In the United States, Christmas is a hugely commercial holidays, with shopping season beginning up to a month beforehand. As a large country with so much cultural diversity.
Christmas Events
People in United States celebrate Christmas Day in many ways. In the days or even weeks before Christmas Day, many people decorate their homes and gardens with lights, Christmas trees and much more. It is common to organize a special meal, often consisting of turkey and a lot of other festive foods, for family or friends and exchange gifts with them. Children, in particular, often receive a lot of gifts from their parents and other relatives and the mythical figure Santa Claus. This has led to Christmas Day becoming an increasingly commercialized holiday, with a lot of families spending a large part of their income on gifts and food.
Xmas Celebrations
Christmas in United StatesĀ is celebrated with a variety of localĀ traditions. For example, children in Hawaii believe that Santa Clause arrives on boat to deliver presents. n Pennsylvania, the Moravians build a landscape, called a putz – under the Christmas tree, while in the same state the Germans are given gifts by Belsnickle, who taps them with his switch if they have misbehaved. On Christmas night, Alaskan children will go house-to-house and sing carols carrying a colored star on a pole. And in parts of Texas, as in Mexico, many people take part in Las Posadas, a colorful nine-day festival of nightly processions.
A wide range of people and objects represent as symbols of Christmas in United States. These include baby Jesus, the Nativity and the Three Kings, but also Santa Claus, reindeer and elves. Common objects at this time of year are pine trees, holly, decorations, fairy lights, candles and presents. Christmas Day is now truly a mix of religious celebration and commercial interests.