What do you picture when you think of Christmas in America? You might see the gigantic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City, families eating dinner with a big turkey at its center, or scenes from your favorite Christmas movies. The US is a large country, so it has a lot of Christmas traditions. If you’re looking forward to spending Christmas in the US, start by familiarizing yourself with the most common traditions across the country.
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How do you celebrate Christmas in America?
Christmas in the US is December 25, and Christmas Eve is equally as celebratory on December 24. But decorations, music, and other traditions for Christmas are easy to find as soon as Thanksgiving is over at the end of November. You may also hear the entire month of December referred to as “the holiday season,” which includes Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and more.
How people celebrate Christmas depends on the individual person and family. With so many people from so many different backgrounds and religions comes an endless list of traditions for the holiday. Christmas in America has many non-religious traditions (like giving gifts and attending parties) that anyone can join in, even if they don’t celebrate Christmas itself.
Is Christmas a religious holiday in the United States?
Yes and no. By definition, Christmas is a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus (one of Christianity’s central figures). However, the US has an incredibly diverse population with people from different cultures and religious backgrounds. According to a religious landscape study by the Pew Research Center:
- 62% of people in the United States identify as some denomination of Christian (Protestant, Catholic, etc.)
- 7% of people in the United States belong to a different religion (Jewish, Muslim, etc.)
- 29% of people in the United States don’t follow a specific religion
Even if you aren’t Christian, you will experience Christmas traditions and customs in your daily life throughout December in the US. Many Christmas traditions focus on the festive atmosphere rather than the religious origins of the holiday. Christmas Day is a federal holiday in the US, which means most businesses (clothing stores and restaurants) and government services (like the post office and banks) are closed on Christmas Day.
Seasonal US Christmas traditions
Many Christmas traditions start weeks before Christmas Day arrives. During the month of December, you’re almost guaranteed to see at least a few of these traditions.
Put up Christmas lights outside
If you drive around town, brightly lit decorations on houses, signs, and stores are easy to find. For homes, people will often hang lights along the edge of the roof, windows, and trees. Public areas like parks may even have lights wrapped around the entire trunk of a tree and large branches!
This particular tradition isn’t restricted to people who celebrate Christmas. For many people, decorating is fun, and people of all religions and cultural backgrounds join in creating a colorful nighttime landscape for the holiday season.
Decorate a Christmas tree
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most common Christmas traditions for people in the US. Some families get a plastic tree to use year after year, which is easy to put up, maintain, and put away when Christmas is over. Other people treasure the tradition of buying a fresh evergreen tree (typically firs, spruces, and pines) every year.
No matter the type of tree, most Americans trim their Christmas tree with some or all of these decorations:
- tinsel: short, thin strips of metallic plastic that cling to the branches of the tree
- ribbons: either tied in a bow or wrapped around the tree
- lights: strings of electric lights that wrap around the tree
- ornaments: hanging baubles that range from simple orbs to beloved pop culture characters
- tree topper: a large decoration that goes on the top of the tree, such as a large star, figure (like an angel), or snowflake
- tree skirt: a fabric circle that wraps around the base of the tree and covers the floor
Listen to (or sing) Christmas music
Christmas music is in a category of its own, and most people only listen to it in November and/or December. Some of the common Christmas songs you’ll hear are traditional carols over 100 years old. These songs are usually more religious, didn’t originate in the US, and you might hear them sung in church or by carolers.
- “O Holy Night”
- “Silent Night”
- “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
- “O Come All Ye Faithful”
- “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”
Christmas music playlists are also full of more modern songs from the 20th and 21st centuries. Modern Christmas music focuses more on the holiday spirit and commercial side of Christmas than the religious aspect. Whether you like it or not, you’ll probably hear songs like these playing in stores and TV commercials as early as November 1.
- “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
- “Last Christmas” by Wham!
- “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
- “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano
Watch Christmas movies
When it’s cold outside (as it is in most of the US in December), curling up on the couch and watching a movie is a cherished tradition. Some Christmas movies are unquestionably about Christmas (like A Christmas Carol), while others just take place around Christmastime (like Die Hard). The best Christmas movies to watch depend on the person or the family, but these are some of the most-watched Christmas movies in the United States:
- Home Alone
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Elf
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- The Santa Clause
- Miracle on 34th Street
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Frozen
Participate in a potluck or gift exchange
Exchanging gifts or sharing food during December at parties is very common. If you work in the US, many offices or other workplaces also celebrate the holiday season in some way. These traditions come with unique names that tell you what the rules and customs are.
- Secret Santa: You will be given the name of a person in the group to bring a gift for, and it will be a secret until everyone opens their gifts. Someone will also have your name and bring you a gift.
- White Elephant gift exchange: Everyone brings a gift to add to a pile. People take turns opening the gifts, or stealing a gift from someone who already opened one (that person will get to pick a new one).
- Potluck: Everyone brings a dish to share with the group (usually for lunch or dinner). This can include appetizers, snacks, main dishes, sides, or desserts. Sometimes there will be a sign-up sheet to make sure there’s a variety of different foods.
- Cookie swap: Also called a cookie exchange. Everyone brings some homemade cookies (at least two dozen). Then, each person can take home a few of each type of cookie. Some people also share their recipes.
