Meet Britain’s most festively-named man who changed his name from Murray Hull – to Murray Christmas.
Murray, 33, he made the bold decision to legally change his surname to Christmas 15 years ago.
He said: “At the age of 18 I had wanted to change away from my family name.
“My best friend and I were sitting watching TV, and we had been going through various name suggestions over the last month.
“It was in the runup to Christmas, and a Christmas advert came up on TV.
“My mate asked; how about Christmas, without properly clocking it at first – and then I just said ‘Murray Christmas’ and we both fell about laughing.”
Murray, of Bristol, says people always genuinely question if it is his real name.
He said: “It’s usually a very good reaction – especially while I’m out for the night.
“My friends will just go up to random people in the pub or out clubbing and say ‘guess what this guy’s name is’.
“It makes a good ice breaker. If I’m calling a call centre there is usually a moment where the person on the end of the line has to mute while they just get it out of their system, you can tell they’re laughing on the other end.
“People do ask what my parents were thinking, but I usually just respond that I was also born on April Fool’s Day, so it was just a bit of a prank.”
He added: “Ironically I wouldn’t say I love Christmas especially, I changed my last name because at the time I wanted to change it, and I just loved the idea of changing it to Christmas – because it was really funny.
“I do all the normal things for Christmas, I don’t shy away from it – I have a traditional Christmas with all the friends and family, lots of eating and lots of drinking!”
He is desperately trying to convince his partner Emma Cartwright, 30, to continue the Christmas name.
He said: “It’s been a discussion, but it is now a firm no. Maybe I’ll convince her eventually.”
