Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re talking about Christmas traditions in the USA. We’ve talked about Christmas traditions in other parts of the world, but we haven’t shared our own traditions from back home. While we’ve spent many Christmas holidays abroad enjoying other cultures’ traditions, there are some American traditions we always bring with us. What are YOUR American Christmas traditions?
Christmas Light Drives
We love to decorate our house with lights, and it’s even more fun to drive around different neighborhoods to see all the different light displays. Some homes go for a simple light display, while others will have lights animated and synchronized to music, as well as various Christmas scene displays. Some neighborhoods will collaborate to put on a great show.
Christmas Shopping in July
Every year, US retailers bring out the Christmas decor earlier and earlier. Some stores, like Hallmark, bring out their Christmas ornaments in July! The retail calendar used to follow a pretty standard pace of Back to School followed by Halloween followed by Christmas. These days, Halloween and Thanksgiving practically get swallowed up by Christmas each fall.
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The Christmas Tree
Decorating a Christmas tree is a tradition for many US families. When it comes to Christmas trees, there are two traditions: real or fake. Some families have a fake Christmas tree that gets stored away in the attic and brought out each winter. Other families make a tradition of going to pick out their live tree. Even with the live trees, there are different traditions. In urban areas, you’ll see Christmas tree lots spring up in parking lots. Some families, especially in more rural areas, like to get a permit to go out into the woods and cut down their own trees.
Every family also has a tradition of when they take down the Christmas tree. Lots of families take it down the day after Christmas, others wait 12 nights, which is an old English tradition tied to the Day of Epiphany. Others see how long they can get away with leaving up their tree; we leave a small (artificial) tree up until Mother’s Day.
Secret Santa
This Christmas tradition is popular in workplaces and with large families where it’s impractical to buy a gift for everyone. How it works is everyone puts their name in a bowl and then draws someone else’s name. As their “Secret Santa” you buy them a gift. There are usually guidelines and rules, such as spending limits so that everyone can participate. Some groups go for silly gifts, while others do sincere gifts for the recipient.
Ugly Sweaters
We’re not sure when this American Christmas tradition started, but it’s a fun one. My office has a competition every year for the ugliest Christmas sweater. This has become such a popular tradition, that there are companies that exclusively make ugly Christmas sweaters. But you get bonus points if you make your own!
Advent Calendars
Advent calendars are another fun Christmas tradition that we love. It’s a fun way to count down to Christmas, with tiny little presents opened on each day of the calendar. This tradition actually dates back to the German Lutherans, but Americans have taken the concept and run with it. You can buy specialized advent calendars with themed gifts, like chocolate, coffee, or wine.
Elf on the Shelf
A newer United States Christmas tradition is the Elf on the Shelf. What started as a ploy to get kids to be good for Santa has become a chore for parents to think up fun themes each night as the elves have to move around the house while everyone is sleeping. The theory is that Santa sends the elf out each night to check on the kids and report back. Parents either love or hate this tradition.
Christmas Pajamas
Another newer tradition we’re noticing on social media are the matching Christmas pajamas for the whole family. Even the family dog can get matching PJs. Sometimes you’ll see these used for Christmas photos, other times, it’s just a fun tradition of being lazy in your pajamas all day
Fireplace Stockings
In most homes, you will see Christmas stockings hung over the fireplace mantel, or from a shelf near the Christmas tree. Before Christmas gifts became so extravagant, this is where Santa Claus would leave the presents overnight. Christmas gifts have gotten much larger and more expensive, but we still do “stocking stuffers” which are usually smaller gifts like candy or gum, or practical things like socks and school supplies.
Cookies and Milk for Santa
With Santa Claus out delivering presents all night, he gets hungry. So, every home leaves out milk and cookies for Santa to fuel up before moving on to the next house. Some even leave healthy snacks like carrots for the reindeer. Of course, it’s then up to the parents to ensure the milk and cookies have been convincingly consumed before the next morning!
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Christmas Movies
One of our favorite Christmas traditions is to watch all of the Christmas movies and specials that are shown this time of year. Kicking off with Thanksgiving, the whole month of December is filled with Christmas movies. From classics like It’s a Wonderful Life to comedies like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, every family has their favorite Christmas movie to watch. Of course, cartoon series like Charlie Brown and the Grinch are also fantastic! Our favorite is “A Christmas Story” and we love it so much we even rented the house from the movie once!
Gingerbread Houses
Another tradition that has been “borrowed” from German culture is the gingerbread house. Originally, families would bake gingerbread and then use candies and icing to construct a house. Today, you can buy kits with the gingerbread already made. Some families will have a competition, while others go all in to make extravagant homes and log-style cabins.
The Family Christmas Card
With social media, this tradition is fading out a bit, but we still love sending and receiving Christmas cards from friends and family around the world. This tradition is different for every family. Many people buy Christmas cards and add a personal note or update on the family. Some families do a whole Christmas letter, with updates on everyone’s year. Others will send a photo card of the family, sometimes in their Christmas pajamas!
Kissing Under the Mistletoe
This is a pagan tradition that has been adopted by many households. You hand a sprig of mistletoe from the ceiling or in a doorway, and if two people meet under the mistletoe, they have to kiss. The tradition has (thankfully) evolved, but it’s still a fun one, and a great way to gross out your kids!
Shopping Mall Santa
This is a Christmas tradition that our kids never cared for, but many families in the US line up each holiday season to meet Santa Claus. Kids can tell Santa what they want for Christmas, and parents can get photos of the kids with Santa. If a child is scared of Santa and doesn’t want to do that whole tradition, they can write a letter to Santa instead. Lots of mailboxes pop up all over town with direct access to the North Pole.
Making Christmas Cookies
Another favorite tradition in our house is making Christmas cookies. Our kids do this with their grandma every year and it’s a tradition we all look forward to. Typically, you’ll set a full day aside, and do all of your shopping the day before. Some families make several different kinds of cookies, but traditional Christmas cookies are sugar cookies in fun shapes that get decorated with frosting and sprinkles. It’s usually a big mess, but it’s so much fun!
Black Friday Shopping (and Cyber Monday)
This holiday tradition started in the U.S. and is spreading to other parts of the world. At some point in time, the day after Thanksgiving became the day when people started shopping for Christmas gifts for their friends and family. It became a huge shopping day and stores started promoting amazing deals for one day only. Of course, this sometimes gets out of control as people wrestle over cheap TV’s and the hottest toy of the year. With the rise of Internet shopping, Cyber Monday has become like a “virtual Black Friday.” Of course, then you also have the great post-Christmas sales on December 26th that often create another stampede at shopping malls around the country.
Grab Some Wolters World Travel Gear!
We really enjoy most of these United States Christmas traditions, some of which we’ve brought around the world with us on our travels. We love learning about and celebrating new Christmas traditions around the world and at home. What are your favorite Christmas traditions? For more tips on holiday travel, check out some of our other blog posts: