Christmas

Christmas is a holiday celebrated in the United States, both before and after the Great War.

Pre-War
Described before the war as a joyous time to celebrate with loved ones, Christmas was celebrated in late December, to celebrate both the Christmas holiday and the following New Year. The holiday was marked by giving gifts and decorating homes and businesses. Other traditions included creating lists of recipients for Christmas cards and decorating trees for the occasion. Individuals would save money in order to make special purchases for the holiday each year for loved ones.

In order to cater to the holiday and celebratory gift giving, stores such as the Artisan's Row Shoppes Claus and Co were established, offering their patrons choices of children's gifts and decorations.

Post-War
The celebration of Christmas continued after the Great War. The residents and business owners of Diamond City decorate each year on December 25, and Diamond City security will comment on the holiday, saying "Can you believe today's Christmas? Ho ho friggin' ho." Security guards patrolling the exterior of Diamond City will comment that different raider groups are carving up Concord "like Christmas turkey."

Despite struggling with raiders, radiation, and the rationing of food, post-War groups held Christmas celebrations in order to boost morale. The Provisional Council of the Charleston Emergency Government circulated invitations to such an event, reminding everyone that it was important "to remember our traditions and values in these trying times" and outlined the festivities planned. These included voted decorating the Capital Building, a holiday gift drive for children under 12 years of age, an extra dispensation of food rations, and a holiday breakfast served in the Capital Food Court.

Christmas was celebrated by those sheltering in vaults after the war as well, such as the security team and support staff of Vault 111. Although the best gift was a Fancy Lad Snack Cake that wasn't too stale, and the group looked forward to the all-clear so they could resume their normal lives above ground.

During a Christmas Eve raid on Charleston, Cutthroat member Rosalynn Jeffries was captured and interrogated by the Responders. During this interrogation she demanded to be let go and sent off with "a big bag of Christmas goodies" for her partner and Cutthroat leader David Thorpe. Meanwhile Thorpe, believing Rose had perished, used a mini nuke to avenge her by destroying the Summersville Dam on Christmas morning. This caused Summersville Lake to catastrophically flood Charleston, killing Rosalynn and over one thousand other survivors and Responder members in what would be known as the Christmas Flood.

Ten years later, on Christmas Day Maria Chavez recorded a holotape recounting the events so that the Charleston victims would not be forgotten. Rosalynn's namesake Miss Nanny robot Rose recounts the story of Rosalynn's demise and mentions that if the Vault Dwellers consider betraying her, she will, "gut [them] with this here saw and string [their] entrails up like Christmas tinsel." Christmas was used in several clichés or sayings by individuals encountered in the wasteland, such as Mister Gutsy robots using the exclamation "chrome-coated-Christmas," wastelanders stating, "Christmas on a cracker" as a statement of incredulity or "lit up like a Christmas tree" to describe something brightly illuminated. The phrase "Merry Christmas" was sometimes used as a euphemism for "you're welcome." In Appalachia, some enemies are encountered wearing Christmas-themed outfits, and gift wrap can be purchased from vendors, and holiday gifts can be found. In the Mojave Wasteland, Christmas songs proliferated after the war, Radio New Vegas mentioning a holiday compilation titled "Nuclear Winter Wonderland" on holotape.

In Vault 51, ZAX 1.3c will provide well wishes, stating "Happy Holidays from all of us at Vault-Tec" to potential overseer candidates. ZAX notes to the Vault Dwellers the fact that it "spent a great deal of time decorating the Vault for this holiday" and that it "hopes [they] find it pleasant."

It will continue, mentioning that it would wish the Vault Dwellers a Merry Christmas, if it were not for the fact they will not "live long enough to enjoy it." ZAX states that it has a directive to provide holiday greetings despite such an act having no statistical value in testing. Despite wishing the Vault Dwellers a happy "human festivity season" as a greeting, ZAX reports that candidates should not expect to receive any holiday gifts, as it has already given gifts to the best candidates, and the only gift one can expect is a continuation of the normal testing schedule or conversely, the reward of death.

Lastly, it mentions that due to the nuclear firestorm, the chances of a white Christmas are "nonexistent" and although it is customary to become kinder during this time of year, ZAX advises against it, reminding the Vault Dwellers to show no mercy in their test despite the festive atmosphere.

Appearances
Christmas is mentioned in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, as well as in Fallout 76 and its Nuclear Winter mode.