The Hogwarts Christmas Feast is a cherished annual tradition held on Christmas Day to celebrate the holiday. It takes place in the Great Hall, which is specially decorated for the occasion. The hall features twelve towering Christmas trees, brought in by Rubeus Hagrid, which are then decorated with everything from magical candles to live owls by Professor Flitwick and other staff members. The walls are adorned with festoons of holly and mistletoe, and the ceiling is often enchanted to let soft, dry snow fall gently upon the attendees. The feast is a warm and joyous occasion, particularly for students like Harry Potter who have no other home to go to for the holidays. While the number of students who stay at Hogwarts for Christmas is typically small, a full, magnificent meal is always provided. The staff who remain for the holiday sit at the High Table with the students, who occupy a single long table rather than their separate House tables.
The Food The feast itself is a magical and lavish affair, prepared by the House-Elves in the Hogwarts kitchens. The meal traditionally includes:
Wizard Crackers A staple of the feast is the Wizard Crackers. These magical party favours go off with a bang like a cannon shot, enveloping everyone in a cloud of blue smoke. Instead of the simple trinkets found in Muggle crackers, Wizard Crackers contain surprising items such as live mice, admiral's hats, non-cheatable playing cards, and genuine wizard's jokes.
The Christmas Feast serves as a backdrop for several key moments and character developments throughout the series.
The film adaptations of the Harry Potter series memorably depict the Christmas Feast, establishing the grand visual scale of the decorations in the Great Hall. The enchanted, snow-filled ceiling and the immense Christmas trees became iconic images associated with a Hogwarts Christmas (film). The films often feature the Hogwarts Frog Choir singing carols, a detail not explicitly linked to the feast in the novels (film).