Send holiday cards
Many Americans use Christmas and other holidays in December (like New Year’s Eve) as a reason to send cards to people they don’t see often. The tradition of sending holiday-themed cards in the US dates back to the end of the 19th century, but the modern version of the holiday card is primarily about sending well-wishes for the holiday and an update on the family (usually with at least one picture). Some people display the holiday cards they get for the entire season!
Traditional Christmas foods in the US
If decorations are the sights of Christmas and holiday music plays the sounds of Christmas, then traditional Christmas food is the smells and tastes. If you go to a holiday party, arrive hungry and ready to eat!
Bake cookies (and more!)
Many people spend time baking sweets and treats. You can bake whatever you like, but here are some common Christmas desserts people make:
- gingerbread: Some people make gingerbread cookies in the shape of gingerbread people, but others make and decorate gingerbread houses!
- cookies: You can find any kind of cookie, but it’s common to see sugar cookies decorated with sprinkles or holiday colors.
- pies: Pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies are all popular pie varieties in the US. Unlike the savory Christmas pies in the UK, pies for Christmas in the US are sweet!
Part of the Christmas baking tradition is to either share the food you bake or bake together with another person (or multiple people).
Enjoy a traditional American Christmas dinner
Culinary traditions vary by family, but some foods are popular at an American Christmas dinner all over the country. No matter where you are in the US, you’re bound to find at least a few of these popular Christmas dishes:
- roasted meat dish: It’s usually turkey, but might also be roast beef, chicken, or ham.
- potatoes: Roast potatoes and mashed potatoes are the most common.
- bread: Some kind of dinner roll is a typical side.
- vegetables: Green beans, corn, and carrots are common.
Some traditional American Christmas dinner foods are regional. They might even seem strange to people who live in another part of the country! For example, Christmas dinner traditions on the East Coast include everything from collard greens in the south to lasagna in the north, while Christmas dinners on the West Coast might include tamales.
Leave milk and cookies for Santa
Some families (especially those with young children) leave a treat on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus near the Christmas Tree: milk and cookies. Seeing the empty glass and cookie crumbs on Christmas Day reinforces the story that Santa (or any of the names for Santa Claus) is real for children. It can also be seen as a way to thank Santa for the gifts he brings. Some children even leave treats for Santa’s reindeer: carrots.
Christmas Day traditions in the US
On Christmas Day (December 25), many families make their own Christmas traditions! People might bake together, watch Christmas movies, have Christmas dinner, and more. However, you’ll also find a few traditions specifically for Christmas Day.
Opening stockings first
Christmas stockings in the US look like oversized socks. Each person in the family has a stocking, and they’re usually hung on the mantle of a fireplace or on a stair railing at the same time the Christmas tree is set up. Sometimes, each stocking has the person’s name on it.
Santa brings small treats and presents to fill all the stockings on Christmas Eve. For many families, children are allowed to open their stockings as soon as they wake up, even if no one else in the family is awake yet.
Opening presents with friends and family
For most Americans, buying and receiving gifts is a part of Christmas. This includes people who don’t necessarily have a religious attachment to the holiday. Traditionally, people open gifts from friends and family on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Anything “from Santa” is opened on Christmas Day. After all, Santa brings his gifts while you’re asleep on Christmas Eve, so you can’t open them before he arrives.
There aren’t many rules about what you can and can’t give as a Christmas gift. Some people buy gifts, while others make (or bake) them. Some people also choose to give money instead of an item. Do what feels right for you!
Attend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day church services
As Christmas is a religious holiday, many Americans go to church on December 24 or 25 (or both). One study by Pew Research Center showed that about half of Americans make plans to go to church services on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. This tends to be more true for older adults than young adults, and more true for Catholics than Protestants.
In addition to any standard customs for the church, Christmas services often include:
- music: Either sung by a choir or played by a small instrumental ensemble.
- decorations: In addition to the non-religious decorations, expect to see a Nativity set depicting the day of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem.
- candles: The service attendees might be given candles (either wax or electric) to create a special, dimly lit Christmas atmosphere.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas in America
If you’re in the US any time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, you’re sure to see decorations and hear holiday music. Now that you know more about American Christmas traditions, you may also be asking yourself one or more of these frequently asked questions about Christmas in America.
Do Americans celebrate Christmas on the 24th or 25th of December?
Technically, December 24 is Christmas Eve and December 25 is Christmas Day. It depends on the person which day includes the most traditions. Some people do big family events on Christmas Eve and stay home on Christmas Day, some people do the opposite, and some people celebrate on both days!
Where is the most Christmassy place in America?
Two cities that go the extra mile to embody the Christmas season are Leavenworth, Washington, and McAdenville, North Carolina. Leavenworth’s European-style architecture and freezing winter climate create a winter wonderland when combined with its Christmastown Village of Lights. On the other side of the country, McAdenville (aka Christmas Town U.S.A.) doesn’t experience a lot of snow, but the spectacular light displays all across the city are undeniably Christmassy.
Should I say ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’?
If you want to wish someone a happy Christmas or Christmas season, then “Merry Christmas” is appropriate. You can even say “Merry Christmas” in different languages! Otherwise, “Happy Holidays” is appropriate for all holidays in December, including Christmas.
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