21. Customs and Traditions

I want to start my paper with the greatest and the best
holiday of all, with the Christmas.
Firstly the definiton from an encyclopedia: Christmas is the Christian holiday to the memory of birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th, which was established in 4th century.
Now I will decribe Christmas holiday in the U.S.A. but in the Great Britain it is almost the same. British give the presents to each other on the December 25th in the morning before the breakfast. At noon they have a traditional Christmas dinner – turkey and pudding.
So now about Americans and Christmas holiday. For some Americans Christmas is a religious holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, for others it is a time of Santa Claus and the giving and receiving of gifts. And some Americans do not celebrate Christmas at all for personal, cultural or religious reasons.
Christmas season includes also New Year’s Day on January 1st, ends on January 6th, the day of the Epiphany when three wise men presented their gifts to the baby Jesus.
The Christmas shopping season begins very soon, in the U.S.A. it is on Friday after Thanksgiving. On this day shoppers begin th elong process of buying gifts for family members and dear friends.
The traditional Christmas dinner, that is served on Christmas day, can include roast turkey with a chesnut dressing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, gravy and assorted vegetables. For
dessert one can eat plum pudding or pumpkin pie. A traditional Christmas drink is eggnog – a blend of cream, egg, milk and nutmig – with a shot of brandy, rum or whiskey.
Songs and music of the Christmas season fill the air. Probably the most popular religious Christmas song is „Silent Night“.
Many people at Christmas time send postcards wishing holiday greetings to family and friends. Some of the cards have pictures of Santa Claus bearing gifts, or winter seenes, and of the Holy Family. Christmas wishes are universal and can be used by friends of all nations. Christmas trees are an important part of the season in America. Freshly-cut Christmas trees are usually pines or firs. A family travels to the woods and then searches for their tree. The tree is cut and brought home for decorations. Colorful lights, bright ornaments and candy canes decorate trees. American also decorate the outside of their houses.
Christmas traditions depend on nationalities living in the area. A more common Christmas tradition in the United States is the hanging of the misletoe. A spring of misletoe is hung in doorway or on a light fixture. If a young girl or woman stands beneath the misletoe she can be bissed.