Christmas cookies and Hoyan doughnuts

Holidays bring out variations of both cultures, according to tribal membersOneida tribal member Pearl McLester was raised Christian and raised her children Christian as well.

So they celebrate Christmas with a decorated tree, family gatherings and gifts. McLester's home is filled with twinkling lights and red bows, while Santa is perched on the rooftop.

But that doesn't mean McLester, whose mother was German, won't also cook traditional corn soup for Christmas Day. And her family will recognize Hoyan, the Native American tradition in which friends and family travel from house to house on New Year's Day collecting doughnuts. The circles represent the start of a new year's cycle, elders say.