I buy the Radio Times every week, its the best. I will be staying with friends, will have to watch what they do. No sound of music this xmas,shame, my favourite

.... you won't watch TV during the whole X-mas holidays, will you? What about singing in front of the X-mas tree, as we Germans do?

Why must the weather be fine to induce you to sing round the X-mas tree - mine is in the living room, so how is your saying
Whether the weather be hot,
or whether the weather be not,
we'll weather the weather,
whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!
So, William, join us in singing "oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannenbaum" or do you prefer Silent Night?

In our region on X-mas we neither have a Santa Claus (he's coming on December 6th) nor a father Christmas, we have a Christkind (X-mas child) putting the presents under the X-mas tree. There's X-mas singing in the town in the afternoon, but the so-called distribution of X-mas gifts takes place in each family at different times (when you have young children you say to them that the Christkind is decorating the X-mas tree, too). When my children still went into the kindergarden the grandparents went with them to church and we decorated the X-mas tree etc.
I think, in every European country X-mas is celebrated in another way.

Phoenix, perhaps they do no longer learn Carols in school.
In Germany on January 6th you can ask the church to send you the so-called "Sternsinger" (star singers), i.e. the holy 3 kings.

Phoenix when do Carol Singers go around in the UK - on December 25th?

Those carol singers you are speaking of, what are they singing - christmas carols - normal English songs?
Please excuse, but I'm an old nosy person.

Terri the singers who sing christmas carols in the street are doing it to raise money for charity.Children who sing carols at our door, sing to make a little extra pocket money.Bands that play carols are raising money to buy new instruments, uniforms etc. At the carol singing I went to on christmas eve, a collection was taken for the band funds.