Most Americans enjoy the trappings of Christmas, whether or not they celebrate this holiday.  The colorful decorations, tradition of gift giving and special get-togethers with family, friends and office colleagues are side by side with the religious aspect of Christmas.  Since most of these are fun and did not originate with Christianity, many Americans adopt some of these traditions on a secular level.

Christmas Trappings

Christmas tree: An evergreen tree with lights and decorations is, perhaps, the most common symbol of Christmas in the US.  Trees were symbols of strength and long life for centuries before Christian teachers used evergreens as a symbol of "endless life".

Red and Green: The holly bush was popular among pre-Christian Europeans.  The evergreen holly, with its red berries, stands for strength against the death of winter.

Mistletoe: If you stand under a piece of mistletoe (a branch with leaves and white berries), you will be expected to kiss the host.  Be careful!

Stockings: Family members hang a "stocking" next to the chimney. If the children have been good, Santa Claus fills the stocking with an orange (in the toe) and small presents and candy. If the children have been naughty, they are told that they will gets lumps of coal. (Could any parent really do that?)

Gifts: Christmas has become a commercial holiday for many.  But within the Christian belief, there is a religious root to the custom - the three Wise Men brought gifts to the baby Jesus, and Jesus grew to give his life to others. Remember that, in private, most American families' Christmas day includes a lot of warmth, love, sweetness, tradition and generosity.  Try to keep this in mind as you walk through the shopping mall....

Taken from the December issue of Newcomer's Almanac. Posted with permission from The Interchange Institute.

For those interested in understanding both religious significance of Christmas and the origins of the American celebration of this holiday, here is another excerpt from December's Newcomer's Almanac, written by Dr. Anne Copeland.

ST

Americans will celebrate four important holidays in December: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve.  Consequently work grinds to a near halt by the middle of the month. But, relocations do not necessarily grind to a halt.

Many global companies tend to organize international transfers late in the year with the intent that their employees be settled and productive early in the New Year. What relocatees may not realize is that because of the December holidays, most relocation offices and corporate offices (including their own!) are getting by with reduced staff.

Too often, people from Eastern cultures do not anticipate the extent to which Americans celebrate these holidays. And even some Europeans may expect Americans to work straight through them. Imagine their shock when they find out we don't! That is why it would be very beneficial for the Human Resources or Relocation professional to explain to their international assignees how and why Americans observe these holidays. However, because of their religious or ethnic nature, providing such explanations may prove daunting.

Throughout the month of December, ReloBlogger will post culturally appropriate presentations of the four major holidays celebrated in the US this month. These presentations will be drawn from the December issue of the Newcomer's Almanac published by the Interchange Institute.  We hope they provide some insight into American culture and a smooth transition for assignees arriving in the US during this holiday season.

ST

Baffling "social scientists", newcomers to America happily embrace technological conveniences such as the microwave, DVD player, computer and clothes dryer, except, alas, the dishwasher!  Many immigrants from Africa, Asia, Latin America or Eastern Europe continue doing their dishes by hand.

To prove this is for real: companies like Sears and General Electric do not bother to advertise dishwashers in their Spanish-language media.  Apparently few Hispanic consumers buy them.

By contrast, dishwashers began appearing in American households in the late 60s and 70s.  The introduction of this, and other appliances, coincided with the entrance of women into the workforce.  The family dinner hour disappeared soon afterwards.  Outside the U.S. (and perhaps Canada and Western Europe) cleaning up together after dinner is still very much part of family life.  Immigrants to the U.S., even second or third generations, are only slowly breaking away from this tradition.

So what happens to all these dishwashers that come standard in pretty much every American home?  They are being used a drying racks or snack "drawers"!

(Derived from a Washington Post article by Phuong Ly on October 8, 2005 - Washing Their Hands of the Last Frontier.)

RH

George Bernard Shaw famously said that "England and America are two countries separated by the same language".  International assignees from the U.K., or from other English speaking countries for that matter, will quickly understand what he meant when they relocate to the U.S.  As is true for the reverse situation.

An expat.Telegraph article on September 29th sheds some light on the differences in language, the sense of time, and an attempt to explain how these differences are rooted in America's history.

RH