During the holiday season, each household has different traditions. Common holiday traditions include putting up a Christmas tree, lighting a menorah, exchanging presents and several others. But around the world, many some traditions are not as commonplace.

    In Japan, most population buys fried chicken from KFC on Christmas Day. Only about one percent of the Japanese people are Christian. As a result, Christmas was not a well known holiday until the 1990’s. When Christmas first became popular in Japan, KFC quickly associated itself with the holiday, fooling many Japanese people into thinking fried chicken is a normal American Christmas meal. Now, many Japanese people pre-order their chicken to secure their holiday dinner

   “If the chicken is good,  then you need to buy some chicken,” said junior Adib Afnan. “But I don’t see why they would want to act like Americans.”

    The Japanese are not the only ones who celebrate holidays for religions other than their own. In the Jewish-American community, many Jewish families eat Chinese food or go to watch a movie.

   “My family orders Chinese and goes to the movie theater every year,” said senior Ezra Hollander.

    Not all odd traditions come from across the seas. Some come from places in America, like Cincinnati, Ohio. At the Rumpke Landfill, workers hang up 30,000 Christmas lights across the garbage area. Workers also put up 20-30 foot light up candy canes on the garbage mounds.

   “It’s an interesting way to decorate for the holidays,” said junior Zoe Braddock. “It’s a good tourist attraction, too.”

    But not all holiday oddities are on such public display. Some occur in the privacy of one’s own home, like Springbrook sophomore Annika Norris.

   “My grandma has us all hold hands around the tree, and we run around it singing a Swedish Christmas song,” said Norris. “I have no idea why we do it, but it’s funny to watch my grandma get so into it.”

    Every household spends their winter holiday season differently, and they make for an amusing assortment of tradition.