Common Christmas and Hanukkah traditions

Christmas:

Giving gifts to family and friends, and opening them either at midnight or in the morning.

Hanging Christmas lights (often red and green) around the house.

Installing a Christmas tree, and decorating it.

Santa Claus gives gifts to good children worldwide.

Leaving Santa cookies and milk .

Attending Mass on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas day.

Eating a family meal of ham, turkey or other “holiday” foods.

Drinking eggnog.

Kissing under the mistletoe, which is a type of plant that is hung from walls as a decoration.

Hanukkah:

Lighting one candle from the Menorah every night, and saying a prayer.

Singing songs about the holiday.

Eating a large family dinner.

Playing games that involve spinning a dreidel, which is a top with four sides.

Eating greasy foods like potato latkes and oil doughnuts, to celebrate the miraculous oil.

Giving gelt (translation: money) to young children, either actual money or chocolate wrapped to look like a coin.

Retelling stories about the holiday.

Information gathered from Julye Bidmead, professor of Religious Studies at Chapman and www.allthingschristmas.com

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