Is there any Christmas stuff people in southerns States do that northerners don’t?

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1. Depending on the weather you can do outdoorsy stuff like grill, go to the beach, stuff like that. This year much of the country is experiencing an arctic blast so that’s out of the picture for most of us – it’s right around freezing where I live, for example. But last year it was 25C on Christmas lol.

2. My neighbors growing up would always hold a barbecue/ pool party on Christmas afternoon. I don’t know what the adults did (presumably get drunk) but for the kids it was a great chance to show off your new toys.

3. I remember plenty of Christmas’ growing up where I ran around outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Usually it was 65-75F out.

   This year is a bit of an outlier.

4. Not Christmas specifically, but it’s traditional to have a dish called Hoppin’ John (sort of a soup/stew made with black eyed peas and ham, served over rice) on New Year’s Eve. It’s supposed to bring good luck for the new year.

5. You are more likely to have outdoor warm temperature stuff. My aunt and uncle who are on the gulf coast often go out on their boat fishing.

   Outdoor grilling and fire pits are a lot more common than up here in the cold north.

   My other aunt and uncle do a Christmas 5k on the gulf coast.

6. The food definitely differs. We will almost always have collard greens and cornbread during the holidays, and Im sure theres plenty of other examples.

   Edit: just wanna brag on my Christmas morning breakfast, were having homemade apple sausage, fried eggs, and grits tomorrow morning.

7. I did Christmas at my uncle in California one year. He cooked outdoors on the grill. We sat by the pool for a bit. The pool was full because there was no danger of it freezing over.

   I’m used to everything being indoors except for sending the kids out to play for an hour or two because it’s too cold and often too snow covered. Outdoors on Christmas blew my cold northern mind.

8. Christmas Tamales!!! AZ

9. I’ve lived in both areas, and am in the south now. If it weren’t very cold, we would be cooking breakfast outside and having drinks by an outdoor fire later in the evening. It’s usually cool, but this year it’s cold.

   Indoor fireplaces are going today.

10. 👋🏾 I’m not considered in the South so I don’t really know but sending my hello to Russia!

11. Walk on the beach Christmas day

12. We eat black eyed peas and collards on New Year’s Day. To be truly Southern, I’d cook both with fatback (fatty pork meat), but since I no longer eat most meat, I make do by adding olive oil, a little maple syrup and liquid smoke.

13. Warmth

14. I’ve seen plenty of decorated palm trees while visiting Florida for Christmas. They also use more inflatable decorations than the northern states.

15. Bonfires on the levee in Louisiana. I’m on mobile and idk how to link stuff but basically the tradition is to light these giant bon fires up the Mississippi River to help guide papa Noel in to give gifts. Really really cool designs

16. My family does brisket, tamales, chili, lumpia, and gumbo. For dessert, pecan, key lime and sweet potato pies.

    Also, cornbread. I bring the cornbread. Because I am the one person who thinks that cornbread should not have sugar.

17. I’d say the foods are a little different. Banana pudding is a big one in my family that I haven’t heard of any non-Southern families doing.

18. New Orleans has Réveillon Dinners

19. Here in Florida we have a lot of Christmas boat parades.

20. I grew up in Maryland and my grandmother was from the eastern shore (southern, costal area) and she always made oyster dressing which is stuffing with oysters in it. Apparently it is a very regional thing as Maryland used to have a thriving oyster industry at one point. Been years since I had it and isn’t bad

21. Honestly, I think it has more to do with your specific family or the country they originated in than it does northern vs southern.

22. A lot of people usually cook Gumbo in my region of the south.

23. Sometimes we have deep fried turkey for Christmas dinner. They might do that up north, I’m not sure, but it seems like a pretty southern thing! (Some southerners also do it for thanksgiving)

24. [Pineapples as a holiday table centerpiece.](https://betweennapsontheporch.net/wp-content/uploads/blogger/_x908CSKJhI4/SVgku9_cevI/AAAAAAAAETA/ywr-DAmun5M/s1600/Centerpiece%2B031.JPG?m)

    Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality and celebration in the Southern US.

    One of my great aunts from Virginia also prepares a Virginia ham which is a smoked, salt-cured ham. It’s so salty you pretty much only taste salt, and I don’t know if that’s how it’s supposed to taste or if it’s just her cooking.

25. Ride our new bikes right away in 70°/90% humidity.

26. Tamales for Christmas