Top Ten Christmas Customs of Texans
The Christmas season is here and it hits a little differently here in West Texas. There are traditions we Texans hold dear that you won't encounter anywhere else. Altogether these traditions define what makes the holiday season so special here in Texas.
These are Some of the Top Texas Christmas traditions that all Texans will understand.
1) Luminarias: Luminarias seem to defy gravity. They almost float in the air. These lanterns originated in Mexico and have become a staple in so many Texas communities. The luminaries are designed to light the way for the Christ Child. They also light the way to a true Texas Christmas.
2.) Christmas Tamales: Tamales are a Texas tradition just about every day of the year. Like Luminarias, Tamales originated in Mexico. Texans have adopted and adapted them into something uniquely Texas. With that little extra, Texas cooks also make them something uniquely Christmas.
3) Picking Your Own Tree: I'm not saying you won't find a lot of artificial Christmas trees in Texas. After all, there have been a lot of Californians relocating here lately. The true Texas way, however, is to go out and cut down your own tree. Hopefully, you get permission from the landowner first. Even better, find an incredible Christmas tree farm. There are lots to choose from all over Texas.
4) Turkey Arguments: Fried or Smoked? In other states, people argue over how to keep the turkey moist, or who gets to carve the turkey. Here in Texas, our arguments revolve around whether turkey should be served fried or smoked. Fried holds a slight edge in polls of Texans. Fortunately, you can have your Thanksgiving turkey one way and the Christmas turkey another way. If you can't deal with the bickering, just serve ham.
5) Decorated Barns: The average Texan has enough Christmas spirit to spill over from the house to all the barns on their property. It is not uncommon to find barns decked out for the holidays in The Lone Star State.
6) Barbed Wire Wreaths: Barbed wire fences tamed the wilderness and made Texas possible. It is no surprise then, that Texans celebrate Christmas by hanging barbed wire wreaths. A true Texan is never far from his cowboy roots.
7) Fruitcake: There are many people around the country who don't attempt to hide their distaste for fruitcakes. Here in Texas, it is a Christmas staple. In frontier days, cooks would spend days and weeks drying out fruit until it reached the perfect fruitcake consistency. Don't anyone tell you, Claxton, Georgia is America's fruitcake capital. To a Texan, those are fighting words. Every Texan knows the best American fruitcakes are made in Corsicana at the Collins Street Bakery.
8. Christmas decorations on your Pickup: It is a true Texas tradition, to decorate your pickup truck with all the accents of Christmas. In fact, many Texas cities have lighted pickup truck parades. In San Angelo, you'll find many decorated pickups in our lighted Christmas parade. The well-decorated Texas pickup will have antlers, lots of lights, wreaths, and even Rudolph the tail light reindeer.
9. Santa Claus In Shorts: What can we say, sometimes it's hot at Christmastime in Texas. No one would want Santa to have a heat stroke. Is it getting hot in here?
10. Poinsettias in the Yard: Some people like their poinsettias in a pot. That will never do in Texas. We like our poinsettias growing wild and free. That's why many of us plant them in the yard.
As you can see we do Christmas differently in Texas. Scratch that edit. We do Christmas better in Texas.
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