Traditions
Children who misbehave may find a lump of this black rock in their stockings on Christmas morning.
Coal
These classic Christmas sweets begin as striped loaves before a machine pulls and twists it into thin, hook-shaped treats.
Candy Canes
This catch 1994 Christmas tune is the best-selling Christmas single ever recorded by a female artist, as well as being one of the highest-selling singles in music history.
All I Want For Christmas is You
Will Ferrell played the oversized North Pole adoptee who sets off to find his father in this 2003 Christmas classic.
Elf
There were no creatures stirring on the night before Christmas, not even one of these.
A mouse
The wise men brought these three gifts for the baby Jesus, not the most useful items to give a newborn.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh?
If you leave treats for Santa’s reindeer, then make sure you put out these crunchy orange vegetables.
Carrots
This mythical winter sprite is nipping at your nose in “The Christmas Song.”
Jack Frost
Jim Carrey’s grumpy green gremlin lays siege to this town in the 2000 film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Whoville
More than 1.5 billion of these travel through the U.S. Postal Service every year.
Christmas Cards
In Germany, this frightening anti-Santa Claus with goat’s hooves and horns punishes children who misbehave instead of bringing them gifts.
Krampus
Edible houses with candy decorations are made from this traditional baked substance.
Gingerbread
Spotify has a playlist featuring 100 different versions of this holiday bop, which was originally written and recorded by 1980s Brit Pop duo Wham!
Last Christmas
This “Home Alone” character fends off a pair of robbers by building slapstick traps in his house.
Kevin McAllister
This type of calendar contains pockets filled with treats, one for each day of December through Christmas Day.
Advent Calendar
A witch drops presents down chimneys in this European country’s Christmas traditions.
Italy
Consumers buy an estimated two million of these sugary Christmas loaves each year, a surprising amount for a dessert many people love to hate.
Fruitcake
The lyrics to this timeless Christmas song describe a wintery ride in a one-horse open sleigh, but never once mention the word “Christmas.”
Jingle Bells
In 1994’s “The Santa Claus,” Tim Allen’s character takes over as Santa after this accident kills the original Santa Claus.
Falling off the roof
This dark fairy tale about a brother, a sister, and a witch they meet in the woods, was the inspiration for gingerbread houses.
Hansel and Gretel
In Mexico, children break open these hanging paper mache sculptures to release the gifts inside.
Piñatas
In “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, the carolers threaten to stay put until they receive this proper English dish.
Figgy Pudding
With more than 50 million copies sold, this classic Christmas tune holds the Guinness World Record for the all-time best-selling single.
White Christmas
In the 1983 holiday favorite “A Christmas Story,” Ralphie’s father wins a lamp shaped like this body part as a runner-up prize from a newspaper contest.
A womens leg
The Ukrainian legend of this crawling creature inspired the Christmas of hiding a similarly shaped ornament on the tree in its honor.
A Spider
This Christmas plant, popular for its bright red leaves, is native to Mexico and Central America.
Poinsetta
This beverage giant was the first company to use Santa Claus in an advertising campaign.
Coca-Cola
This instrumental Christmastime theme from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite was also used in early versions of the video game Tetris.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
This 2004 animated Christmas feature was an adaptation of an illustrated storybook by Chris Van Allsburg, the same author who created “Jumanji.”
The Polar Express
This popular reindeer began as a promotional character for Montgomery Ward department stores.
Rudolph