I spent most of my life in England, between the West Midlands and East London. You come to associate Christmas with your entire experience of the holiday, of course—the big things and the small. The food you eat, the music you hear, the stores you (frantically) shop in.

Now that I live in California, in the Bay Area, I find myself missing things that I didn’t really know I appreciated. On this Christmas Eve I’m thinking of a few of those things, and I wanted to capture them here. I’m not writing them down because I’m sad that I don’t have them, I’m writing them down because I’m happy that I did.

  1. The pub. I can’t properly explain it (though I’ll try), but pub is Christmas. They look like Christmas. They smell like Christmas. Some of them have an open fire that feels like Christmas. People are in various states of wrapped-up. The mood is good, the laughter loud, and the lights dim. It’s cozy, and comforting, and perfect.
  2. Boxing Day. I’d argue that the day after Christmas in England is the real Christmas. It’s the day where many of the folks who worked tirelessly the day before get a minute to themselves. A day where you eat leftovers, watch crap movies, and eat as much chocolate as you can. The afterglow of Christmas, with a little more peace.
  3. Regent Street. Too specific? Doesn’t matter. If you want to feel like it’s Christmas, walk down Regent Street in December. Just writing about it is giving me a strange feeling in my chest. You’re wrapped up warm (as is everyone else), the lights are so beautiful, and every store makes you feel like a kid again. Truly, the best feeling.
  4. Christmas Markets. There was something close in New York when we lived there, but even so, there’s nothing like the endless markets across London (and England in general) to make you feel some sort of way. Wonderful food, Baileys hot chocolate, and (in my home town) stall owners fully in character as Victorian merchants.
  5. Yorkshire Puddings. Yeah, we could make them (and we do), but on the years you can’t be bothered you could always grab a bag of Aunt Bessie’s and chuck them in the oven. Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and filled with hot gravy. There are few things that Christmas dinner needs, but it always needs Yorkshire puddings.