Christmas in the United States of America – Christianity is in the Air

Due to the diverse cultural climate of the United States, it is a country that sees many different ways for people to celebrate Christmas.

Many of the traditions seen practiced in the United States are also commonly observed in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Mexico, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Poland.

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Traditionally, most families in Western Europe will celebrate Christmas with a meal of ham or turkey, served with cranberry sauce.

Their Eastern European neighbors tend to choose turkey, keilbasi sausage, soup, and cabbages. Often, families from Italy will celebrate with a traditional lasagne dinner.

In the United States, people will often trim their Christmas tree with stringed popcorn.

Another popular activity that brings people together and provides a tasty treat at the same time is making gingerbread houses.

Most Americans choose to celebrate Christmas by attending a church service.

Many churches will have special services and ceremonies on Christmas day which people can attend to celebrate the holiday.

Christmas Cuties

At these events, the church takes a special time to tell the story of the first Christmas to remind churchgoers of the true meaning of Christmas.

In the Northeast United States, you can actually find many Christmas Shops. These shops sell Christmas decorations, attire, toys and snacks all year round, no matter the season.

Celebrations and Decorations in the United States

Another popular tradition in America is sending Christmas cards, which usually include a photo of the sender’s family as a way to wish their friends and family a happy holiday.

Other traditions include going house to house singing Christmas carols (called caroling) and another unusual tradition called the Christmas pickle!

Americans typically adorn their homes with string lights during the Christmas season and will decorate with lights, candles, figurines of Santa, and wreaths.

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On Christmas Eve, American families traditionally leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa Claus to eat when he visits their home.

Often, entire towns will participate in the outdoor decorations, stringing lights across town squares, city halls, and outdoor shopping centers.

Perhaps the most notorious of them all is Rockefeller Center in New York City, where there is an annual tradition of lighting an enormous Christmas tree complete with a large ice skating rink below it for visitors to skate during the holiday season.

Santa Claus goes by many names in various places throughout the world and even in the United States. For example, Hawaiians refer to Santa as Kanakaloka!


Another tradition that occasionally accompanies Christmas celebrations is Mumming. The city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania even has a Mummer’s parade that lasts all day on New Year’s Day.

People spend months preparing costumes and makeup for these celebrations so many people come out to watch the incredible outfits be judges in four categories: String Bands, Fancies, Fancy Brigades, and Comics.

To learn more, visit the official web page at

In the Southwestern United States, you’re likely to find traditions that are similar to those observed in Mexico.

Many people will create farolitos or luminarias to line the walkway up to the front door of their homemade using paper bags filled with sand and a lit candle, these are meant to symbolically light the way to provide Mary and Joseph with a place to stay.

One of the most widely used foods in Southwestern American Christmas celebrations is tamales.

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To learn more about tamales and about Southwestern U.S. Christmas celebrations, visit the web page at

Mississippi River

In Southern Louisiana, many families can be found spending their Christmas Eve on the banks of the Mississippi river building big fires to light the way for Santa (known in Louisiana as Papa Noel due to Louisiana’s historical ties to France) in order to help him find his way to their homes to bring gifts to all the children.

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Main Points About Christmas in the United States of America

  1. Baking cookies, gingerbread man and house, and eggnog is a very common tradition in the USA.
  2. Christmas decorations in the USA are very elaborate both on the interior and exterior. There is caroling, and some Christians may choose to go to church to celebrate Christmas.
  3. The most elaborate Christmas decoration is found at the Rockefeller Centre in New York City. There are a huge Christmas tree and a public ice-skating rink.
  4. There is a lot of shopping going on during the Christmas season and it very common to find Christmas parties in different parts of the country.
  5. Christmas meal in the USA is very elaborate, with assorted dishes on the menu.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Christmas in the United States of America

  1. Do Americans have Christmas crackers?

    Christmas crackers are not very common in the country of America. But with the changing cultures and more and more people shifting in America, some of the Americans have started using the Christmas crackers on the eve of Christmas.

  2. How do they celebrate Christmas in USA?

    The people of the United States of America celebrate Christmas by decorating their houses and streets using lights and ornaments. They also like to make snowman and reindeers using the snow. The decorate the Christmas tree and keep present under it.

  3. Where do American Christmas traditions come from?

    It is believed that all the American traditions which are being performed on the eve of Christmas in America have been introduced by the German immigrants in America.

  4. How long is the Christmas holiday in the USA?

    The people who are living in the United States of America normally get 3 to 5 days off during Christmas eve from their work or school or college.

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The United States has a huge population of Christians. The celebrations for Christmas are special in every single way. You can easily see markets flooded with products targetted towards Christmas shopping to the point that shops sell the most products during Xmas.

If you have been to the United States of America on Christmas or stay in the United States of America then do share your first-hand experience in the comments below.

Word Cloud for Christmas in the United States of America

The following is a collection of the most used terms in this article on Christmas in the United States of America. This should help in recalling related terms as used in this article at a later stage for you.