Christmas in Shetland is something I’m asked about time and time again. What does Christmas in Shetland look like? What traditions do you have? What do you eat, and so on. And, to be honest – it looks a lot like Christmas all over the world, and certainly throughout the UK. We have the John Lewis advert, Wham, Buble and the great hunking turkey on the day. 

We’ve lost so many of our Christmas traditions over the years, and I’ve pondered how to sugar coat this and make it sound less like an accusation. The truth is, it’s modernisation, and it happens the world over. Small island communities may feel it more acutely because so many of our traditions are still bound up within living memory – or are still practised by some. Change comes nonetheless, and there’s no stopping it.

But, for this podcast, I’ll look back at some of the Christmas traditions of past Shetland – and a few that have managed to hang on into the present day.