10 Questions Europeans Have about American Christmas
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- I have some questions. Google is an unreliable source so I'm hoping some American or Canadian Viewers who have experienced actual American Christmas in the USA might comment below.
WHAT is up with pickles on the Christmas tree? Is Hanukah kind of the same as christmas now and honestly I'm not getting how Thanksgiving isn't just Christmas but mini. And how about christmas movies or thanksgiving films? Let me know your Christmas traditions youy do with your family on the holidays.
Special thanks to Tim Donnelly!
This is Irish Girl asks 10 Questions Europeans Have about American Christmas
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New Christmas emojis unlocked for members by special request!Type "Hoho" or "Hohoho" HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! Or should I say Merry Christmas!?
Fun fact, the first time I and a lot of other Americans heard the Happy Christmas was in the first Harry Potter movie.
Mein Pipes 13urst #GoZags
Hey, Diane! Happy Chr...I mean Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!! Maybe that's why we say it that way...
Ham + Turkey. My kids don't like Turkey, turkey is just traditional. We have both on Thanksgiving and a Prime Rib Roast for Christmas.
No. Thanksgiving is the kickoff of the Holiday Season. We like it where it is at.
No. Pickles are a meme. Popcorn is more of a traditional thing from a poorer time.
Christmas is Religious and some get their pants in a bundle, but most don't care.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It is kind of weird to hear Happy Christmas... Kind of shows you're a foreigner.
It is a thing to meet parents at the holidays if you are very serious... Like getting married soon. I think this is just for convenience, since the family is all gathered and you want to show off a future spouse. (I'm from a large family and this happens a lot. But not always.)
Unfortunately, yes. Children have bad manners in the US.
We get so many that we tape the photos to the back of the front door for the season. Yes, that is a thing. But we don't do it.
Carol singers are often organized from churchgoers when I grew up, visiting shut-ins to bring holiday cheer instead of gathering donations. The end of the route was often the home of a church elder, who prepared hot chocolate in advance in gratitude for sharing their time to bring joy to those who had no visitors normally.
In school, I was in the choir, and we went caroling at retirement homes. We roamed the halls and met a group of residents in the activity room. We also did concerts at the elementary schools and got the students to chime in.
We do not tip roaming carolers. If a venue is set up for carolers to sing for passerby, then it might have a donation kettle for a charity, like the Salvation Army.
Family photos sent with Christmas cards are not odd. For years, this WAS social media before the Digital Age. Relatives might only have a mental image (or even scrapbooks) of the family at a set age. The family photo allows you to see the family growth in context. It only gets odd when the family newsletter is bulkier than the phone directory.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
The US is huge and people often has close family and friends who they almost never see. I man I talk to almost every week who lives a thousand miles away sent us a Christmas card with a photo.
no, family photos and newsletters with Xmas cards have always been odd and braggarty, the rest of us just never said anything.
Since I don't follow social media anymore, the family photos and newsletters are awesome. Some of my family and friends live thousands of miles away so we may never see each other for years. It's really nice to catch-up with your family and friends each year and see what their kids or grandkids look like now.
Yes, professional family photos on Christmas cards ARE odd. Even before social media, our family has never done that.
Some families do turkey on Christmas and Thanksgiving, while others do just ham on Christmas. As for traveling, there's usually negotiations needed for the holidays. If you're in a relationship and the families live far apart, you plan a trip to see one family for Thanksgiving and then visit the other family for Christmas.
Editor Diane in a Santa hat....just the amount of cheer she can handle.
My guess is that between the 2, there's more turkey than ham; turkey 65 -70% of the time on Thanksgiving, and ham 60 - 65% of the time on Christmas. Traveling for both holidays usually doesn't happen except for eccentric single uncles who are done fishing in Alaskan waters for the year and have lots of spare time and money.
Yes; it is always more polite to tell Santa - or generally anyone - "I would like.." versus "I want..."; with a "Please" and "Thank you" to boot.
I always thought the best holiday meal would be angel hair, marinara, salad, and French bread drowning in garlic butter, along with some nice wine for the ones who aren't alcoholic (recovering or otherwise). Tasty enough, and not a lot of work.
@@thatguy8869 Turkey is more common on both, ham is an Easter thing (with lamb being an alternative) and some have ham and turkey. We usually have prime rib on Christmas or sometimes rack of lamb. Thanksgiving is always turkey.
we always do both turkey and ham on Thanksgiving and Christmas. it’s not either holiday for me if i don’t have both.
Regarding travel: Keep in mind travelling costs money so usually, if you've travelled for Thanksgiving, then you stay home for Christmas and vice versa. Some people are lucky enough to have most of their family in one town. When that happens, a family with a large house will host one holiday dinner and another with a large house will host the other.
My only close relatives that lived far away growing up were one uncle and his family. They would usually visit once in the summer and then again over Thanksgiving weekend. We would do our Christmas gift exchanges with my dad's side of the family at Thanksgiving.
Our “pickle” is a blown glass ornament in the shape of a pickle. It’s hidden amongst the other items on the tree, and whoever finds it first receives a gift.
Wait that’s a real thing?
Yes, for some families. Most don't but it is a real thing.
Wait... People instill in children a "find the pickle" game? At a young age??? Did they learn that from the Catholic priests? That seems very not okay
There was a story going 'round the internet 15-ish years ago that the pickle ornament on the tree was "An Old German Tradition." The deal as I read it was that whoever found the pickle got to be the person who handed out the gifts. That could be 100% urban legend - probably is, in fact. My family tried it for a few years, but my kids didn't care. I still have a blown glass pickle ornament but I never use it anymore.
@@ChanDeereGreen one of the oldest tales involving Christmas and Santa involved a story where he carried a barrel of brined pickles??? And a horror story of putting a child in it? Or something to that effect, it's been so long I forgot, but I would wager it has some connection to that ancient story
The stocking thing is big for us. As we've all gotten older and there are more of us, at the big family event, gift giving for extended family is exclusively through stocking stuffers. As for Santa delivering gifts that's always been under the tree. I'd never even heard of gifts being delivered to the foot of the bed until I saw it in Harry Potter.
In the UK it was/is normal for the gifts to be at the foot of the bed. Usually in a pillow case. Gives the parents a bit of extra time in bed while the kids are opening and playing. Before disturbing the parents.
Growing up, Santa would leave my brothers and me unwrapped presents in the living room. They were grouped by the recipient and placed in separate piles, and the stockings were taken down and used as a label for each pile. Any small gifts that would fit, as well as candy, would be placed inside the stockings.
As we got older, "Santa" would leave wrapped gifts under the tree that we opened along with the rest of our household gift exchange on Christmas morning. We always have a larger gift exchange with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve.
The only Thanksgiving movie I can think of Diane is Planes Trains and Automobiles Starring John Candy and Steve Martin which revolves around Steve Martin trying to make it home to his family for Thanksgiving. It's quite funny, one of my holiday favorites and well worth a watch. Merry Christmas Diane and here's hoping Santa is good to you and your family.🎄💚
There's Peanuts stuff. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (1973).
For me, my Thanksgiving movie is "Addams Family Values".
I know that it's not set at Thanksgiving but it features THE GOAT Thanksgiving Play...
