9 Royal Holiday Traditions You Probably Didn't Know About

Buckingham Palace gets totally decked out for Christmas, according to former royal chef Darren McGrady (who sat down for an interview with Good Housekeeping). But at Sandringham—the private residence where the queen celebrated the holiday with her family—the royals set up just two trees. One was a large Christmas tree that the kids continued to decorate on Christmas Eve, while the other was a silver artificial tree that has been in the family for more than 30 years, McGrady says.

#TBT to Kate Middleton and Prince William reacting to fake snow as they honored the military and their families at 2018’s holiday luncheon. It’s a royal tradition to host Christmas festivities on behalf of the causes they hold near and dear, which means everyone will be doing the same.

Before they all packed up and headed to Sandringham every year, Queen Elizabeth used to invite her extended family over for a holiday lunch at Buckingham Palace, kids included.

This was a no-go during the pandemic. But in yearsr pat, the queen used to serve a signature cocktail, called the ZaZa, which was made up of ¾ ounces of Dubonnet, 1 ½ ounces of gin and was elegantly garnished with a lemon twist.

Opening gifts on Christmas Eve is a way to honor their German heritage, McGrady said in an interview with People. And for the record, they favor gag gifts over anything extravagant, McGrady added.

The queen actually attended two services at St. Mary Magdalene Church. The first one she attended privately, but immediately after, she was joined by the entire royal family for a second service—a Christmas tradition that allowed them to greet well-wishers along the walk.

Royals, they’re just like us! Yep, McGrady explained that the Christmas lunch typically includes a roast turkey, a salad with shrimp or lobster, and all the traditional fixings—parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts and more.

According to Express, Christmas Day was usually rounded out with games, which typically included charades because it was a favorite of the queen's. Apparently, Her Royal Majesty was an “excellent mimic, particularly of former Prime Ministers and US Presidents she has known through the years.”

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