The Bizarre UK Christmas Tradition We’ve All Come to Accept as Normal

Summary

The UK's Christmas television tradition involves soap operas like Eastenders, Emmerdale, and Coronation Street delivering especially dark and dramatic storylines during the festive season.

Abstract

During the Christmas season in the UK, a peculiar tradition has become the norm: the airing of exceptionally dark and dramatic storylines in the country's major soap operas, including Eastenders, Emmerdale, and Coronation Street. These shows, which are a staple in many British households, typically revolve around the lives of interconnected families and serve as a source of comfort and conversation. However, come Christmas, the narratives take a turn, with the soaps vying to outdo each other with the most sensational and often tragic plot twists, such as explosions, affairs, and even plane crashes. Despite the gloom these storylines bring, they have become an anticipated and integral part of the British Christmas experience, signaling the arrival of the holiday season.

Opinions

The author finds it unusual yet characteristic that UK Christmas TV schedules are dominated by soap operas with intense, often tragic, storylines.
These dramatic Christmas specials are seen as a significant cultural event, even for those who do not regularly watch the soaps.
There is a sense of acceptance and expectation surrounding these dark TV plots as part of the festive season, suggesting a collective fascination with heightened drama during a time traditionally associated with joy and togetherness.
The author expresses a personal detachment from the tradition, having not watched the soaps in over a decade, yet acknowledges their cultural impact and the role they play in British Christmas customs.
The article invites readers to share their own country's unique Christmas traditions, indicating a curiosity about and appreciation for diverse cultural practices during the holiday season.

I thought ‘twas the season to be jolly?

When it comes to UK Christmas, there are some traditions you can count on every single year, like eating mince pies, pulling Christmas crackers and … dark, depressing TV shows.

Yes, that’s right. Nothing says Christmas quite like a dark and twisted TV plot.

Let me explain.

In the UK, we have three major soap operas: Eastenders, Emmerdale, and one of the longest-running TV shows in British history, Coronation Street.

For many families, these TV shows act as a bonding moment, a talking point, and a source of comfort. Many of us grew up with these shows, watching the same characters evolve year after year.

There’s nothing particularly crazy about these shows. Each one follows the lives of multiple families living on the same block as they go about their daily lives, exploring different themes. It’s heightened drama and unbelievable, for sure. But at the end of the day, it’s just your typical soap.

Until Christmas.

They always save their craziest stuff for Christmas… and it’s always bad.

Each year, the “big three” go into overdrive towards the Christmas series, with one goal in mind: What crazy disaster can befall our characters on Christmas day that continues to New Year’s?

Stand-out storylines include:

A huge factory explosion causing a tram travelling on a viaduct to crash into the street

Affairs being revealed around the Christmas tree

A plane crash in the middle of the neighbourhood

… and about a dozen “whodunnit” scenarios.

Yes, Christmas soap viewing has become synonymous with the misery and demise of some of the most beloved on-screen characters in the country.

And for some bizarre reason, we’ve all come to accept it. Whether you watch the soaps or not (I personally haven’t watched in about 12 years), you know there’s a huge TV event around the corner at Christmas, and it involves these three soaps.

And honestly? At this point, it kind of feels like it wouldn't be Christmas without these overly dramatic storylines peppered across the festive season’s TV offerings.

What weird Christmas traditions does your country have that just make sense? I’d love to read about them in the comments!