Yes dear readers, Christmas is a dangerous time for us Englishmen living in the Czech Republic. I for one have been carefully watching my step and looking upwards periodically especially in the Christmas markets here. The reason? Well, there is an obscure but extant tradition here of hitting unsuspecting Englishmen over the head with falling Christmas trees. It goes hand in hand with a variety of other Xmas traditions in this little country that include things such as according to www.discoverczechrep.com's article , here

- No lights should be lit in the house before the first star comes out. After it does, dinner is served;
- The table should be set for an even number of guests. An odd number brings bad luck or death;
- An extra plate can be used to even out the number of guests. An extra plate should also be prepared;
- in case an unexpected guest or a person in need comes by the house at dinner time;
- The legs of the table can be tied with a rope to protect the house from thieves and burglars in the coming year.

But most popular of all traditions here is Englishman bashing with Xmas trees. Apparently, it was last successfully pulled off in 2003 and so I am being extraordinarily careful right now.

Details of the last successful attempt at executing this tradition can be found here.