Waltons Thanksgiving
Mall Cop?
Son in Law is a good Thanksgiving movie. And most TV shows do Thanksgiving episodes (Friends has the best ones in my opinion).
I am Canadian. It always amazes me how much of a blend Canadian culture is between British/European and American. First of all Canadian Thanksgiving is in October and other than the large feast doesn't really resemble American Thanksgiving. It's definitely not a prelude to Christmas. I like the longer time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fun fact: in recent years Canadian stores have been participating in Black Friday (huge pre-Christmas sales that occur the Friday after Thanksgiving) but Canadians observe this day in November on the day after American Thanksgiving. Joyeux Noel 🎍🇨🇦
I thought Canadian Thanksgiving happened on November 1st. Anyways, it’s a harvest festival so it makes sense that yours would be earlier.
Or in Québec the aptly named Vendredi Fou ! Crazy Friday is spot on.
As an American, I love getting those family photos. They're very easy here to get. I'm not sure about the price though. Those photos are good in keeping up the growth of the children, how the family is getting on, etc.
Thanksgiving happens as a harvest festival, so it has to happen after harvest is over, and harvest ends in the fall. Turkey is traditional for Thanksgiving, for Christmas there isn't really a set main course, it depends where you are in the country and lots of people vary Christmas dinner every year. For example, we sometimes do Christmas with an ethnic theme, like German or Norwegian. We've done Mexican when we had guests from Mexico. We've always heard the pickle in the Christmas tree thing originated in Germany,.
That's kind of what I've noticed. Turkey has become the standard fare for Thanksgiving, and Christmas is more variable, with many different family traditions. We've generally done ham, but have varied from that from time to time. One family I know has a tradition of lasagna for Christmas!
When I was a kid, the stockings were small cheap toys and candies that we, as kids, were allowed to get into before the adults woke up. The wrapped presents had to be opened in front of the parents so they could see our reactions and maybe take pictures, but the stockings were there so we didn't explode while waiting for the adults to wake up.
At least in my family stockings are often the best - it's where parents stick my gift cards 😎
The photo for Christmas thing is very common. It's more common than not to get a photo and a letter that tells what's happened over the last year like big family events and other family news.
I never get pictures but one family member has been compiling a family newsletter
I find the photos nice, especially when the family has young kids. It's fin to see how they've grown over the year
@Aboz since I live farther away from my family and some of my nieces and nephews are only 9 or 10 years younger than I, I do enjoy seeing pictures of their kids for this reason exactly, because I'm not on Facebook, Etc
I think the family newsletters and photos are related to how far away we all live from each other. You can go years without seeing some family members and the pictures are a way to keep up. The newsletters are a little much, but I think people secretly appreciate them, and if they don't they just don't read them.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are both equally important for different reasons. Thanksgiving was proclaimed as a national day of thanksgiving during the height of the American civil war so that everyone can be thankful for what they have at the time. Christmas was an in or out thing during the earliest part of US history until the beginning of the 20th century when it became a fixture.
Oddly it was established as a day of fasting.
@@wwciii: Fast or Feast. I was supposed to be a day to uplift the country's morale by making them be thankful for what they do have all the while death carnage and disease being waged in the back yards everywhere in the height of the US Civil War. That is that we are talking about Thanksgiving.
@@jameshanlon5689 True but Lincolns original proclamation called for a dayof fasting and thansgiving.
@@wwciii: Going back to my original post stating that both holidays are equally important for different reasons.
Thanksgiving well proceeds the War Between States.
While it wasn't universally followed. Many did. Washington was advocate and celebrated it during his presidency. As a matter of fact, Washington considered Thanksgiving to be a Holy day and represented a compact, between God and the people of the United States.
Yes, Lincoln pushed it forward, but was by no means main push.
What a great set of questions! Some of these answers will depend on the family, but I can answer as best I can based on my own family.
I mean... some folks will do ham or turkey more intermixed, but in general, Thanksgiving is associated with Turkey and for Christmas, the Christmas Ham. Growing up, my grandfather actually did Leg of Lamb on Christmas, but a Thanksgiving without a Turkey would be considered odd (for non-vegetarian families).
Yes, Thanksgiving and Christmas feel too close at times. Generally, if your family is many states apart, you would visit different families on Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you live close to together, it is not unusual to drive to one family for Christmas Eve and another on Christmas Day. On average, Christmas Morning tends to be 'immediate' family and then you can go to an extended family get together at brunch or later.
Pickles is definitely not a thing I have ever heard of or ever done. Popcorn was more popular may decades ago (same with tinsel). Most trees will just be lights and ornaments.
Religion is always touchy, but yeah... Christmas is wildly celebrated by non-religious and non-Christian households in the US (not all). There are some people who will go to church just on Christmas - my dad would do a Christmas mass and other than that never was in a church other than weddings and funerals. Myself and most of my broader friend group do not attend any religious get together as part of the holiday. Movies about the "true meaning of Christmas" now don't even tend to have religious messages and are more about just being generous of spirit to each other.
For other religions with holidays around the Christmas time frame, I honestly don't know if they get offended or not - probably depends on the person. Happy Holidays also tends to include New Years, so is a great message for anyone you aren't going to see over those couple of weeks vacation. I have heard of some folk getting offended by Merry Christmas, but have never personally run into that. Yes, it is always "Merry Christmas"... I've never heard Happy Christmas. No idea why.
For Hanukah and Christmas... hard to say. Blue and White decorations and lights have been starting to get a lot more popular.... I have seen a Christmas tree done up in blue and white Hanukah lights.... Was it a Jewish family or not? No idea.
Movies make bringing a date home for Christmas a lot more common than it is, but it does actually happen. Especially if one of the two families is close by and the other is farther... You wouldn't tend to bring a casual date though to Christmas or Thanksgiving. Most families would assume the relationship was serious if they were meeting them at the holiday. A couple nearing engagement might go to one family for Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas. Definitely is a thing, but not as common as Hollywood movies make it appear.
Yes, most kids in terms of Christmas will say "I want".
Getting a card with a family picture isn't considered too odd... From family, it is a lot more normal and liked - a photo to keep of relatives you don't see very often. ( Remember, for someone living on the west coast with family on the east coast, that is a 4-5 hour plane ride away.... over 30 hours of driving ). My realtor sent me a Christmas card with a picture of him and his family. A sister sent a picture of the family dog dressed up and a message from all of them.
Yup, Instagram is definitely going the way of Facebook which is fast on the heels of Myspace and Classmates.
Pantos... not the way you were describing it. We do have some small community theatres that will put on performances around Christmas, but there isn't a set style or story... it wouldn't be unusual to see some version of Frosty the Snowman, trimmed down Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer or for a church group to do a whole birth of Christ thing.
Yes, stockings are typically filled with small gifts and candy. We would always open ours first in the morning. Stockings and under the tree were where all the gifts always went (unless it was something weird - like a bicycle or car ). I am sure some families didn't do stockings, but they are very popular and stores will advertise small items as "Stocking Stuffers". A gift in the bedroom would be weird.
