Queen "I do what I want" Elizabeth is really one of my absolute favorite people on the planet. One of the biggest reasons I love her is because for all of her reservations about showing feelings in the real world, she still seems quietly sincere. Case in point: It was recently revealed that the Queen keeps her holiday decorations up until February 6 to honor one special family member.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip always spend the holidays at Sandringham, the Queen's private country estate. Ownership of the home passed to Elizabeth after her father, King George VI, died in the home on February 6, 1952.
One way the Queen likes to honor her father's life is to ignore religious superstition that holiday decorations must come down by January 6. Though she is quite devout, the Queen leaves her decor up until at least February 6 as a nod to her beloved father. The Queen usually returns to Buckingham Palace on this date.
Just like she has in previous years, this holiday season the Queen attended church services at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. Several members of the royal family joined her, and the party spent the holidays at Sandringham (minus Prince Philip while he was in the hospital for a planned stay).
The Queen has loved Sandringham probably as long as she has been visiting it herself! The home is about 100 miles north of London and includes 20,000 acres of land. I don't even know how many football fields that actually is, but I bet it's a ton. The royal family bought the home in 1862.
The whole family immediately fell in love. George V described the home as "dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere else in the world." He also died at the home, on January 20, 1936. His second son, George VI (Elizabeth's dad), would eventually inherit the home.
Queen Elizabeth inherited the home after her father died. Surprisingly, once upon a time the royal family discussed demolishing the home and building something more modern, but they decided to do away with those plans.
The royal family has been using their annual walk to Sandringham as a way to greet the public for years. The event is always a joyous occasion, and the royal family turns out in full force, stopping to say hello to royal fans along the way. During her life, Princess Diana was a very sought-after person during these visits.
The annual Christmas Day service is also a treat for the public as well as the family. Everyone always looks forward to seeing what each family member will wear, who will be walking with whom, and so on. Prince Harry and Prince William were all smiles during the 2013 walk.
Sandringham is also where the family retreats for their shooting parties. It is said that King Edward VII even insisted that the clocks at the home be changed so they were half an hour earlier than GMT time. That way there would be that much more daylight for shooting! The family used "Sandringham Time" from 1901 to 1936.
Members of the public can even visit the home! The Queen opened up Sandringham to the public during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, and now you can tour the 600 acres of gardens and learn more about what life is really like as a royal. Sandringham is open every day of the year except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
One fun tidbit: The royal family helps decorate the home during the holidays! Like a lot of families, the royal family is also sentimental about their Christmas tree. The Sandringham website notes that the crew "usually put the final touches on their Christmas tree."
In addition to keeping the decorations up through February 6, the Queen pays homage to her father in a couple of other ways. Her father and grandfather made a tradition of gifting 1,500 Christmas puddings (desserts) to the staff at Sandringham, and she still carries on this particular tradition as well.
The dessert is often a spiced fruit cake, and it's said to be pretty delicious. No doubt the countless Sandringham employees look forward to their annual gift each year, especially since it comes with a holiday card from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip themselves.
