Christmas Toys

Although adults like to receive gifts, many will readily forego the pleasure if it means a young member of the family will be totally pleased and delighted with their Christmas gift. Seeing the sparkle of joy in children's eyes when they receive a toy or other Christmas present certainly confirms that Christmas is for children. After all, Santa brings gifts for all the good little boys and girls, not for moms and dads, or other adults.

Toys are a significant part of Christmas. Parents go all out for children. They make the extra effort to give children something really special such as what the child wishes or longs for. It may be a toy such as a particular type of doll, a dream dollhouse, or a bike, train set, or motorized vehicle. The fun of getting a toy at Christmas begins early for children as they start to make their wish list and anticipate getting what they desire.

For teenagers, the most desired toy may not be a toy in the real sense of the word. A toy, in today's casual speech, can mean a favorite gadget such as an ultra-stylish cell phone, an iPod, MP3 player, electronic organizer, or even a computer.

Toy sales at Christmas play a major role in the economics of retailers in the toy industry. Toy makers use the Christmas season to release new and updated products with the hope of capturing a significant slice of the billions of dollars that consumers spend during the holidays. The strategy among toy makers typically has been to release a new product they hope will be the “must-have” toy for the season. Consequently, they try to create buzz about the product and have a specific release date, all with the hope that parents and other consumers will clamor for the item. Such driving demand can easily justify a spike in the price of the item.

Toys have also evolved beyond dolls, trains, and cars to be very interactive and educational. The popularity of educational toys and the presence of increased technology have combined to produce many toys that are highly computerized.

Receiving a toy as a gift at Christmas can play an important role in creating a lasting memory. When a child gets the “right” toy or is surprised by a wonderful toy, he or she will remember the feeling it brought for a lifetime and recall it whenever there's talk of which Christmas was a favorite. It also helps to create a tradition as the child becomes an adult and wants to recapture a similar feeling by seeking to do the same for his or her own child.

Then there are the children with a wish list that's basically a hope to get something – anything – at Christmas. Many companies, businesses, churches, and social organizations arrange to have members donate new toys that are distributed to children in need. Putting a smile on the faces of those children will create warm memories about Christmas and Santa Claus for them. By participating in a charitable effort, the donors become “Santa Claus” and spreaders of the goodwill and cheer that embody the meaning of Christmas.

Favorite Christmas Foods

Favorite foods enjoyed by Americans for any given holiday, season, or special occasion will likely include some ethnic dishes, given the many ethnic groups that reside in the United States. Despite this melting pot cuisine, there are some similarities in dishes that will be a part of most meals during celebrations such as Christmas.

Christmas in the United States comes almost one month after another big holiday, Thanksgiving, in which the traditional meal typically consists of a turkey as the main dish. This also carries over into Christmas as roast turkey is one of the main dishes served for Christmas dinner. Unlike Thanksgiving, which is solely devoted to turkey, Christmas dinners may also include other birds or poultry. These include roast goose or duck. Roasted ham may also be served. Cranberry sauce, vegetables, pumpkin pie, and a plum pudding or fruity Christmas pudding for dessert tops off traditional Christmas dinners. Mince pies and pastry that is filled with a mixture of chopped, dried fruit may also be added to the menu. For drinks with Christmas dinner, a bottle of champagne is very popular, as well as wine.

Before Christmas Day and the big dinner arrives, there's also another type of food that Americans enjoy in large quantities during the Christmas season. The consumption and sales of candies, gingerbread, and other cookies and holiday treats increases tremendously during the holidays. Just as department stores seek to attract shoppers to purchase Christmas gifts, candy manufacturers also put out special boxes of candies for Christmas and the holiday season.

A survey done in 2004 by the National Confectioners Association found that many adults derived much pleasure at Christmas from giving and receiving candies and other treats. In their responses, the survey participants said that giving decadent boxes of chocolate to friends and family, placing candy canes on the Christmas tree, and hiding candy treats in Christmas stockings were favorite ways to give and receive candies, cookies, and treats during the holidays.