Carol singers don't often go door to door residentially anymore. You will see them in small downtown areas wandering the streets or going to storefronts. But yes, if you are out carolling, especially for a charity or non-profit organization, getting tips wouldn't be odd at all - though also not strictly expected. If you are in high school and just go out with a couple of friends on a lark, you wouldn't really expect anything.
For Thanksgiving - yes, American Football is very, very popular to watch the day of. For movies, the biggest Thanksgiving movie is "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" with John Candy.
Hope that helps!
I've never heard of pickles on Christmas trees!
Honestly, we do both Ham and Turkey for both Christmas and Thanksgiving, but Turkey is the centerpiece for Thanksgiving. As a Mexican American, we have another traditional Christmas food we eat on top of the turkey and ham: tamales. They're made with corn meal, pork, and chili pepper. It's a lot of food but it's to feed a lot of people. Normally when all the families come together for the feast, everyone/family brings a different dish. One family will cook the turkey and another one will bring the ham. Salads, pies, potatoes, cookies, and all the other side/small stuff is divvied up between all the families coming. Plus, we often have a lunch AND a dinner at different places so we can spend our time with both sides of the family, etc.
I think the photos are a left over from years before everyone didn't have a camera or social media. It was a way for friends and family may not have seen you and your family for a long time and wanted to see how kids have grown. Yes we get small gift, candy canes and chocolate in our stockings.
When I was young back in the 70s and 80s, we’d go out caroling as a group of kids, no charity involved, knock on neighbors’ doors, murder a holiday song in glorious disharmony, get their smiles and thanks and occasionally a cookie or treat if they had them available, wish them a Merry Christmas, and then move on. I don’t remember ever getting money-that’s not why we did it. It was just fun! Then after covering most of the block, we’d come back home where Mom had hot chocolate and homemade cookies waiting for us.
Hello Diane! I hide a little green plastic ornament pickle in the Christmas tree. I hide it so well that I offer $20 to the kid who finds it first. It blends in so well that it takes 15-20 min on average for them to find. I’m very sneaky with hiding Easter eggs as well and my kids (27 and 25 years old) still hunt the eggs as a challenge even as adults. It’s a family tradition we started.
There’s a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special as well. The kids have their own dinner including toast,jellybeans, and popcorn
This was the comment I was looking for! 😊 A Peanuts Thanksgiving!! Merry Christmas Eve at 3:57am🎄 ✌🏻
No. We don't want Thanksgiving in March. Football games are part of Thanksgiving. There are no football games in March. But, yes, I do wish Thanksgiving and Christmas were further apart because it Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by Christmas, especially at stores.
Stores wouldn't know what to do with tankfulness and could you imagine how bad a Christmas tree would look if it has to stay up longer than a month or so?
Pickle ornament is a meme.
We don’t need thanksgiving on other months because we have Supeb Owl Sunday in February and Independence Day in July to cover big meal get togethers.
I thought thanksgiving was overshadowed by the football. I haven't had a full conversation with my family members in years on Thanksgiving, since I'm not into football, oh well.
You probably want Friday and Monday farther apart
USFL!!
First, a question for you:
- What are Christmas crackers? I've heard the term, and have no idea!
The answers I actually know (in no particular order):
- The "Christmas and Easter crowd" is a thing at churches in America.
- The pickle ornament shows up randomly across the country. It was never part of my family's traditions, but it's common.
- The Thanksgiving meal has traditionally been turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pies, etc. since at least WWI. Some of the foods were more associated with New England holiday meals, but the Army supply officers happened to be from New England, so that's what they fed the soldiers to keep morale up around the holidays, and it became tradition.
- "Merry Christmas" used to be common in Britain and other English-speaking areas as well. (Dickens used "merry" in "A Christmas Carol".) "Happy" had a somewhat higher class connotation than "merry" in Victorian & Edwardian England. As the royal family adopted "Happy Christmas," the rest of the Empire eventually followed them. Americans aren't influenced much by the British aristocracy (and often revel in being considered "lower" class) so we kept the "Merry."
- I don't know about calling the partner's parents "Mom & Dad", but my mom called my dad's mom "Grandma" before she even met my father. Grandma was well-known in the area and everyone called her Grandma, so Mom just followed.
- Visiting your partner's family at Christmas is usually reserved for a serious relationship - but occasionally it's just a family inviting someone who can't visit their own family for the holiday.
- Family pictures aren't weird to us.
- I've only heard of pantos on British TV shows.
- Stockings are usually stuffed with small treats, like candy and little things. Most presents are left under the tree.
- You don't usually tip carol singers if they're singing for a charity, but I rarely see carol singers who *aren't* singing for charity. Even the ones at the local theme park usually have a bucket for a local charity.
For Christmas crackers, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cracker
Your view on family pictures on Christmas cards really startled me. I chuckled when you described far away as like six hours away, which is considered a short distance to us . Sixteen would be common, it's a Big country. The distances mean we don't get to see each other as often. As such, the portraits we get on the Christmas cards are chronicles of our families as they grow up. They are kept and cherished. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
The distance was usually treated as an excuse for not having to travel in my family, though my aunt and uncle usually came from WV to MD for Thanksgiving
My family did the pickle ornament on the tree when I was a kid, who ever found it got an extra present. Die Hard is a Christmas movie but the one nobody talks about is Lethal Weapon🎄🎄🎄
Both are good Christmas action movies. Like, literally just behind _The Long Kiss Goodnight._
I was born and raised in the US and have lived in the northeast, southeast and the west but I have never seen or heard or a pickle ornament
@@davidbeard2451 I know a lot of other people that haven’t heard of it either. Don’t know what to tell you other than it’s an German-American thing.
About the picture cards, some people would also include an annual letter, bringing people up to date on family events.
My immediate family, being Jewish, only "celebrated" Christmas when we were invited to other family or family friends' homes for Christmas dinner. However, there are a lot of (usually not as religious) Jewish people who have now adopted the tradition of having a tree that they will call a Hanukkah Bush or a Solstice Tree and will decorate with a mix of Hanukkah and Santa-related Christmas decor. You won't find nativity scenes in their homes, though. So in a sense, the holidays have become somewhat blended, especially when, like this year, they overlap with each other.
This. Diane probably doesn't have enough context for this, but it's worth mentioning that Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday that's had its importance emphasized in American culture because it occurs around the same time of year as Christmas. The closest analogy to Catholicism I can come up with is if people started trying to organize fireworks displays for Pentecost just because it's close to American Independence Day. It's Weird, all the same.
Completely agree. Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday but has taken on outsized importance given its proximity to Christmas. Also in many areas with large numbers of non-Christian people, people find other diversions on Christmas Day, e.g. going to Chinese or south Asian restaurants.
@@janhertzberg1797 My family is nonobservant German Jewish, so we had the completely secular American Christmas (the annual present potlatch), with an at-home dinner - standing rib roast, usually. But we followed it up with the American Jewish Christmas classic: We went to a first-run movie, a lot of which opened on Christmas Day.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the US film business was built by Jewish entrepreneurs, who largely ran the studios until about 1980. They knew that they'd have an audience for new movies on Christmas.
