Chestnuts are still very popular as Christmas treats in the UK, where they are commonly purchased pre-roasted, and sometimes included into other holiday dishes like stuffing.

Considering the US, presumably this tradition was brought along into the colonies, where chestnuts had formed a significant element of the diet of many Native American communities prior to European contact. In fact, before the 20th century, the American chestnut was extremely abundant, accounting for one in every four hardwood trees in some areas like the Appalachian Mountains. The nuts, and especially the highly prized lumber from these trees was an important economic resource in many communities. The lumber is very fine and previously highly demanded due to the tree's habit of growing in a thick, untapering column, and having natural anti-decay properties along with a handsome color and grain. Many homes and barns east of the Mississippi were constructed of walnut lumber. Nuts were harvested by raking in the late fall, and delivered to market in nearby towns, from where they would make their way to the cities by midwinter. However, all that would quickly change. Chestnut blight was discovered at the Bronx Zoo in 1905, and by 1940, most mature American chestnut trees had fallen to the fungal invader. Meanwhile, global events prevented easy importation of European or Asian chestnuts to the US. Once the war was over, chestnuts had changed from a rough, local produce available to rural communities and the urban working class, to an expensive import that could only be obtained by the wealthy for their holiday celebrations.

An accessible and interesting book on the topic of the cultural history of the American Chestnut is American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree, Susan Freinkel