Gifts & Traditions
This shimmering metal foil was patented in 1910 and became a popular craft supply long before it was used to decorate any holiday tree.
This pop singer belts the holiday hit that begins with the lyric, “I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need"
Mariah Carey
This Hanukkah food, often served alongside applesauce, is made from grated or shredded potatoes and onions mixed with egg and pan-fried until crispy.
Latke
This is the best-selling Christmas single of all time
“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
This Hanukkah tradition involves adding one candle each night, starting on the far right and moving left as the holiday progresses.
lighting the menorah
Fill in the blank: "Jingle bell time is a swell time..."
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh
In Japan, this fast-food chain has become so synonymous with Christmas dinner that families now pre-order buckets weeks in advance, thanks to a 1974 marketing campaign.
KFC
This 1993 rom-com is set during New Year’s Eve and features the iconic line, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
When Harry Met Sally
Celebrated in early January, this Latin American holiday involves children receiving gifts from the Three Wise Men rather than Santa Claus.
Three Kings’ Day (or Día de los Reyes)
This song features the lyrics "And so I'm offering this simple phrase...From kids from one to ninety-two. Although it's been said many times, many ways.."
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
This ancient Scandinavian holiday drink—made from a mixture of wine, spices, fruit, and sugar—shares its name with a modern term for faulty consumer goods, both referencing something thrown together from many parts.
glögg or glogg (mulled wine also accepted)
“It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in this decade, the same decade that the UN General Assembly held its first session.
1940s (1946)