Every secular nonobservant Israeli I've ever met (I've met a lot, and I'm related to a lot) has lectured me about the religious unimportance of Chanukah. The reason Chanukah's a biggish deal in the US (and almost nowhere else) is that Christmas is a HUGE deal in the US. Jewish and other non-Christian kids get entranced by the spectacle of Christmas; the parents beef up their various holidays in order to compete for their kids' attention.
Oh, and a note for our host Diane: While the Roman Catholic Church may be the largest religious institution in the US, it does not contain a majority of Americans, nor a majority of religious Americans, nor a majority of Christian believers. The majority of church attenders are still Protestants; self-professed Protestants outnumber self-professed Catholics 2 to 1. They're just divided up into hundreds of different bodies, each of which is smaller than the RCC (Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant group). Most American Christians have never been to Mass, Christmas or otherwise; so not attending Christmas Mass is perfectly normal. Unlike most European countries, we've never had a state church; that's one of the key points of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States
The meet the parents thing can be very real. Christmas also tends to be a several day affair if you have a big family. You'll celebrate Christmas with one side of your family on Christmas Eve, another part of the family Christmas Day, and with friends or more family on the weekend after Christmas Day. There's a lot of variety on what days the celebrating is done.
Some people do the calling their in-laws "mom and dad" thing, some don't.
It’s also the easiest to meet the family too since lots of people take off during the time. It’s not a thing people have to do but if you wanted to meet the in-laws off work is the best time.
Turkey is most traditionally a thanksgiving main dish but is often repeated at Christmas BUT Christmas can find Turkey, Ham, Lasagna, Steak or any number of different main dishes on the table
The choice is often due to ethnic influences and it is not unusual in a large multi family gathering were more than 2 or 3 separate families are present such as multiple siblings with their families to have multiple and or repeating if various main dishes like 2 turkeys each cooked differently as well as a ham or 2 depending on how many families.
Everyone sharing the different main dishes and side dishes in a feast that can cover a table.
Thanksgiving is more food heavy than Christmas but the tables are often similar
“A Christmas Story” movie was our family tradition when my sister and I were teenagers.
The past decade or so I always play the Kitaro New Age album “Ki” every Christmas Eve because it makes the night so cosmic.
Merry Christmas.
We watch that and Miracle on 34th Street, the ultimate Santa story.
I'm a 68 year old man from Colorado USA. To answer some of your questions, start from the understanding that Americans love holidays.
I also have thought that Thanksgiving is a warm up for Christmas. But that's okay because it gives us an extra holiday. 😀
Ham or turkey? No hard and fast rule, but those are the two main choices. But I've also had anything from lasagna to prime rib to barbecue.
Oh and Die Hard IS a Christmas movie.
I used to get candy in my stocking. Santa always put stuff under the tree. Tooth fairy came to the bedroom to put money under the pillow.
I think one aspect of US and Canadian Christmas celebrations that doesn't always come across in Hollywood Christmas movies, is how most cities, or neighborhoods in some larger cities, will have a couple of dominant ethnic groups that mold the local celebrations around their (usually 19th century-vintage) traditions. Usually there are specific civic events as well -- parades or marketplaces or some other kind of special function to promote tourism and shopping during the holiday season. If you go to another American's house for Christmas, even if they're the same religion and ethnicity, you expect to run into at least a couple of very family-specific ethnic traditions that you've never heard of before.
When I was a kid, we often had turkey around the year. A lot of it had to do with the fact that turkey is a cheap meal, and the leftovers can be used for more meals throughout the week. So Mom would roast a turkey, then make sandwiches for us kids for school for the week, then made turkey and dumplings later in the week from the carcass. Which in itself was a multi-day meal.
Dumplings...😋
A simple turkey, salt, and mayo sandwich really does hit the spot sometimes and there are tons of ideas of how to spice up the old turkey sandwich online. I still much prefer the Christmas honey ham though. xD
@@azurepulse1870 I love ham, but I'm not a fan of honey ham. Too sweet. But I have just a regular old ham in the fridge right now waiting to be baked.
Turkey hash anyone or is just my family?
@@sampatton146 We didn't do that, but Mom used to make noodles with turkey and peas in a sort of cream sauce.
(You're not from Sulphur Springs Texas are you? I have relatives there with your last name. If that is your last name.)
We do turkey and ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think it differs per region and family traditions. :)
Thanksgiving is 100% a warmup for Christmas lol!
I think it’s helpful to start the season with a moment of thankfulness
3:00 Turkey at the holidays, before the mass market availability, was often the result of hunting turkeys in the wild. If you did not have success in bagging a bird, you might have to get a ham from the smokehouse. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to give thanks for a bountiful harvest that should carry you through the lean months of winter. You give thanks for the lives and good health of family and friends.
Nowadays, it is a time of family gatherings and traditions. Thanksgiving parades before the customary Christmas shopping season. Football games. Movie nights. A time when enough dinner guests are expected to warrant a full table of several courses.
Thanksgiving has different foods that really only special to thanksgiving - Turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberries, etc. But you’re right that it’s a kick off to the holidays.
The “I Want…” when kids sit on Santa’s lap is because the conversation usually begins with Santa asking the kids “And what would you like for Christmas this year?”
Stockings in my household growing up was filled with candy, gift cards and movies tickets. Usually we “open” them after all the gifts were open.
The pickle is a game that some households play where whoever finds the pickle ornament first gets a gift. It’s usually a small gift for a kid, but in our adult life we’ve been using gag gifts.
Nah, we do green bean casserole throughout the year.
Originally, I think that posed Christmas photos of individual children sitting on Santa's lap became popular after WWII. The department stores set up a North Pole scene for Santa to be photographed with the children & it was inexpensive. It got mothers with their children into the store where they would Christmas shop while they were there. All of the latest toys & merchandise was on display. Additionally, families in the USA can be spread out over thousands of miles & not see each other for yrs. at a time. Young children grow fast & the Santa photo was a way to compare nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. from yr. to yr. This usually took the mother having to write Christmas letters to go along with the photos. The family Christmas photo printed on a Christmas card was an inexpensive way to get out of writing individual letters to family members. It then grew to replace Christmas cards to friends & acquaintances.
Being Irish Catholic, I attend Mass every week. Father Dolan would say at Christmas….”and I’ll see many of you at Easter”. As for Christmas cards, I used to manage a camera store and this one guy would come in to get cards made. He would pose nude with a wreath, stocking etc strategically placed and his wife would take the picture. He thought it was funny! We found that this was wide spread !
😮
I find it funny too, but I've never heard of or seen anyone do that.
I don't usually respond to videos, but I'm going to make an exception for yours😉 The USA is a huge melting pot of ancestry that covers the globe, so traditions concerning the holidays will probably differ more than you might expect. Take the pickle question - strange to many, but according to part of my heritage Father Christmas would hide a pickle in the tree, and the child to find it first on Christmas morning received a special present. This, of course, was in stark contrast to what was waiting for naughty children - Krampus😱 As far as Thanksgiving - it is celebrated when it is because it falls right after the harvest season, and it is meant to give thanks for the bounty one is able to lay on the table. That would not work in March because that is when most planting is just beginning to happen. Also, you can have either turkey, ham, or both really. My family has had both on both occasions, depending on the size of the gathering. Hope this helped or at least made you smile - Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year😉👍🖖
I'll second this. In my family, we sometimes have both turkey and ham for Thanksgiving, and I have never had either for Christmas in nearly half a century of life. Many of us have ethnic and/or regional traditions that our families keep.
