From putting up a tree to leaving cookies and milk for Santa, there are plenty of Christmas traditions many Texans partake in. But there are other regional and cultural customs that make the holidays unique.
In Texas, some of the prevailing customs are from Hispanic, indigenous and German cultures.
"It is a time of gathering where we will share some tamales and some hot teas and punch in her honor so that we can always see each other as a family, but also to be united as children of Mary," Fr. Jesus Belmontes, rector at Dallas' Cathedral of Guadalupe, said. "And that is a tradition that, until now, in Mexico it is a very strong tradition."
Meanwhile, things in Central Texas have changed since German settlers first arrived, one official said.
"If you drove into Fredericksburg back in the 1930s, '40s, or late 1800s, you wouldn't even see any signs of Christmas," archivist for the Pioneer Museum in Fredericksburg Evelyn Weinheimer said. "To the Germans, the Christmas tree never showed up until December the 24th in the homes, and maybe there were well, even way back in the month of December mothers and fathers were busy making, sewing, building, gifts they were going to but under the tree.
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This week on Texas Wants to Know, host Baylee Friday explores holiday traditions from different backgrounds with Belmontes, Weinheimer, and Liz Lopez, the curator of education at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures.
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