain’s first German-born monarch in 1714 as part of the House of Hanover. In 1940, Queen Victoria further strengthened those ties when she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
At Sandringham, a typical Christmas Eve starts in the afternoon when guests gather around at 4 pm for tea and snacks served in the White Drawing Room. When it comes to the gifts, they are usually laid out by the staff on trestle tables in another room. Each member then stands in front of their own stack of gifts. As detailed by Harry in Spare, “Suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time.” He also wrote, “A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper.” Unlike what many might assume, the gifts are not very expensive, and the family usually goes for something playful.
The royal family usually prefers gag gifts meant to make others laugh. After the gift exchange takes place, everyone gathers for Christmas Eve dinner at 8:30 p.m. Chef Darren McGrady, who has worked in the royal household for 15 years, told PEOPLE that the dinner typically involves "something festive, some game, like pheasant or venison, and roasted wintery vegetables, like parsnips." Then on Christmas Day, the family walks to St. Mary Magdalene Church to attend morning services, a tradition very close to Charles’ heart. Following this, they greet the well-wishers and wrap up the festivities.
The family then heads back to Sandringham House to have the traditional Christmas turkey. At exactly 3 p.m. UK time, everyone gathers around to watch King Charles’ annual Christmas broadcast on television. This time, the monarch has changed the venue of his annual speech. He will deliver his Christmas address from the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, marking the first time a reigning monarch has chosen the historical abbey. He broke precedent in 2024 as well when he addressed the nation from Fitzrovia Chapel in Central London rather than the usually preferred Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.