Happy Christmas🎅🎄🎁 Happy Friday! I really hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.🎄🎅🎁
Same to you!
Santa meeting children in department stores/malls/parties/etc. have the children lined up to ask what they want, not need. It is expected that parents are doing what they can to provide for needs. We have Christmas songs like "All I Want For Christmas...".
If a child is asked "What would you like for Christmas?" instead of "What do you want for Christmas?', the child will say "I would like..."
Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Thanks for all the wonderful videos this year and hopefully many more next year! ❤️U🎄🇮🇪🇺🇸
"It's a Wonderful Life" is a great Christmas movie.
Editor Diane in a Santa hat surprised it didn’t burst into flames 😂😂Christmas in USA has become a commercial holiday observed by people from many religions, although traditional religious ceremonies still remain.
Stockings hung with care...
Yes, we have an entire category of goods called stocking stuffers.
Small, lightweight goodies like wrapped candies, small toys, gift cards...
The tacks used to fasten the stockings to the mantel do not support significant weight, which makes it a natural place to hide jewelry like rings.
I get small gifts, nuts, fruit and candy in my stocking. It’s the first place people go. It also gives the parents time to get some coffee!
Yes because in some families the children are allowed to open their stockings in the morning before the parents are awakened
Most of the caroling we did was in our neighborhood. No money asked for or received. When we finished, we generally ended up at one of the caroling members house for a party. Cards with our picture were sent out for years. Sometimes, it was the only contact we had with some of the folks. Generally included a recap of the year. Turkey was sometimes served at Thanksgiving, Christmas was often celebrated with Pozole, a hominy, chile, pork soup. That was tradition in our house.
Well, I don't live in a particularly cold part of the USA, but I had to drive and it was (for European people) -17°C and the wind was 32 kph. My car's driver's door was frozen shut and it took me 45 minutes to get out on the road. I had driven, maybe 200 feet and I lost the traction assist and warning lights went on so I'm driving very carefully - like it's an old car. Sometimes I REALLY hate wintertime; but still I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays Diane. I have to limit my internet time so I am happy to just check in now and then. Big year for me. Since my mother passed, I finally got my Christmas tree up for the first time in 5 years.
Diane, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! Die Hard is the best Christmas movie. :-) It's a must see at Christmas time. Turkey is for Thanksgiving, Ham or Turkey is normally for Christmas. No pickles on Christmas trees, never seen that before.
Hello Diane. I watch (and always click like) all of your videos. Im Jewish and live here in the USA. Hanukah is certainly a holiday to itself. Its not connected to christmas although does occur at the same time of year. I'm sure there are many American jews that enjoy the holiday/Christmas season although not in a "religious" sense. I enjoy the overall positive feelings of this time of year. I don't decorate but enjoy the decorations in stores and houses. For me its a bit cultural part of being American. This was a good question on your part. You are a very insightful woman :)
Growing up, my sister and my stocking was filled with sweets. Things like a Jolly Rancher "story book", Christmas themed Pez dispensers, little things like silly putty. They are referred to as "stocking stuffers".
TBH, I'm 37 and my mother still does this for me lol, but for the last decade or so its more been a shopping bag full of candy
Thanksgiving vs. Christmas meals... For most people I know in the US, Thanksgiving is typically always turkey and/or ham with all the trimmings. But Christmas meals are special to the families, and sometimes it might be turkey or ham, but most of the time it is something different and unique to each family. Our family does a seafood boil. My husband's family usually did a lasagna.
I have to admit, I'd never heard of the pickle thing until watching another video about the differences between Christmas in the UK and the USA. And we'd usually have turkey and ham for Thanksgiving, turkey for most people and ham for those (like me) who don't really care for turkey lol. Then we'd have ham (country ham for my parents) for Christmas, with biscuits and grits and eggs and bacon. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't particularly feel odd celebrating Christmas, as I focus on the pagan elements of it, as well as the acts of giving and sharing and love, rather than the Christian elements. And yes, we did get some things in our stockings, usually smaller, less expensive things.
Happy Christmas, Diane! Another voice chiming in with info - Thanksgiving started out as mostly religious. The Pilgrims came over and when they had a good harvest year, would celebrate by giving thanks in Church for the bulk of the day. Then they would feast after the services. So it was essentially meant to thank God for the good harvest, and became something else. It's mostly secular now.
As for Christmas and other holidays, there are definitely religious folks who are all about the "reason for the season" but generally, Christmas is also secular and has become about family and loved ones. Yep, we definitely have Jewish or Muslim friends who "celebrate" Christmas but just not the religious version. Or you have families with mixed faiths, that DO celebrate the holidays in the religious manner.
I also love getting pics of family for Christmas. It might be because I'm older, but pictures are a great way to see how the kids are growing, etc.
There is one special Thanksgiving movie. It’s called “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and the late John Candy. It’s hilarious with a Thanksgiving ending and I watch it every year.
What about Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving?
Here's my answers to Diane's question! I only have experience with traditions from Michigan, so I can't speak for the rest of the country. And my family's traditions might be vastly different to my next-door neighbors. There are so many cultures here, and everything is different from house to house!
1. Each family has their own traditions when it comes to food. The ones I know have turkey and ham interchangeably. They could have turkey for thanksgiving one year and ham for Christmas, or vice versa. (I don't eat pork anyways, so I usually just eat more sides on Ham days.)
2. Thanksgiving is a harvest holiday, so it has to be in the fall. I think the Canadians have theirs like 2 weeks before Halloween, while us Americans have ours at the end of November. The American Thanksgiving does have the whole pilgrim thing, but most of us don't really participate in that part of the celebration. It's just another harvest holiday now where family get together.
3. Traveling for holidays doesn't really happen in my family. Thanksgiving and Christmas are for the more local family members, and then we have a yearly family reunion where the out of state family can get together. It's different for other families.
4. Pickles on Christmas trees are not a thing where I'm from. I've never even heard of it until the memes. I think it's a German immigrant thing? I'm not sure.
5. I am an Agnostic and my family is Christian. The only thing my family does that I don't is pray before a meal. I still say Merry Christmas to people because the holiday is so commercialized that it really has no religious connotations anymore. I've been implementing more Yule celebrations because that's where Christmas originated from. Let's be honest, most of the celebrations around that time of year are merging more and more. I'm not mad about it; I'm learning new things about the world and other people because of it.
6. I do not go to mass for the reasons I stated above. I think I have like twice in my life, back when I was still a Christian, but now no.
7. I have no idea where Merry Christmas comes from, I just say it. It sounds weird to say Happy Christmas. It's uncomfortable.
8. My cousins would bring their new girlfriends to my Grandparents house for Christmas. I thought it was weird because they are introducing someone to the family that wasn't going to be there for the next holiday. I would never, unless the relationship was serious. I wouldn't call someone else's parents mom and dad, that's just weird.
9. I've heard both 'I want' and 'I would like' from children. Not every child has developed manners, and to some, that's just a way of communicating and it makes sense to them.
