1. Christmas: Christmas, set on Dec. 25th, is historically a religious festival which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, but nowadays it has become a non-religious holiday. Generally the holiday starts from the night before, Christmas Eve, and may last until New Year’s Day. The majority of Americans celebrate Christmas with the exchange of gifts and greetings and with family visits. 

American homes are decorated with holly and mistletoe, and most have a Christmas tree hung with electric lights, tinsel, baubles, and strings of popcorn and candy canes. The children expect Father Christmas (Santa Claus) to bring them presents on Christmas Eve. Christmas is a time for eating and drinking too, and dinner usually includes roast turkey, goose, duck or ham served with cranberry sauce, plum pudding or pumpkin pie followed by nuts and fruit.

2. Flaming Pudding: Pudding is a traditional dessert for Christmas dinner, which usually combines sugar, milk, flour, and plums. When the pudding is made, people may pour hot rum or whiskey around the pudding and ignite it, making it flaming pudding.

Hints:

Christmas is on December 25th, but the Christmas holiday usually starts from the night before — Christmas Eve — and lasts one or two weeks.

Special things: well-decorated Christmas trees; Father Christmas (Santa Claus)

Special foods: roast turkey, plum pudding, pumpkin pie