Things You'll Need:
- Christmas Gifts
- Christmas Decorations
- Christmas Tree Lights
- Christmas Trees
- Nativity Sets
- Tree Stands
- Pineapples
- Christmas CDs
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Step 1
Put a pineapple up in your doorway. In Colonial times, this was a sign of hospitality.
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Step 2
Watch the tree lighting in Washington, D.C., on the White House lawn. The president presses a button that makes the tree instantly sparkle with lights, in keeping with a tradition that began in 1923 with President Calvin Coolidge.
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Step 3
Go caroling in your neighborhood, as is common in Boston. Bring bells with you to make music to go along with the songs.
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Step 4
Watch an ox parade on the streets of New Orleans. The animal will be decked with holly and ribbon to signify the Christmas spirit.
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Step 5
Participate in a New Mexican Las Posadas, which is a play depicting the drama of Mary and Joseph looking for a room at an inn. Act out the various parts with your neighbors.
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Step 6
Expect Santa to arrive on a Christmas tree ship in Hawaii. The boat will be laden with gifts for the kids.
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Step 7
Understand that in parts of the South, people shoot off firearms in their yards as a way to say "Merry Christmas" to their neighbors.
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Step 8
Visit Santa Claus on the East Coast. For instance, there is a Christmas village in Connecticut where you can go see Santa and receive gifts. You can also stop by a New York town called the North Pole, which has a post office, church and blacksmith shop, where the reindeers' shoes are maintained.
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Step 9
Consider reviving the old German tradition of "Belsnickeling," which was common in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in years past. People would disguise themselves to visit their neighbors, hoping to be served refreshments while they were there.