10. Yes, it's weird to send pictures of your family to people for Christmas. It's also annoying.
11. I have never heard of Pantos. No idea what it is.
12. Yes stockings are used. People buy stocking stuffers for them (little things) so we have more to open. And Santa leaves presents under the tree, not by the bed. That would be creepy.
13. I haven't seen a caroler since I was a kid. I did it twice when I was in my church choir, but other than that, I've never seen them again. You don't tip them; you give money to their charity that they are singing for.
14. We have a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie, and then whatever movies people may make as their own tradition. And yes, sports, mostly football.
Hopefully this gives some insight to a Michigander family's Christmas traditions! Merry Christmas!!
For our family
Thanksgiving = Turkey
Christmas = Prime Rib Roast
Easter = Ham
We also have different side dishes for each holiday.
For what it’s worth, I was an usher at my church for many years. We would get 500-600 folks on regular Sunday worship, but 4,000 or so on Christmas.
My feeling is that, for a lot of people, going to church at Christmas is just something you do, even if you’re not particularly religious.
Pickles are good on most foods. Oranaments idea is to find a oranament that unique. I actually have some best maid brand pickle beer. it goes good with christmas dinner and thanksgiving dinner. I have watched nations lampoons christmas vacation for many of years. Christmas always has football too airing on the tv networks.
Plus apparently the pickle ornament is hidden on the tree & whomever finds it gets a little present
Sounds great! 🌲to🎄
@@DianeJennings Fried pickles in breading with ranch dressing is so good. Some really interesting ornaments are movies ornaments, foods, pets, gadgets with tiny screens, almost anything you can think of. girlfriend/boyfriend meeting parents usually depends on the couple. movies add for more entertainment. Turkey and Ham is what I like for Christmas. some in Americans make roast but the majority turkey and ham. Merry Christmas Eve Eve Glad Chewie's getting his presents wrapped. 🎄🎁🦃
@@kimsparks5811 I did not know that about the pickle ornament. that's cool.
I would say that, overall, stockings are used for either candy (usually not gift wrapped) or presents so small that they might be lost or stepped on as the gifts under the tree are attacked by frantic kids. And adults.
The way I differentiate the big three end of year holidays is this; Thanksgiving is for the entire family, Christmas is more for children, and New Year’s Eve is for the adults. Many times families will spend one holiday with the mother’s side and the other with the fathers family. Other times, people will work over one holiday to get the other ones free. This is more of an issue since we often live so far from each other. The pickle is a goofy tradition that was supposed to come from Germany, it doesn’t. Santa might drop off presents in the bedroom, but usually they’re placed under the tree.
Turkey for Thanksgiving. Ham and Kielbasa for Christmas. Depending on how far away relatives are, you either travel for both or just for Christmas. I know many Jewish friends and relatives that celebrate Christmas and Chanukah. I have gone to mall to get my kid (and dog!) picture with Santa. I think the pickle thing is to keep cats from the tree. TH-cam cats freak out over pickles. So many questions, Diane. Which is a good thing!
Posed holiday cards are kind of the norm now. I find it interesting to see people's families change over the years.
Yep. Usually they are nice when they are old friends you dont see anymore. You see the family growing and changing.
I’m American and find it really bizarre when I hear “happy” Christmas. I’m from suburban New York and I’m happy to say happy holidays as it is more inclusive. Unless I know for sure that someone celebrates Christmas then I would say happy holidays (which includes the whole season including New Year’s).
Great video as always Diane! Wishing you continued success for your channel in 2023 and beyond! Happy Holidays to you and yours Diane! 🎉🎁⛄🎄🙏♥️😎
Thank you so much!
@@DianeJennings You're very welcome Diane! Much love and blessings to you always! 🙏♥️😎🎁🎉🎄⛄
I've never heard of pantos/pantomimes like that before.
Stockings can be just decorations, but sometimes people will put small gifts in them: money, candy, etc. We did the stockings as kids, but as adults, none of us use them anymore and just use those things either as the main gift or part of the main gift. Gift cards in the Christmas card, candy cane(s) taped to the top of the present, or in the gift bag if it's not a wrapped box gift.
Thanksgiving is sometimes called turkey day (I don't care for that term). The pickle on the Christmas tree is actually a German heritage thing - as the tree is itself. Not all Americans do the pickle by far.
No, panto isn't a thing in the US. Not even a little. The closest we might have would be a Nativity play.
The stocking thing is very regional - as in it never happens where I grew up, but there are places in my same state where it is absolutely expected.
German channels generally have no idea where the pickle tradition comes from, but it's not really a German thing.
@@joegoss30 I can't claim any special knowledge, just that friends who are all about their German ancestry always make a big deal about it (my own ancestry is mainly Welsh, but nobody brought up randomly bursting into multi-part harmony throughout the Christmas season).
No its not a real German tradition
We germans find this weird and never have done such thing
Only Americans claiming german heritage (in 13th generation) but actually have absolutely no clue about german culture being gullible enough to believe every bullshit some other Americans have made up
so let a real German tell you, hiding pickles in the Christmas tree is not a german tradition and every year there are reports on German TV which make fun of Americans believing that
We have generally turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas. If the gathering is large, however, some families have both. Also, if a family doesn't like one of the meats, they could have turkey for both dinners or ham for both dinners. I also know some families don't eat either and have had pizza or lasagna for either of the meals. I am writing from the Midwest great lakes region.
In our family we did indeed get presents in the stockings. My parents lived through the Great Depression, and so the tradition of filling the stockings with oranges, nuts and candy was big, as those things were too expensive to have just any time. More substantial presents were under the tree.
We did that in my family too. Though the concept of a "Christmas stocking" as such was something we didn't do. We just used socks.
@@CCoburn3 We added one fore the dog full of Milkbones.
@@OldMan_PJ Yes! Do you remember those hard candies with soft centers Grandma always had? There were the ones molded like raspberries with a bit of grainy raspberry jelly inside, and the stick shaped ones with peanut butter inside.
I still get dewy-eyed when I remember finding an orange at the toe of my stocking every year.
@@bierce716 I just saw those molded round ones with the raspberry the other day and felt a kick of nostalgia!
Merry Christmas to you!
1.Turkey for Thanksgiving, Ham for Christmas
2. Having the two holidays so close together usually allows people to visit both sides of their family, Mom's side gets one and Dad's side gets the other.
3. It comes from German-Americans, hiding a pickle-shaped ornament on the tree the kid that finds it gets an extra present or first present or something.
4.I am Christian so I don't know, but there is a big push to make it about "The Holiday season" in general - commercially at least.
5. There are a lot of "Easter and Christmas" only church attenders in America too.
6. I don't know why we say "Merry" I do know that "The Night Before Christmas" poem still says "Happy Christmas" though.
7. "I would like" is what I was taught to say but a lot of people say "I want."
8. Family photos depend on the family. Some relatives do the professional thing, some don't. As long as I'm not expected to do a fancy photo in return I don't care.
9. We don't really have pantos. The closest thing would be local churches putting on Christmas skits/plays that might contain elements of "pantos" before ending the evening with a Nativity play, but most Americans just go see the Nutcracker ballet or a theater production of A Christmas Carol if they want live holiday entertainment.
