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
