If you celebrate Christmas, there’s a good chance your tree is up and trimmed, and the stockings and decorations have been hung with care.

Now you can start thinking about preparing the traditional dishes and drinks associated with Christmas. Depending on where you are located in the commonwealth, your holiday menu could differ significantly from that of a family who lives on the other side of Pennsylvania.

With so many cultural influences informing Christmas menus throughout the state, there are countless foods and drinks that are traditionally enjoyed during the holiday season. Whether you’re planning on making a big old pot of Boilo in the anthracite coal region, pulling out your recipe for farkleberry cookies in Pittsburgh, or placing your seafood order for the Feast of the Seven Fishes in the greater Philadelphia area, every part of the commonwealth has its own Christmas flavor. 

Our Kalena Thomhave has rounded up 12 of the most popular—and unique—dishes and drinks you may spot around holiday tables in Pennsylvania this year.

Since we’re already highlighting traditional Christmas dishes and drinks found throughout Pa., we’d like to know:

What’s your favorite thing to eat or drink around the holidays?

Nothing too fancy for me. Just set me up with a mug of mulled cider to sip (with or without booze), and some pizzelle to munch on, and I’ll be fine.

Reply with your answer, and please let us know where you live!

One more quick word about food: We just launched a newsletter called Pizzavania, where we’ll be highlighting some of the best in Pa. pizza, the stories behind beloved pizzerias in the commonwealth, your pizza recommendations, and much more.

You can check out the first edition of Pizzavania here.

Whether you prefer your pizza thin and crispy, chewy and charred Neapolitan-style, by the tray and cut—like they do in NEPA, or you’re one of those ‘You haven’t lived until you’ve tried pineapple on pizza!’ people, if you’re a Pa. pizza lover who’s always on the lookout for your next favorite pie, Pizzavania is for you.

North East resident Douglas Bailey has walked the shores of Lake Erie for years, picking up litter washed up along the way. Bailey took some of his unique findings and created an art piece he called “Lake Erie Leftovers.” (USA Today Network)

North East resident and Erie native Douglas Bailey and his wife, Amy, have been walking the shorelines of Lake Erie in the Harborcreek and North East areas and removing trash for more than five years.

In their travels, they have come across lots of interesting items that have washed up on shore, such as toy dinosaurs, golf balls, lighters, sunglasses and other littered objects.

One day, Bailey, who works for the North East School District’s IT Department, got an idea for an art piece involving some of these found items, and spent two months creating a 22-inch-by-37-inch framed art piece, which he calls “Lake Erie Leftovers.”

Bailey picked the frame out from a local thrift store for only a dollar. After puzzling all the pieces together in the frame, he used acrylic spray paint to give the piece a neat finish.

The way Bailey describes this piece is like a “big game of seek-and-find.”

“There are so many pieces tucked in and nesting inside each other,” Bailey said. “It’s easy to get lost just trying to spot familiar objects.”

Our data shows that thousands of our readers have taken some kind of action in their community this year because of something they’ve read in our newsletters. We’re able to inspire that kind of civic activity because we’ve earned your trust with fact-based reporting that gets to the heart of what matters most to Pennsylvanians.

Your support during our final fund drive of 2025 will give us the ability to dig even deeper next year on the stories that impact your communities—stories that we hope will inspire even more civic engagement among our readers.

• President Donald Trump plans to visit Monroe County on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to reduce inflation even as fears mount about a worsening job market and amid signs that Americans are still feeling squeezed by high prices. Find out more about the president’s Pa. visit here.

• The data centers responsible for driving up consumer electric bills across central Pa. are about to see their electricity rates decrease as PPL gets ready to raise rates for residential and commercial customers. Our Sean Kitchen has the details in this story.

• Pennsylvania regulators will investigate a proposed rate hike by the state’s largest water and wastewater utility, Pennsylvania American Water Co., that could increase bills for some customers by more than 40%. Find out more about the proposed increase here.

• The company that purchased the Snyder of Berlin potato chip manufacturing plant in Somerset County last year has announced plans to shut it down, a closure that will leave nearly 100 people out of work. Get the story here.

• A York County judge who was accused of stealing unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to return to the bench after the federal indictment against him was dismissed. Learn about it here.

Do you want to support The Keystone’s mission while showcasing your products or services to an engaged audience of 230,000+ subscribers?

Email advertise@couriernewsroom.com for more information.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery with stories from Kalena Thomhave, Sean Kitchen, Pennsylvania Capital-Star, The Associated Press, and USA Today via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

The Keystone is free for everyone. Your support makes our work possible.