Christmas Across America

The cool, rainy Pacific Northwest is known for several things at the holidays: salmon, apples and Christmas trees.

• Salmon, which is indigenous to this region, is a popular main dish at the holidays and throughout the year. Smoked salmon is often given as a Christmas gift.
• Besides cooking, more than anywhere else in the U.S., our survey showed that users in the Northwest chose going to the movies or renting movies as their favorite holiday activity. Maybe it's the rain!
• Oregon and Washington produce more Christmas trees than anywhere else in the country. In 2001 alone, 8.3 million Christmas trees were harvested in Oregon.

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Christmas in a warm, sunny place seems like a strange idea to many people. For Californians, this is everyday life.

• Across the U.S., 85% of people surveyed said that it wouldn't be Christmas without snow. However, more people in California than anywhere else (21%) said that they would prefer to spend Christmas in a warm, sunny place.
• By far, cooking and baking was the most popular holiday activity all across America. Californians topped the list with a whopping 86% claiming that they would most prefer to spend the holidays in their kitchens.
• Regional holiday food favorites: avocados, artichokes, homemade tamales, and fish tacos. Beyond the mainland United States, members in Hawaii said they celebrate Christmas by cooking Kalua Turkey and Laulaus.
  
  

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Perhaps more than any other region, the Midwest is a melting pot of cultures, which is reflected in its varied traditions.

• In our survey, the Midwest was the only region of the country where ham was chosen over turkey as the favorite holiday meal.
• Across the Midwest, European and Scandinavian cuisines have a strong influence on holiday food traditions. Popular recipes include lefse, stollen, lutefisk, lasagna and Polish sausage.

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American and Mexican cuisines meet in the Southwest to create the perfect marriage of holiday food traditions.

• Although they rarely admit it, many people actually like fruit cake. More than in any other region, 13% of Southwesterners claimed they would like to receive fruit cake as a gift.
• Three people claimed that building snowmen was their favorite holiday activity. (Now if we only knew where they got the snow....)
• Unique regional holiday foods: green chilis, blue corn muffins and romeritos.

Try some favorite recipes from the Southwest:

Rich with distinctive variations on traditional holiday fare, The South makes the holidays its own.

• A high percentage of users in the South said they prefer to cook both ham and turkey at Christmas.
• Pie was consistently voted the most popular holiday dessert in all regions of the country. Cookies came in second, except for in the South, where cakes took the prize.
• Most Southerners (63%) claim that they do their Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving. Only a few admit to waiting until Christmas Eve.

Try some favorite recipes from the South:

From New York to Maine, as in most of the U.S., New England traditions form the basis of the American holiday menu.

• According to the survey, users in the Northeast were divided over whether to serve ham or turkey at Christmas, with turkey narrowly winning out.
• Popular regional holiday foods: lobster, clam chowder and mincemeat pie.

Try some favorite recipes from the Northeast:

• Christmas Recipe Collection
• Christmas Main Dish Recipes
• More Christmas Fun
  
  

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