Before Christmas dinner, guests engage in a traditional game using special holiday crackers. Two guests hold each end of the paper cracker tube and pull hard until the two halves split and paper hats and toys fall onto the table. For dessert, a plum pudding soaked with warm brandy is set aflame. Each slice is topped with a hard sauce--a rich concoction of butter, sugar, and brandy. And for post-meal merriment, guests gather in the living room to hear Queen Elizabeth's annual Christmas address to the nation.

English Christmas Recipes Canape of Maytag Blue Cheese and Roasted Walnuts with a Caramelized Onion and Apple Relish Bouillon of Forest Mushrooms with Oloroso Sherry Roast Port Glazed Goose with Tawny Port Gravy Whiskey-Braised Apple Sauce Buttered Brussels Sprouts Fresh Cranberry and Semisweet Chocolate Trifle Plum Pudding Blue Cheese Tasting Mulled Madeira Roast Leg of Lamb with Pancetta, Sage and Rosemary Baked Carrots with Cumin, Thyme, Butter and Chardonnay Emeril's Favorite Roast Pheasant Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce Date Bar Cookies