Christmas Gems

American Christmas

American Christmas is celebrated on a grand scale.  In the big cities the streets and department stores are lavishly decorated and in the weeks before Christmas you can see people hurrying by with parcels covered in shiny wrapping paper and ribbons.  In preparation for the great American Christmas there is much cooking, baking and carol singing.  Christmas trees are beautifully decorated with glittering ornaments, tinsel and candy canes.  In Washington DC a huge Christmas tree is lit ceremoniously by the President. 

America is an enormous country and many of the American people originate from Europe and the early European settlers brought their Christmas customs with them.  If you are in American during the Christmas period you could easily celebrate German, Polish, Irish or Spanish Christmas.

The way American Christmas is celebrated depends on where in the US you are.  Christmas in New England is going to be quite different from Christmas in Hawai where Santa arrives by boat, whereas in California Santa arrives on a surf board and there are huge Christmas parades.  In Alaska children carry around a large star from door to door while they sing carols.  In Arizona there is the Mexican ritual called Las Posadas which is a ritual procession and play representing the search of Mary and Joseph for a room at the inn.  Families play the parts and visit each others houses and re-enact the story of the nativity.