When you think of Christmas, what images spring to mind? For many, the classic Christmas image is of Santa Claus climbing down the chimney on Christmas Eve and leaving gifts under a brightly lit Christmas tree.

However, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and gift-giving are later additions to the Christmas tradition. They have little to do with the true origins of Christmas, which are religious in nature.

The original purpose of Christmas was to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who is believed by Christians to be the son of God. The exact date of Christ's birth, however, is not mentioned in the Bible. In the Roman pagan calendar, late December was already a time of celebration, with several midwinter festivals occurring at that time. The early Church may have decided on December 25 as the date for Christmas simply because everyone was already used to celebrating at this time anyway.

Early in the Christmas season, many families decorate their homes with Christmas trees, wreaths, and ornaments in green and red, both traditional colors of Christmas. Holly and mistletoe are also used for decorating. According to one tradition, any two people standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe should kiss. Therefore, if you're ever at a Christmas party, a good rule of thumb is to stay well away from the creepy guy holding the mistletoe!

On Christmas Eve in the United States, some people attend church services, in which they listen to readings from the Bible and sing Christmas carols. At home, kids hang up stockings by the fireplace before going to bed and put out cookies and milk for Santa Claus, and a carrot for his reindeer. On Christmas Day, people enjoy Christmas dinner, usually with roast turkey as the main dish, as well as a host of other seasonal foods like mince pies, fruit cakes, and eggnog.

當你想到聖誕節時，你腦海中會浮現出什麼樣的景象？對很多人而言，經典的聖誕節景象是聖誕老公公在聖誕夜從煙囪爬下來，並將禮物放在用亮燈布置的聖誕樹下。

然而聖誕老公公、聖誕樹和聖誕禮物都是後來才加進聖誕節傳統的事物，它們與聖誕節的真正起源不太相關，因為聖誕節本身其實是個宗教節日。

聖誕節原始的目的是用來慶祝耶穌的誕生，基督徒相信耶穌是神的兒子。然而，耶穌誕生的確切日期並沒有在《聖經》中載明。在羅馬異教徒的月曆中，12 月底本來就是慶祝的時刻，有許多冬季中期的節慶皆在此時舉辦。有可能早期教會決定把聖誕節定在12 月25日，因為反正大家早已習慣在此時慶祝節慶。

在聖誕佳節的前幾天，家家戶戶會布置房子，用聖誕樹、聖誕花圈、以及紅色和綠色的聖誕飾品，因為這兩個顏色是聖誕節的傳統色。東青和槲寄生也會被用來裝飾，有個常見的傳統是當兩人同時站在一束槲寄生下，他們必須彼此親吻。所以若你想參加聖誕派對，最佳的經驗法則就是遠離那位拿著槲寄生的詭異男子。

在美國的聖誕夜時，有些人會參加教會禮拜，他們會聆聽《聖經》的章節朗誦並唱聖誕歌，孩童會在睡前把襪子掛在火爐旁邊，為聖誕老公公準備餅乾和牛奶，且為他的馴鹿準備紅蘿蔔。聖誕節當天，人們會享用聖誕晚宴，通常主菜是烤火雞，加上其他許多當令食物，像是英式肉餡餅、水果餅和蛋酒。