Christmas in the United States is a vibrant celebration that reflects the country’s diverse cultural heritage. The holiday season is marked by a mixture of religious observances and festive customs, bringing families and communities together in joy and merriment.
Map of the United States of America.
Unwrapping the History of Christmas in America by Allen City TV. For many, Christmas means traditions like decking the halls, trimming the tree, hanging the stockings, attending open houses, and taking the kids on their annual pilgrimage to visit Santa Claus. But is Christmas sacred or secular? Pagan or Christian? A commercial event or a season of hope? These cherished traditions and rituals will be discussed by Dr. Penne Restad, Professor of History and Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin & author of Christmas in America: A History.
Christmas Traditions in the United States
Advent Season: The Christmas season often begins with Advent, a four-week period of preparation leading up to Christmas Day. Many families use Advent calendars, opening a new window each day to reveal a small gift, a piece of chocolate, or a special activity.
Christmas Lights and Decorations: One of the most beloved traditions in the U.S. is decorating homes with colorful lights. Plazas and streets are often adorned with elaborate displays, turning neighborhoods into winter wonderlands.
Foods
Roast Turkey: While turkey is primarily associated with Thanksgiving, many American families enjoy roast turkey or ham at their Christmas feast. This meal is often accompanied by stuffing, cranberry sauce, and various sides.
Eggnog: This creamy, spiced beverage made from milk, cream, sugar, and eggs (often spiked with rum or bourbon) is a festive favorite during the holiday season.
Gingerbread Houses: Baking and decorating gingerbread houses is a popular holiday activity, often seen as a fun family tradition that brings creativity and festive spirit.
Decorations
Christmas Trees: Decorating a Christmas tree is a central tradition. Families often gather to choose a tree, hang ornaments collected over the years, and add lights and garlands.
Nativity Scenes: Many American homes display nativity scenes, depicting the birth of Jesus. These can range from elaborate displays to simple figurines.
Mistletoe: Hanging mistletoe is a charming tradition; it’s believed that standing under it grants a kiss, adding a playful touch to holiday gatherings.
Local Customs
Santa Claus: The American version of Santa Claus, inspired by the Dutch Sinterklaas and the British Father Christmas, visits homes on Christmas Eve to deliver gifts to children.
Christmas Carols: Singing carols in neighborhoods and communities is a cherished tradition, often accompanying gatherings around bonfires or singing at public celebrations.
Christmas Eve Celebrations: Many families choose to celebrate on Christmas Eve, attending church services, sharing meals, and exchanging gifts at midnight.
Festivals/Events
National Christmas Tree Lighting: Held in Washington, D.C., the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree marks the official start of the Christmas season and includes festive performances.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: While technically a Thanksgiving event, it features the arrival of Santa Claus, signaling the start of the Christmas season nationwide.
Holiday Markets: Many cities host holiday markets that offer handcrafted goods, festive foods, and entertainment, reflecting local customs and community spirit.
Christmas in the U.S. is a rich tapestry of traditions that vary by region and community, celebrating both joyful gatherings and the spirit of giving.
Other Traditions
Candy Cane
Not long after Europeans began using Christmas trees, special decorations were used to adorn them. Food items, such as candies and cookies, were used predominately and straight white candy sticks were one of the confections used as ornamentation. Legend has it that during the 17th century, craftsmen created the white sticks of candy in the shape of shepherds’ crooks at the suggestion of the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
The candy treats were given to children to keep them quiet during ceremonies at the living creche, or Nativity scene, and the custom of passing out the candy crooks at such ceremonies soon spread throughout Europe.
According to the National Confectioners’ Association, in 1847, German immigrant August Imgard used the candy cane to decorate a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. More than 50 years later, Bob McCormack of Albany, Georgia, supposedly made candy canes as treats for family, friends, and local shopkeepers. McCormack’s brother-in-law, Catholic priest Gregory Keller, invented a machine in the 1950s that automated the production of candy canes, thus eliminating the usual laborious process of creating the treats, and the popularity of the candy cane grew.
More recent explanations of the candy cane’s symbolism hold that the color white represents Christ’s purity, the red the blood he shed, and the presence of three red stripes the Holy Trinity. While factual evidence for these notions does not exist, they have become increasingly common and are sometimes even represented as fact. Regardless, the candy cane remains a favorite holiday treat and decoration.
Christmas Cards
A form of Christmas card began in England first when young boys practiced their writing skills by creating Christmas greetings for their parents, but it is Sir Henry Cole who is credited with creating the first real Christmas card. The first director of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Sir Henry found himself too busy in the Christmas season of 1843 to compose individual Christmas greetings for his friends.
He commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley for the illustration. The card featured three panels, with the center panel depicting a family enjoying Christmas festivities and the card was inscribed with the message “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.”
Christmas Stockings
According to legend, a kindly nobleman grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune. This left his three young daughters without dowries and thus facing a life of spinsterhood. Hearing of the girls’ plight, the generous St. Nicholas set forth to help. Wishing to remain anonymous, he rode his white horse by the nobleman’s house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were fortuitously captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry.
Christmas Tree
In 16th-century Germany, fir trees were decorated, indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. In the Middle Ages, a popular religious play depicted the story of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, brought the Christmas Tree to England from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert, and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans.
Holly, Ivy and Greenery
In Northern Europe, Christmas occurs during the middle of winter, when ghosts and demons can be heard howling in the winter winds. Boughs of holly, believed to have magical powers since they remained green through the harsh winter, were often placed over the doors of homes to drive evil away. Greenery was also brought indoors to freshen the air and brighten the mood during the long, dreary winter.
Legend also states that holly sprang from Christ’s footsteps as he walked the earth. The pointed leaves were said to represent the crown of thorns Christ wore on the cross, and the red berries symbolized the blood he shed.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe was used by Druid priests in their winter celebrations 200 years before the birth of Christ. They revered the plant because it had no roots yet remained green during the cold months of winter.
The ancient Celts believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers and used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward off evil spirits. The plant was also seen as a symbol of peace, and it is said that among Romans, enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace.
Scandinavians associated the plant with Frigga, their goddess of love, and it may be from this that we derive the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. Those who kissed under the mistletoe had the promise of happiness and good luck in the following year.
Poinsettias
A native Mexican plant, poinsettias were named after Joel R. Poinsett, U.S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to America in 1828. Poinsettias were likely used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. One legend has it that a young Mexican boy, on his way to visit the village Nativity scene, realized he had no gift for the Christ child. He gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. Though the other children mocked him, when the leaves were laid at the manger, a beautiful star-shaped flower appeared on each branch. The bright red petals, often mistaken for flowers, are actually the upper leaves of the plant.
Santa Claus
A long time ago, a bishop named Nicholas lived in what is now Turkey. No one knows much about him. There are stories of him often helping children in need. Many years after his death, Nicholas was made a saint. In time, he became the patron saint of children.
After the Reformation, the number of European followers of St. Nicholas dwindled. Still, the legend was kept alive in Holland, where the Dutch spelling of his name, Sint Nikolaas, eventually evolved into Sinterklaas. Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought this tradition to America in the 17th century, and here the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged.
We would love to hear from you! If you have special memories, recipes, or traditions related to Christmas in the United States, please share them with us. Perhaps your family has a unique way of celebrating the holiday, or maybe you have a favorite dish that you enjoy making each year. Your stories and experiences can help us create a vibrant community celebrating the rich tapestry of American Christmas traditions. Join us in this festive exchange and enrich our understanding of how diverse and beautiful the holiday season can be!
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