You know that feeling when something you really look forward to is almost here? Well that’s how I feel about Christmas! I love all of the activities, festivities, and traditions that take place around Christmas time! There’s so much to do in the days leading up to Christmas as well as on Christmas! There is also a lot to learn about this exciting holiday!
One of my favorite things to do during Christmas is to buy and decorate a Christmas tree. I love picking out the perfect tree! Although I don’t go all the time and sometimes get a fake tree, it is still really fun getting to pick one out. Once the tree is picked out, my family and I often turn on some Christmas music and start decorating the tree. This is one of the best parts of Christmas, from making sure that you have your tree to perfecting your star. This sure is a great way to get your Christmas cheer on!
I also enjoy going out in the snow. I just love being outside in the snow, whether that means real snow or fake snow. There are a lot of things to do when you go out on that big white blanket. You can go snowboarding, sledding, snow tubing, build a snowman, skiing, and more. My personal favorite activities to do in the snow are skiing and snow tubing. I have done both before and I would definitely recommend these two to anyone who has never actually been out and about in the snow. This is a fun and enjoyable way of getting out of your house!
The food part of Christmas is one I look forward to every single year. I enjoy making gingerbread houses because they are a way for me to show and express my creativity. I also love to drink hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is the best drink for the holidays if you want a warm and cozy feeling, especially after being out in the snow. Sugar cookies are pretty great too! They are often soft and have icing covered on one side. Sugar cookies can even come in incredible designs. Another highlight of Christmas foods/treats is candy canes. Candy canes are like the lollipops of Christmas. Honestly anything peppermint flavored is usually a big hit during Christmas time. Oh and how could I forget, it isn’t Christmas without some delicious cookies and milk.
Another great thing to do during this time is to turn on some Christmas carols/songs and get singing. There are so many great Christmas songs to listen to! Some of my personal favorite songs/carols are “All I Want For Christmas is You”, “Sleigh Ride”, “Jingle Bells”, “Deck The Halls”, and “Twelve Days Of Christmas”. These are just a few songs out of the many amazing ones. Other Christmas songs/carols include “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”, “Let it Snow”, “Frosty The Snowman”, “Last Christmas”, “Santa Tell Me”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “Rockin Around The Christmas Tree”, “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer”, “O Christmas Tree”, “Run Rudolph Run”, “You’re a Mean One Mr.Grinch”, and many more. I would also highly recommend them if you want to get your Christmas spirit on!
Not only are there great Christmas songs, but Christmas is also filled with great entertainment. By this I mean movies. Movies always help get into Christmas. I mean, if I’m being honest, Christmas isn’t complete without watching a movie like The Grinch and more. There are so many great movie like Elf, Polar Express, Christmas Chronicles, The Grinch, A Boy Called Christmas, Family Switch, Jingle Jangle, Scrooge, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Home Alone 3 , Home Alone 4 , The Naughty Nine, and Klaus. This year, there are also some new movies that are getting Christmas fans excited. Some of these movies include That Christmas, A Sudden Case of Christmas, SuperKlaus, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, An Almost Christmas Story, and more.
I know that most of this isn’t known to anyone, so let me tell you some things you may have never heard about before. Did you know that Alabama was the first state in the U.S. to make Christmas an official holiday in 1836? Not only that, but did you know that Christmas trees have been sold here in the U.S. since 1850? Speaking of Christmas trees, there was a world record for the tallest Christmas tree in the world. This record was set by Northgate Shopping Center in 1950 here in the United States. The height reached was 212 feet tall. It is crazy to think that back then, they had celebrated Christmas.
As most people know, this holiday is celebrated all around the world. Christmas is popular and celebrated in over 90 countries in the world. Some of these countries include France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Austria, England, Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, South Africa, Armenia, Belgium, Canada, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, and of course the U.S.A. These countries usually have different ways of celebrating Christmas. In Japan, Christmas is celebrated by eating KFC. If you think that is crazy, then you won’t believe how Christmas is celebrated in Australia. In Australia, Christmas is celebrated by attending beach barbecues, cricket matches, and festive picnics. Not only that, but Santa is also said to have a surfboard instead of a sleigh in Australia. This is because it doesn’t snow in Australia and is usually warm year round.
A huge part of Christmas is Santa Claus. The huge man dressed in red is a very popular guy who all young children and some adults look forward to. It is said that he comes to people’s houses the night before Christmas and leaves them some presents to open on Christmas morning. While at your house, Santa will often finish the cookies and milk you leave out for him. I know you may be worrying about how Santa gets to all little kids’ houses. This is done with a pinch of Christmas magic and mostly with his reindeer. I’m sure you know or have heard of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph. All of these reindeer are what makes Santa’s trip to our houses possible.
Of course, if I’m going to talk about everything leading up to Christmas, I must talk about the two days that this article is written for…Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, many people (especially kids) go to bed early so that Santa can deliver gifts to their homes. On this day, kids often leave some cookies, milk, and sometimes carrots. The cookies and milk are like an energy source for Santa that he needs to use in order to make sure that all kids who celebrate Christmas have some presents. The carrots are the reindeers’ energy source. On Christmas morning, many people wake up and go down towards their Christmas tree. They gather around with their family and begin to unbox all of their presents.
After reading all of this so far, you may be wondering what my family and I do. My family and I often go to family friend’s houses during the week of Christmas. We all get together and have a great time. We usually also go to someone’s house on Christmas Eve. However, we don’t stay too long because if we do, my sister gets worried about Santa coming to my house. When we come home, we lay out the treats for Santa and his crew and go off to bed. Once we wake up on Christmas morning, my family and I make a warm breakfast and some hot chocolate. Then, we gather around the tree and start opening our gifts.
There’s so much more I love about Christmas! Getting presents and being with people you care about is always something that I will truly enjoy. I would recommend that you try everything I have written about. After all……”It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” and the things that I have written about are a great way to start it off. Christmas is one of the best holidays ever!! I love it so much because……it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
