In America, celebrations are louder and more colorful than in Switzerland. The shopping frenzy begins as early as November, people outdo each other with inflatable, neon-lit decorations in front of the house, and in the Advent season, thousands of drunken Santa Clauses stagger through the city streets.
This year’s SantaCon move in New York on December 10th.
In the USA, the Christmas season begins in November. Usually, however, one does not speak of “Christmas” but of “holiday season” in order to include non-Christian Americans as well. Hardly has the Halloween decorations been cleared in front of the houses than the inflatable Santa Claus, reindeer, sleighs and illuminated nativity scenes continue, with Spongebob, Olaf and the Smurfs also having their place. Even the Christmas tree is often set up in the living room a month before Christmas, sometimes there are even several of them – one in each room. However, real candles are considered dangerous and often trigger the fire alarm with their smoke; electric ones are therefore common. A popular Christmas tree decoration is popcorn strung on a string.
Ugly sweaters, shopping and alcohol excesses
Advent calendars are also common in the USA. There are even ones for cats with a piece of dried salmon every day.
In big cities like New York or Chicago there are “Christmas shops” that are open all year round. But the real Christmas sales begin after Thanksgiving, which fell on November 24 this year, with Black Friday and the following Cyber Monday. A welcome opportunity for the Santa Clauses to show up in the department stores and on the streets to keep the children happy so that they don’t spoil the parents’ shopping fun.
December 16 is also an important date. Then he will Ugly Sweater Day committed. The tradition of the ugly Christmas sweater began in the 1950s, reached a modest peak in the 1980s with The Cosby Show, and faded into oblivion in the 1990s. In 2002, however, the cult experienced a renaissance with Vancouver’s first Ugly Sweater Party. In 2011, Dolce & Gabbana launched a corresponding one Collection; a red sweater with a dog and reindeer antlers costs a whopping $3,600 there.
The SantaCon parades also fall in the pre-Christmas period. This custom originated in San Francisco in the mid-1990s and is now practiced across America and beyond. 30,000 disguised Santa Clauses take part in the largest parade in New York. The event has little to do with “Silent Night, Holy Night” – it’s all about drinking.
Santa Claus, Rudolph and Mickey Mouse
In Chicago, the Zoo Lights, i.e. the Christmas lights with neon animals, are a popular family attraction from November 19th. Right after Thanksgiving, the Lights Festival takes place on the Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s boulevard. In an opulent parade, oversized, helium-filled figures such as Rudolph the reindeer, Frosty the snowman, Mickey Mouse and Kermit the frog from the “Muppet Show” parade through the street. After a firework display, the Christmas lights are lit, marking the opening of the “holiday shopping season”.
The timing on the actual Christmas day is also different than in Europe. December 24th is not celebrated; it is mainly used to buy the last presents. Santa Claus falls through the chimney into the house on the night of December 25th and deposits the presents either in the hanging socks or under the tree. Some families also leave a glass of milk or some biscuits for Santa Claus, some even a few carrots, which the parents secretly nibble on at night, so that the children believe that hungry Rudolph and his reindeer colleagues were actually there.
On December 25th, presents are opened first thing in the morning before the parents disappear into the kitchen to prepare the traditional Christmas meal, turkey. A real turkey can weigh up to 20 pounds and takes about five hours in the oven. Of course you have to invite enough guests; in America, too, Christmas is a family celebration.
However, alcohol is only allowed from the age of 21, and it is amazing how many people take it seriously at home. The 20-year-old “kids” obediently drink coke with their turkey – and only have their Budweiser or hard seltzer afterwards together with friends when their parents are no longer around.
December 26th is exchange day
But Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a suitable, cheesy film. Particularly popular are “A Christmas Carol” (after Charles Dickens), “Isn’t life beautiful?” with James Stewart, “Miracle on 34th Street” and “Rudolph” about the red-nosed reindeer.
On December 26th, the unwanted gifts will be exchanged. This date is officially known as Boxing Day, when employees traditionally received a gift (“Christmas box”) from their employer, but many now speak of “National Return Day” instead. If you buy a Christmas present, ask for a “gift receipt” so that the recipient can easily exchange it without a price tag.
It can be confusing for a Swiss person that St. Nicholas Day is not celebrated in the US, but Santa Claus resembles Santa Claus, with a red coat and white beard. It is said that he used to look like Knecht Ruprecht, with a brown coat and a tail. Apparently, today’s appearance was largely due to a Coca-Cola advertising campaign minted in 1931. To put it bluntly: In America, Santa Claus as we know him is just a by-product of Coca-Cola.