A. Eating traditions 
B. A treat and a song go together 
C. Celebrate to get many presents 
D. Holiday decoration business 
E. Holiday food business 
F. Cooking special holiday dishes 

1. Many stores in the USA stock a large range of holiday house decorations for a month before the holiday itself. For instance, on Thanksgiving Day they sell pumpkins and leaves specially designed for adorning. As for Halloween, stores offer flashlights, masks, and skeletons for decorating the gardens and for scaring one’s guests. Thus, people alter the attire of their houses several times a year. The wealthier families change not only the season’s outside decorations but even the interior of their houses such as curtains, carpets and pictures. 

2. On the Eve of Thanksgiving Day, most supermarkets are flooded with turkeys selling at lower prices. Turkey producers have to decrease their price because they must sell all the turkeys as soon as possible, otherwise they will still have them when Christmas comes or even longer. Almost nobody buys turkey for an ordinary meal (during the rest of the year). At Christmas, Americans also cook a turkey or they can choose another traditional dish, e. g. roasted ham. 

3. One of the peculiarities of Americans is that they do not usually sit around the table for a holiday meal. For larger groups, all the food usually stands on a special, separate table that is beautifully decorated. Everyone can serve themselves with the food they want. What is more, they do not usually have salads,’ which may seem rather strange for the Russians living there. Salads, to Americans, may be nothing more than tossed leaves of lettuce with a few other vegetables. 

4. One more type of celebration, which is connected with presents, are «showers,» for instance a baby-shower or a wedding-shower. For a baby-shower, a pregnant woman is given presents for her future child, whereas for a wedding-shower a bride receives presents for her household. These showers are popular because on the one hand, it is usually a moderate price to rent a cafe or a restaurant and order some kind of snacks such as crisps and sauces and salads. On the other hand, it is very pleasant to be «showered» with presents. Many people are usually invited to such parties. 

5. As for Birthdays, it is worth mentioning that this holiday is for both friends and family. Often an additional party is organized by a company of friends at which time the one having the birthday is invited to a restaurant to celebrate. Besides a meal, they order a birthday cake and a ’happy birthday song’ is performed by the staff of the restaurant. Guests are not expected to give presents at this kind of a party. Only relatives and close friends give presents for one’s birthday. However, they do not necessarily have a family feast. Of course, it depends on your family. ​