Christmas and New Year Traditions In The Forest of Dean. (General)

by rookancestrybest , United Kingdom, Saturday, January 02, 2010, 22:29 (5514 days ago)

Are there any Christmas and New Year Traditions peculiar to the people of the Forest of Dean?
My mother did a number of things which she said were from her Forest of Dean roots but not necessarily at this time of year.
However one thing she always did was to have leeks with Christmas dinner. (Usually cooked in white sauce but sometimes just cooked like other green vegetables). No one else I know (from anywhere else in the UK) has ever said it was part of their tradition to eat leeks with Christmas dinner and I'm wondering whether it came from her Forest of Dean or South Wales heretage? (I had leeks with my Christmas dinner this year too!) It could though just have been that she cooked them for other reasons. She was also keen on purchasing mistletoe to bring it into the house for the New Year (as opposed to Christmas), - when I visited Worcester and Hereford in the autumn I noticed how much mistletoe there was, though not surprising considering that it grows mainly on apple and pear trees. I'm wondering whether there are any particular Christmas carols associated with the area too.