A British Christmas is built from small rituals. The tree that is never quite straight. The film everyone has seen forty times. The argument over who gets the last sprout. And, somewhere in the middle of it all, a box of chocolates passing from hand to hand.
At Prestat, we have been part of those moments for more than a century. So here is our love letter to the chocolate traditions that make a British Christmas what it is.
The box on the coffee table
Every household has one. A box is opened on Christmas Day and left open, lid off, within reach of everyone. It is picked at through the afternoon, discussed ("who ate all the good ones?") and quietly reorganised when nobody is looking.
There is a whole etiquette to it. The strawberry cream that nobody wants. The one that someone is saving. The great debate over whether you are allowed to put a bitten chocolate back. Nobody needs a rulebook; everybody already knows it.
The chocolate in the stocking
For many of us, a chocolate treat at the very toe of the stocking is the last thing found on Christmas morning, usually after the bigger presents have been opened and long after we have decided there is nothing left. It is a small thing, but it holds a great deal of childhood in it.
The chocolate coin
Gold foil, a faintly waxy bite and an unreasonable amount of delight. Whatever your age, there is something irresistible about unwrapping a coin and finding chocolate inside. It is a tradition that has outlasted just about every toy that has ever gone in a stocking beside it.
The Advent calendar
A tiny window, a tiny chocolate, and a countdown that gives every December morning a small reward. Opening that door each day is a quiet ritual that carries families through the darkest weeks of the year.
The gift to the host
Turning up at a Christmas party with something in hand is a very British courtesy. A box of good chocolates is the gentle, unfussy answer. It says thank you for having us without needing to say anything at all.
The Boxing Day tin
By Boxing Day the turkey has become a sandwich, the pyjamas are non-negotiable, and the chocolates that remain are enjoyed with a cup of tea and absolutely no guilt. It might be the most British moment of the whole Christmas period.
A hot chocolate by the fire
When the weather turns, there are few things better than a mug of proper hot chocolate. Wrapped in a blanket, with something festive on in the background, it is the cosiest of Christmas traditions.
A tradition of our own
Prestat has been making chocolates in London since 1902. We have always believed chocolate should be fun as well as fine, and we like to think that is part of why our chocolates fit so happily into the small, slightly silly rituals that make Christmas feel like Christmas.
Start a new tradition
The best traditions begin somewhere. Perhaps this is the year you start a box on the table that only opens on Christmas Eve, a hot chocolate ritual after the Christmas walk, or a gift you give every year to the same neighbour.
Whichever you choose, we hope it brings a little sweetness to your Christmas.
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