Christmas tradition
Christmas is celebrated around the world using many different traditions, but what are the most common traditions?
Christmas trees are a very traditional decoration, although many people are now buying fake trees.
There are many ways to celebrate Christmas and many traditions that families have on this special day. Although families do different things on this holiday, there are also many common traditions that almost everybody does, including activities like decorating a Christmas tree.
Christmas tree. Many families buy fresh, real trees from farms and stores, because they smell really good and carry on a long tradition. Other families buy artificial trees, which is very common now, because their needles don’t fall on the floor and make messes. Artificial trees are an easy way of saving money, because you can always use it next Christmas. It is also safer than a live tree, as dried-out pine needles can be a fire hazard when the lights on a tree get too hot.
Recently it has been found that artificial trees can release dioxin after a while, which can cause cancer and other dangers to our body. This finding has led many people to go back to using real trees. The USA produces three main types of Christmas trees: spruce, pine, and firs. There are two popular toppers that people use for the top of the tree: an angel or a star.
This tradition of picking and decorating a Christmas tree has been around for a very long time, and goes back to ancient Celtic solstice celebrations. A Lafayette junior who wishes to remain anonymous said, “My family loves to go out Christmas tree picking, we always try to buy a big tree. Then we go home and decorate the Christmas tree.”
Christmas lights. There are many different types of Christmas lights that can be bought, including big bulb lights, big bulb colorful lights, and traditional Christmas color lights. T
here are small lights, LED lights, musical Christmas lights and more. These lights are strung around trees and rooftops to brighten everyone’s mood.
Ornaments for the tree. Many families make homemade ornaments to hang on their tree, because it’s a nice activity to share with family and can also be less expensive. Other families prefer store bought ornaments, requiring less work, but family time can still be spent hanging the ornaments together.
Decorating your home inside and out. Decorating is an exciting activity for the family. People can decorate each part of their house using their own imagination. Many different decorations are used including blowups, wreaths, candles, and more.
Elf on the shelf. Some families put up a little stuffed elf, an elf on the shelf, around Thanksgiving. They do this in order to get good behavior from their children, because supposedly the elf watches over the kids until Christmas, deciding if they will make the naughty or nice list.
Christmas movies. There are many Christmas classic movies like “The Polar Express,” “The Santa Clause,” “Home Alone,” “The Grinch,” and many others. These movies are aired on many channels during the Christmas season.
Listening to Christmas music. There are so many songs that get people in the Christmas spirit! Some of the most popular tradition tunes include “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and “Joy to the world.” The most listened-to Christmas song recently is “All I Want For Christmas,” by Mariah Carey.
Making a gingerbread house. There are several ways to make gingerbread houses, like buying a starter kit or starting from scratch. The starter kit provides gingerbread manor panels, gingerbread kid cookies, colorful candies, icing, and other candy decorations. This activity allows kids to be creative and have fun, while parents also enjoy bonding time with their loved ones. An anonymous Lafayette senior exclaimed, “My family loves Christmas, and we enjoying baking cookies, making gingerbread houses and decorating them.”
Leaving cookies and milk for Santa. Leaving cookies and milk for Santa is an old tradition. The family will bake cookies for Santa and pour a glass of milk for him. You can also set carrots on a plate for his reindeer. Santa will be happy that the family left him cookies while he is dropping off the presents.
