How US troops celebrate Christmas abroad

U.S. service members celebrate new holiday traditions overseas across Europe, Middle East, Japan and Pacific while continuing military duties far from home.

Across overseas installations, troops commonly decorate workspaces, living areas and dining facilities with lights, trees or improvised decorations. Many bases organize special holiday meals, often with commanders and senior enlisted leaders serving food. 

Chaplains typically hold Christmas services when schedules and security allow, sometimes in chapels, hangars or temporary facilities. For sailors deployed at sea, Christmas is often marked between watches, with decorated mess decks and holiday meals worked around operational demands.