American Christmas Traditions

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Christmas is a great occasion of celebration for the entire world. The festival of Christmas has a universal appeal. The entire environment is filled with happiness, joy, hope and festive fervor. It's the time of year when one can enjoy feast, parties with family and friends. Christmas decoration is an important activity for the entire family. All family members get together and enthusiastically participate in this fun filled event of decorating home as well as Christmas tree. Every individual loves to decorate the Christmas tree with lights, ornaments and bells. Americans celebrate Christmas according to their traditions and enjoy the holiday season.

American Christmas traditions have undergone drastic changes with changing times. The traditions of Christmas differ from one state to other in America due to diverse culture and people of various nationalities. The old traditions have gone and new traditions are coming up. America has given Santa Claus to the entire world. The concept of Santa Claus is derived from St. Nicholas, a Dutch clergy. The American Novelist Washington Irving introduced him to the entire world through his written works. The tradition of Santa in white and red robe and distributing gifts to children started somewhere around 1863.

The preparations for Christmas start right after Thanksgiving. The handmade greeting cards, gifts, decorative items are made as they take time for preparation. The actual cleaning of homes, decoration of homes, Christmas tree decoration, and preparation for traditional Christmas food and so on starts from the first week of December in America. Kids enjoy getting gifts from parents and other family members during the Christmas holiday season. Greeting cards send by extended family are read out at dinner time and special prayer is said for him or her. Partying, dining, dancing, music, carols, lighting of candles and attending Church services are some of the traditions that we see in American Christmas Celebrations.

Let's take a look at different Christmas traditions found in America:

In Hawaii, we can see that the Christmas is celebrated with shooting fire arms and crackling sound of fireworks. The Santa Claus arrives in boats to meet the children. The Christmas meal is eaten outdoors traditionally.
In California, one can see Santa Claus on surfing board.
In the state of Colorado, a big star is lit up on a mountain. It is so huge in size that the people can see it from long distance.
During the Christmas day, a procession called as Mummers Parade is seen in the state of Philadelphia. The people dance at the rhythm of band and music in fancy dresses
American homes are decorated with holly and branches of evergreen trees, the branches have lights, candies as decorative pieces.
Traditionally all Americans have roasted turkey, ham, vegetables, sauces for Christmas dinner. The desert is usually pumpkin pie or plum pudding with fresh fruits and dry fruits.