Sweet treats remain popular at Christmas despite the constant message about dieting that is present every day in the media, on billboards, and from some food manufacturers. At Christmas time, people feel free to enjoy the festive season without constraints; but they also know that they can enjoy candies and cookies that are health-conscious by eating those that are targeted to the low-carb dieter or those that are sugar-free, fat-free, or both.

Cookies that are enjoyed at Christmas are often home-baked and usually include gingerbread items. The tradition of gingerbread cookies at Christmas is also believed to have originated in Germany and was brought to America by German immigrants. German bakeries began baking very fancy gingerbread houses, with icing as edible snow and other decorations, after the Grimm Brothers published their children's story, Hansel and Gretel. That story had a description of a house that was made of bread, a roof of cake, and windows of barley. The popularity of these creations gave rise to cookie cutters that were made in a variety of shapes, enabling small gingerbread cookies of various shapes to be baked at home. Some of these cookies had the shapes of little people and animals and were used to decorate Christmas trees.

More than one hundred years ago, German homes in Lancaster County, in Pennsylvania, would have cookies as tall as one foot high used as decorations in their front windows. The cookies were often giant gingerbread men and women that had colorful rows of buttons and big smiles. Passersby were cheered and intrigued by the sight and brought the idea to their homes on a smaller scale.

Being able to enjoy special dishes, candies, cookies, and other goodies during Christmas and the holidays adds a sweet flavor to the season and also helps to create warm and cherished memories.

Christmas Travel

Because Christmas is a time to be with family, loved ones, and friends, it is one of the busiest times of the year to travel. People travel locally, to different regions, and to international destinations to share Christmas dinners, exchange gifts, and recall fond memories they have of the season. There's also travel for entertainment reasons done by tourists within the country or from abroad. Even on Christmas Day, the highways are busy with vehicles as relatives and friends travel between towns and states to spend the day together.

The massive shift away from an agrarian society to one of commerce with the development of cities and suburbs caused family members to move further and further away from each other, which made it necessary to travel by land, air, or rail to be together for holidays such as Christmas and other special occasions. With some countries being economic powerhouses in the world, people moved even further as they migrated to other countries to take advantage of better opportunities to improve their lives. Consequently, air travel has expanded in modern times to take people to international destinations.

But travel during Christmas and the holidays is not limited to visiting relatives and friends. Many people travel for entertainment, including families who are interested in seeing interesting sights at Christmas and enjoying world-renowned entertainment in places far from where they live.

Within the United States, it is popular for families and groups of friends to visit New York City to see the general sights of the city and to shop at Christmas. Some of these sights are known throughout the country and are celebrated each Christmas. The annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is an example.

The lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, which is located west of Fifth Avenue from 47th Street to 51st Street in New York City, has been a tradition since the time of the Depression. The first tree was placed at the site in 1931, but it wasn't decorated with any Christmas ornaments. In recent years, more than 25,000 Christmas lights and other ornaments have been placed on the tree.

Also in New York City, it is very popular for tourists to travel at Christmas to see the spectacular Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall with the signature high-kicking Rockettes. The show is a favorite of both adults and children as it is very festive, lively, and filled with the spirit of Christmas. Tourists also travel during Christmas to international destinations for entertainment. Because the Nutcracker Ballet originated in Russia, and because that country has worldwide acclaim for some of the most technical and artistic ballet performers, it is a popular destination at Christmas. The legendary Tchaikovsky composed the music for the “Nutcracker Ballet,” which was first performed in Russia's Mariinsky Theatre, home to the acclaimed Kirov Ballet. The story is about a little girl's dream on Christmas Eve about a beloved Nutcracker toy she received as a present.

Travel to international destinations is also popular at Christmas in order to escape the cold of a “White Christmas.” For those who do not like the cold, but who like to be out and about at Christmas, the alternative is to go somewhere with a more tropical climate. Travel to destinations in the Caribbean, where Christmas is robustly celebrated, is popular during the Christmas season.

One intriguing place to travel during the Christmas season is to a place where Santa can be observed. There is such a place in Finland at a village where Santa Claus has his workshop. Travel to see, and possibly talk to, Santa Claus is a delightful adventure for children; but such a trip has to be made before Christmas Eve, when Santa, his elves, and reindeers embark on their trip to visit every home in the world.