Christmas is one of the major holidays celebrated in the United States in late December. Traditions include decorating Christmas trees and homes, exchanging gifts, attending religious services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and spending time with family and friends. On Christmas Eve, some people attend Midnight Mass and prepare for Santa's arrival by baking cookies and writing letters. On Christmas Day, people open presents, have Christmas dinner, participate in winter activities like ice skating, and celebrate Jesus' birth. New Year's Eve is celebrated with parties to watch the ball drop in New York City's Times Square, while New Year's Day is a federal holiday spent resting or with more celebrations.

1. Christmas in the USA

2. What holidays do people celebrate in the United States?
● Christmas
● Hanukkah
● Kwanzaa
● New Years

3. Christmas Eve
● December 24th
● Midnight Mass

4. Traditions
● Dinner with family
● Decorate the house, tree, yard, etc.
● Watch Christmas movies (Rudolph)
● Prepare/wait for Santa Claus

6. How to prepare for Santa Claus:
1. Go to the mall and see him (or write him a letter)
2. He will decide if you’ve been naughty or nice
3. Turn off the fireplace
4. Bake him cookies and milk
5. Go to sleep!

7. Christmas Day
● December 25th
● Christian Holiday
● Federal Holiday too
● Day to remember the birth of Jesus and the events around it

8. Traditions
● See if Santa came
● Open presents
● Spend the day with family
● Have a big dinner (similar to Thanksgiving)
● Go ice skating
● Go skiing
● Go to ugly sweater parties
● Go to a play (The Nutcracker)
● Go to a parade (if your town has one)
● White elephant parties
● Bake Christmas cookies

9. Christmas Vocab
Lump of coal
Nutcracker
Gingerbread
Presents
Sleigh
Ice Skating
Christmas Carols
Christmas Tree
Reindeer
Santa Claus
Snowflake
Snowman
Ornament
Eggnog

10. New Year’s Eve
● December 31st
● Parties
● Watch the ball drop in New York

11. New Year’s Day
● January 1st
● Federal Holiday
● No school or work
● Rest

12. Christmas Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmgf60CI_ks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4a9CKgLprQ