Turkey vs Tapas: How we celebrate Christmas in the UK and Spain

Christmas is all about tradition 🎁🦃

Whether it’s stuffing ourselves with turkey, watching The Holiday for the umpteenth time or arguing over board game rules. But step outside of the British Isles and the festive season can look very different indeed!

Here’s how the UK’s yuletide compares to Spain’s Navidad and where you can cosy up in a Travelodge in Spain if you fancy a continental Christmas!

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Gift-giving and celebration dates in the UK vs Spain

Christmas in the UK

In the UK, celebrations often commence on Christmas Eve (24th December). Some attend Midnight Mass, some catch up with old mates in their local pub and others put out the treats for Santa.

But the real magic begins on Christmas morning (25th December), when children tear into presents at the crack of dawn and adults start dreaming about the feast ahead. The revelry continues through Boxing Day (26th December), when everyone’s still trying to digest yesterday’s food and catch up on Christmas TV specials.

The next few days are endearingly known as ‘Crimbo Limbo’, when those who are lucky enough to be off work couldn’t tell you what day of the week it is.

The 31st December marks New Year’s Eve – or Hogmanay, if you’re Scottish! – when we count down to midnight, watch firework shows and dance the night away. On 1st January, you’ll get plenty of groggy ‘Happy New Year’ greetings and then spend the rest of January wondering how long we should keep saying it.

Christmas in Spain

If the UK’s Christmas celebrations feel drawn out, wait ’til you hear about Spain’s!

This all-out festive marathon begins on 22nd December with El Gordo. Known as the Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad (extraordinary Christmas giveaway), this national lottery’s winning numbers are sung by children and its prize pot is shared among thousands. It’s no wonder Spaniards go loco for this lottery every Christmas – it’s the biggest lottery prize pool in the world, totalling over £2 billion!

Spain’s answer to April Fool’s Day falls six days later on 28th December. Known as El Día de los Santos Inocentes (the Day of the Holy Innocents), Spaniards celebrate by pranking each other and making jokes. So if you’re in Madrid for the holidays, don’t be surprised if someone sticks a paper figure to your back and shouts ¡Inocente, inocente!

Interestingly, Spanish families don’t open gifts on Christmas Day. Instead, they wait until Epiphany on 6th January, when presents are brought by the Three Kings – not Santa Claus!

This feast day commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men, who travelled to Bethlehem to give Jesus Christ gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Three Kings Parade also takes place on 5th January. So if you fancy celebrating Christmas like a Spanish local, you can base yourself at one of our Travelodge hotels in Spain.

🥧 Festive food in the UK vs Spain 🥂

On Christmas Day, Brits stuff themselves with roast turkey, pigs in blankets, mountains of vegetables and gravy, followed by a flaming Christmas pudding. There are mince pies in abundance everywhere you go and hot mulled wine to help keep the winter chill away.

But Spaniards take a different culinary approach. Christmas Eve hosts the main feast of the festive season, often featuring tapas-style starters of Iberian ham, cheeses, and seafood. The centrepiece might be suckling pig or slow-roasted lamb (or even both in some regions!). Dessert means turrón (a traditional Spanish nougat) or marzipan shaped into beautiful, intricate designs. Some families even make a crown-shaped Roscón de Reyes (or ‘king cake’) for Epiphany morning.

Spain is, of course, one of the foodie capitals of the world, meaning Christmas is one of the best times to visit it for foodies. If you fancy sampling Madrid, Barcelona, or Valencia’s food scene, book a stay at one of our affordable Spanish hotels this Christmas.

🎉 Festivities and entertainment 🎇

The UK is famous for its Christmas pantomimes, carol singing, and Christmas TV specials, from Strictly Come Dancing to soap-opera cliff-hangers.

But in Spain, the entertainment is rooted in tradition. Christmas markets fill city plazas – Barcelona’s Fira de Santa Llúcia and Madrid’s Plaza Mayor markets are among the most famous. Picture hundreds of stalls selling delicious treats, Christmas decorations, and gifts (the majority of which are handmade!).

When it comes to nativity scenes, no one does it quite like the Spanish. The Royal Palace of Madrid’s Neapolitan Nativity scene features nearly 200 figures, while Alicante’s monumental nativity measures a whopping 17 metres high!

On Christmas Eve, many Spaniards attend La Misa del Gallo (Midnight Mass), where people sing carols to traditional instruments like guitars, hand drums, and tambourines. And when New Year’s Eve rolls around, it also brings with it the quirky tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight for good luck!

If you want to mooch around Spain’s spectacular markets or ‘basque’ in the festivities, stay at one of our many Spanish Travelodge hotels this Christmas.