10. Santa always put stuff under the tree for me. And yes, Santa puts stuff in stocking, but it's usually the chocolate and sweets, unless Santa is being extra sneaky because stockings are the last thing your family opens and Santa put that Barbie you really wanted in there.
11. I've never tipped carolers, usually just given to their charity. You should always carry some extra cash around for the holiday charities in general, like those poor Salvation Army bell ringers who stand in front of the supermarket in the cold for hours.
12. Can't think of any Thanksgiving films that are actually about Thanksgiving itself beyond Charlie Brown. On Thanksgiving itself we watch the Macy's Parade and then football. The day after Thanksgiving school kids have off that Friday and they would always air The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins on TV.
I believe the pickle 🥒 on the Christmas tree 🎄 is actually a German tradition that just got picked up by some people here in the states.
There is some dispute over this. Feli From Germany has said this isn't true.
The part of my family from Germany says it’s a thing. The commenter below says a different German person says it isn’t. Now I’m confused and can’t call to check because it’s the middle of the night over there right now.
As an Irish American never heard about the pickle thing but always have turkey and of course potatoes.
I don't know about pickles ON the tree, but I've heard of families where people get pickled around the tree. It probably happens in Ireland pretty often.
My wife is German American, she brought the pickle tradition to our family from hers.
1. Christmas & Easter Christians or C&Es.
2. At our home, turkey is prepared for Thanksgiving, and sauerbraten, turkey, or roast beef for Christmas. (My father-in-law's family moved to California from Germany before WW II.) We also have crackers (British) at Christmas.
3. Driving to court one Christmas eve, I noticed a long line of people at a Carcinaria in Santa Ana getting tamales or the fixings for tamales.
This is the first time I ever heard of the pickle on a tree thing, but I grew up in a Mexican family. Every culture has their own take on the holiday's. While Turkey is always served on Thanksgiving. For Christmas what is for dinner is different based on the family. Hell, we had Tamales, beans, rice, and salsa one year. Yes, there are a lot of C and E Catholics at the church I attend. You can't find a seat on Christmas, or Easter, but any other Church Day there is plenty of seating.
And those people probably believe they are Christians. I suspect that many, if not most of them, don't even think of God more than twice a year.
So many questions! No, don't move Thanksgiving. It belongs with football. Thanksgiving dinner we have turkey and ham; Christmas dinner varies. This year it's tri-tip (a California cut of beef). I still don't understand what a panto is. Yes, Santa fills our stockings by the fireplace or under the tree, but he'll never come into the bedroom. Happy/Merry Christmas!
Generally speaking: Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey and Christmas dinner includes ham, but this can vary from family to family and year to year. When I was a kid, Christmas dinner at my grandparents' house centered on roast beef (which we called "roast beast"), and always included mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and green bean casserole (and ham was served at Easter dinner).
Pickles on the Christmas tree? Not in my family, or any friends' family tradition, as far as I know.
Stockings in my household definitely get filled. (Our family tradition is to empty stockings before opening gifts.) Presents go under the tree (sometimes sprawling out to either side...not this year, though). "Santa" has hidden larger unwrapped gifts (like a bike) in another room from the tree before, like in the kitchen, but not in the kids' bedrooms ever (but I can't help but peek at the them before I fall into bed on Christmas Eve (typically around 2-2:30am, once everything is ready for the kids in the morning...my kids don't even believe in Santa, but I still try to make Christmas morning seem magical).
I grew up Roman Catholic, and my family attended Mass at midnight of Christmas Eve every year. Midnight Mass was our tradition, rather than going to Mass on Christmas Day. (Now as head of a non-denominational Christian family, I realize that my kids have never had a similar church Christmas experience).
If I remember correctly, we usually had roast beef at Christmas, but the meal wasn't as "special" a meal as Thanksgiving (and we ate roast beef fairly often for regular Sunday dinners.)
Diane, Die Hard is ABSOLUTELY a Christmas movie. Maybe not the best one but top ten certainly.
The best Christmas movies are as follows:
Die Hard.
It's a Wonderful Life.
Miracle on 34th Street.
Happy Merry Jingle Day Diane! Back in the day, most people owned horses and only the rich had cars.
Now, most people have cars and only the rich have horses.
That's right, the stables have turned.
😂😂😂
Alexander the Great has competition in the jokes department. The ball is now in The Great's court.
Woka Woka Woka🤣
Thanks for all the entertaining reactions. Have a very Merry Christmas. 🎄🎄 🎅 🎅
Family Christmas photos are actually a pretty huge thing, even still today. My family didn't do it, but we always received at least one card that was somebody's family photo. It isn't any weirder to us than those people that call and talk to their mom every week even as an adult. It is strange to me, and I would never do it, but it happens enough that it is kinda normal. Another example. We always knew somebody that would bake a huge number of Christmas cookies and send them to everybody they know. That seems weird to me, but it happens enough that it is almost normal.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is considered a Thanksgiving movie, very funny with Steve Martin and John Candy.
That’s a lot of questions in one go, I’ll answer a few I remember.
Thanksgiving is Turkey, Christmas is either Turkey or Ham but not both. (Though in recent years for Christmas we’ve changed to just heavy snacking all day long and then a small meal - works better for us)
Thanksgiving and Christmas are like the main “tent poles” of the holiday season- starting with Halloween and ending with New Years. Though in my family Christmas Eve was always a bigger deal, but that’s not the American norm.
I’ve always viewed that there’s a distinction between Christian Religious Christmas and Secular Christmas- just like there’s other religions holidays around the same time frame. My step mom has incorporated a few elements of religious Christmas into our celebration (ie a manger scene on the bureau, an “angel” as a tree topper) but other than that I do not celebrate Christian Christmas anymore than I celebrate Haunaka (sp?) or any of the other religious holidays around that time frame because I’m not part of any of those religions. I’ve only ever been to one “Christmas Mass” and that was only because it was a rare year when we were visiting my grandfather and he wanted to go (my grandmother had apparently used to drag him to it, and he was surprised to find he missed it after she passed but he had never wanted to go on his own so I agreed to go with him that year).
Christmas stockings do get assorted small gifts put in them, and they are the emptied before the presents proper get opened. It’s usually candies, and chocolate items or snack items, maybe some cutesy or fun little item or two, maybe a gift card, maybe a small figurine or plushy animal- usually everything inside is unwrapped with maybe one wrapped (but tagless or ‘from Santa’) exception. The story for the children is that if you’ve been bad/naughty over the prior year you’ll wind up getting no presents and just a lump of coal inside your stocking.
Santa in the bedroom sounds like the start of a horror movie!
I only recently heard about the pickle thing, so it’s not everywhere. Even after your explanation I still don’t understand the “panto” thing, so that’s a no. The only Thanksgiving movie I can think of is “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” - and it could work just as well as a Christmas movie really (I view it as more of a generic “holiday movie”).
The “holiday newsletter” used to be a great way to get updated on the extended family (especially since we always lived so far away from the rest of the family). But they are so hard to write that I’ve always felt bad that I never have managed to send one out, and in return over the years we likewise receive fewer and fewer ones.
