This year, the queen will not be able to be the one to hand each individual staff member with their £6 Christmas pudding from Tesco, according to the Mail.
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Old traditions will have to be put on pause
Although celebrations will resume, they will be much more quiet at Windsor Castle where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be spending the festivities together. Decorated by a 20-foot Christmas Tree, the monarch and prince Phillip have decided to spend December 25 as a couple without the usual list of family members that join the royal couple. And this comes with other traditions that will be put in the back burner in light of COVID-19 safety measures.
For the first time in more than 30 years, the Queen and the Duke will not be heading to Sandringham in Nortfolk for Christmas. This will also be the first time that she will not be personally handing out a special yuletide gift which also happens to be a tradition that her father, King George V, and grandfather, King George IV, have followed throughout the years.
What is the Christmas gift staff members receive?
The Queen usually buys her staff 1500 Christmas puddings accompanied by a greeting card signed by herself and the Duke of Edinburgh. The puddings use to come from Harrods and Fortnum and Mason –the official royal grocer for more than 150 years. That title has now gone to Tesco in recent years. The royal couple usually present each employee with the shop's Finest Matured Christmas Pudding during a gift distribution ceremony.
Unfortunately, things will be much more different this time around. The Queen has been forced to ditch the ceremony but it has been confirmed that staff members will still be receiving the gift, just not from the Queen herself. A source told the Mail:
It’s a great shame but inevitable and the right thing to do. The staff will still receive a gift from the Queen as usual but there will be no special moment with Her Majesty. It’s as much a disappointment for her as it will be for them, as it’s a hugely special time of the year.
Let's just hope we can finally get rid of this virus so that next year we get the holiday festivities we're use to having!
