The symbols of American Christmas are not vastly different from those of Europe. In the USA, Santa Claus delivers presents and turkey is typically served during Christmas dinner, but otherwise, the traditions are similar. The living room is adorned with a Christmas tree, parents put up lights and holly, and children enjoy candy.
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Christmas Trees
In the USA, 25-30 million live Christmas trees and 10-14 million artificial trees are sold each year. The most popular Christmas trees in America include the balsam fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, cottonwood, and Virginia pine.
Living Christmas trees most commonly originate from the states of Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin. The average price for a Christmas tree in the USA in 2021 was $70.
The most famous Christmas tree in New York City is at Rockefeller Center, where a grand spruce up to 30 feet tall has been lit annually since 1933.
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Santa Claus
The jolly bearded man in the red fur coat emerged in the USA sometime after 1860. He was named after St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas in Dutch).
A common myth asserts that Santa Claus was invented by Coca Cola. That’s not accurate. While Santa Claus has appeared in Coca Cola advertisements since the 1930s, the creator of the initial ads drew inspiration from illustrations of a rotund man in a red coat.
Children pen letters to Santa Claus. Santa crafts the toys in his workshop at the North Pole and delivers them to children on the night of December 25th.
Every December, SantaCon, a gathering of thousands of people dressed as Santa Claus, is held in various locations in the USA. The most renowned is SantaCon in New York City, which aids in raising much-needed funds for charities.
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Christmas Lights
The world’s first electrically lit Christmas tree debuted in 1882 on Pearl Street in Manhattan, adorned with 80 bulbs. It wasn’t until 1903 that the mass production of Christmas lights began, and even then, few people could afford them. They cost the average American a week’s wages.
Not until the 1930s did electric lighting begin to predominate in American homes, replacing candles.
With the reduction in the price of incandescent bulbs and the advent of LEDs, Christmas lighting has become a popular pastime, filled with kitschy characters and illuminated houses.
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Christmas Stocking
The tradition of the Christmas stocking has its origins in the story of St. Nicholas. In the 19th century, a poor man could not afford a dowry for his three unmarried daughters. One evening, after doing laundry, they hung their wet socks over the fireplace. Saint Nicholas, aware of their predicament, stealthily placed a bag of gold in each sock. Consequently, the daughters received a dowry and could get married.
While Saint Nicholas was replaced by Santa Claus, good children have continued the tradition of hanging stockings on the fireplace at Christmas to receive presents.
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Candy Cane
The candy cane-shaped confectionery first appeared in Europe around 1670, arriving in the USA in the early 19th century.
Red and white striped candy canes are most often mint-flavored. The shape is designed to resemble the shepherd’s crooks of those who visited baby Jesus. The white color represents purity, while the red symbolizes Jesus’s sacrifice.
Around the world, 1.76 billion candy canes are sold each year. In the USA, National Candy Cane Day is even celebrated on December 26th.
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Holly
Holly is a green plant, whose twig, along with a few red berries, is one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas in the USA.
People once believed that a sprig of holly could help ward off evil spirits. The red berries symbolize Jesus’s blood, and the green leaves his crown of thorns.
Holly is an evergreen plant and, therefore, is a symbol of eternal life. In the past, it was often paired with ivy.
How familiar are you with these six American Christmas songs?
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