I remember you had several more questions but I’ve since forgotten what they were.
My aunt used to send out a hilarious parody of a Christmas family newsletter, and I still remember some of the jokes fondly. Like, after saying that things are improving financially, "There may be a new mattress pad in our future!"
Caroling is typically done for free with no expectation of tips, and it’s usually done by church groups.
There are Thanksgiving movies and music, and it’s super important to me to give Thanksgiving a lot of focus before celebrating Christmas at all.
My parents never allowed us to say "I want" as a standard behavior, like in stores and such. Once a year before Christmas we had what they called "Iwanna" night where we could tell them everything we wanted for Christmas! Not a standard American thing though!
I'm in Tennessee and were already getting our local Wal Mart stocking up for Valentine's Day. And what my mom and grandma did for a long time with our turkey we would put on what we call glaze on top of it just to give it some more flavor. But with our glaze they would make it with a glass cup of brown sugar mixed with Coca-Cola.
The biggest reason we don’t do BOTH turkey and ham for Christmas (ignoring the amount of time it takes to prepare just ONE, nevermind BOTH) is that we usually have a huge amount of leftover food as it is; we would end up with even more food to freeze or just throw away!
only so much room in the oven, too
And let's not even talk about the expense. Or the time it would take to cook both.
Also I think a lot of families do turkey for thanksgiving and don’t want it again on Christmas.
A lot of people where I grew up had an Easter ham, a Thanksgiving turkey, and a Christmas goose. The goose would be obtained during hunting season.
Yeah I'm surprised that European have both a 18 pound turkey and an 18 pound ham
When I was young we gathered at my aunt's house after getting presents under the tree from Santa. Never saw pickles on a tree. We usually had either turkey or roast beef for dinner. Now I see people eat ham. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
"I want" is totally normal for a Christmas wish. Especially since it's usually in response to being asked, "what do you want for Xmas?" What else would you expect as an answer, when you've directly set them up with a "what do you WANT?" The obvious response form is, "I want..."
Family pictures for Xmas are nice. They usually go on the fridge. If they're part of my extended family or close friends, they might get a frame. Of course, they're less important these days, with everyone on social media, but it wasn't so long ago that the Xmas picture was your chance to see how your distant friends and relatives have changed over the past year and what they look like now.
Panto? We don't have that word. I had to look it up. Pantomime? To me that means acting something out without sound. But I think you mean a PLAY. Yes, we have plays, all sorts and levels of plays.
I don't get why you'd hang up stockings and then not use them. Weird. But I understand you use sacks instead. We get our stocking filled with small candies and presents, usually an orange in the toe. A little different in each family, of course. They don't go on the bedrooms, generally, no, and we don't do sacks. (At Easter, though, we do have Easter baskets in the bedrooms, and then an Easter egg hunt in the house or the yard, depending on weather.) Our stockings are always too heavy to hang once full, so we've always had the stockings be found propped up on small piles of wrapped presents from Santa. Our stockings have names on, so each person can come in to the living room on Xmas morning and find their own presents and stocking. The kids were allowed to get into the stocking when they woke up but had to wait for everyone to gather before opening presents. They would each get one or two main things from Santa, and the rest would be from parents under the tree (and most of the gifts would have been gathering under the tree throughout the weeks before Xmas). My parents learned that lesson early on, one Xmas when the kids got a ton of stuff from Santa, but when asked what they got from Mom and Dad, we couldn't think of anything! After that, the practice has always wisely, been to limit Santa's gifts to a few surprises -- probably including the one thing the kid wanted most.
Yeah, I'm really confused with the outrage over using I want, anyone who would assault someone else for the use of words has real anger issues and should be in prison.
@@W_R_L_L_ I'm in the UK and just as confused by the I want. The list to Father Christmas was always write what you want. As well as being asked what do you want.
Turkey on Thanksgiving, lots of different things on Christmas, turkey, or roast, or ham, or even things like goose! My family actually now does pasta with tomato sauce, meatballs, and sausage - an Italian/American version of a holiday meal. And for New Years usually ham.
A pickle on the Christmas tree is actually a German tradition. It is usually well hidden. The child that finds the pickle first, gets to open their presents first.
I never knew this.
Hey Diane!! Can't really go by us because we are from Ireland (born and raised) but we do both ham and
turkey for both Christmas and Thanksgiving. Jaysus I haven't seen a panto since leaving Ireland! I really
wish they were a thing over here!
Keep up the great work and stay safe!
Excelsior!
Heff
I learned once the difference between Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas has to do with alcohol consumption. The church of England was trying to crack down on excessive drinking for a pious religious holiday so deemed it more appropriate to say happy. Merry is linked to drinking apparently.
My family has a pickle on the Christmas tree. The person who finds it gets an extra gift. We have been told it's a German tradition.
Soak the ham in American Honey, or add it to the turkey the ham soaks in; pineapple goes well with the mix. Marinate and Bake, or halfway smoke and half-bake it for a decent compromise. Happy Christmas and Merry New Year's day ✨
Large gatherings at Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's Day serve turkey or both. Small gatherings serve ham. There are stores that specialize in selling ham. You can order a specific size to serve your party in smoked, honey baked, or brown sugar glazed. Bone in or boneless. Spiral cut or not sliced. A small party might also serve just a baked or deep fried turkey breast.
I think the relationship thing is mostly in movies. The implication is that they live far from the parents, so they've had their independent life for the past year, including a new relationship, and the parents never met the significant other until they make the long trip to visit for the holiday.
Conceptually, it goes along with the idea you mentioned of everyone being so far apart. If you're getting married, decisions will have to be made every year about whose family to visit for which holiday. "We'll visit your folks for Christmas this year, but my folks for Thanksgiving, and next year, we'll switch" (or something like that).
Because of that, it's seen as a big step. Usually something after getting engaged or when an engagement is impending.
Popcorn does have an aesthetic, but it is also a tradition, which is actually also kind of connected to thanksgiving, because popcorn was one of the foods the Native Americans taught the pilgrims how to grow/cook, at least that is what we were taught in school
Another difference we have is; like the UK Boxing Day is a holiday in Canada, but not in the US. Normally a day to relax and unwind after Christmas Day. Enjoy your gifts, stuff yourselves with leftovers, watch sports or Christmas movies….visit with friends or family that you didn’t get to see on Christmas Eve or Day. For bargain hunters there are the Boxing Day Sales which are similar to the US Black Friday sales.
Turkey is a staple for Thanksgiving but Christmas is more flexible; we had tamales for Christmas dinner last year.
the stocking thing is real in our family, usually candy, nuts, and small gifts which tides the kids over until the parents are up and functioning.
Santa at the foot of the bed sounds almost as terrifying as the tooth fairy reaching under your pillow while you sleep. Santa only made it as far as the tree in our house.
I'm 58. Both sets of grandparents lived 15 minutes apart. Xmas Eve at one then xmas day at the other. My dad's mom made all of us kids(6) Xmas stockings. I still have mine and I lay it out for xmas. I wound get in it a few candies and a box of .22 bullets. 😭miss being a kid. Miss the grandparents.❤️