1.

Costa Rica

Tropical flowers are used as Christmas decorations.

2.Spain/Catalan

Every night until the 24th of December, children 'feed' the happy log (Tió de Nadal) with
dried fruit and nuts. They cover it up with a blanket so he stays warm.Then, come
Christmas Eve, the little log is brought out and beaten with sticks by children while they
sing a traditional song.After this the children look under the blanket to find presents that
Tió de Nadal has 'pooped' . 
On the night of January 5th The three Kings arrive to give presents to children. Most towns have a
carnival style parade.

----------------------------------------------------------

3.Poland

Families traditionally gather for a meal on Christmas Eve, which is known as Wigilia.
They start eating when they see the first star in the night sky. The meal has 12 courses,
which traditionally include fish. Children receive presents on both Wigilia and Sw
Mikolaj Day (6 December).

4.Netherlands

Christmas celebrations start early when St Nicholas - arrives by boat on the last Saturday in
November. But for these people he doesn't live at the North Pole. He comes from Spain! He
travels across the country dressed in red bishops robes. He travels on a white horse called
Amerigo. When he arrives, children leave a shoe out with a carrot or hay for his horse.

5.Belgium
Santa Claus is called le Père Noël and he does come around on Christmas day to bring
children presents.
Christmas breakfast is a special sweet bread called 'cougnou' or 'cougnolle' - the shape is
supposed to be like baby Jesus.

6/Brazil
Father Christmas is called Papai Noel. For those who have enough money, a special
Christmas meal will be chicken, turkey, ham, rice, salad, pork, fresh and dried fruits, often
with beer. Poorer people will have chicken, rice and beans and will also drink beer and coke.
For dessert people make Brigadeiro sweets of milk and chocolate. People decorate plastic
trees or just dry tree branches. They put cotton over their Christmas tree branches to
simulate snow, as there isn’t snow here. Christmas time varies a lot from south to north
region.
7.Finland
People from all over the world send letters to Father Christmas, who is called Joulupukki
here, which means “Christmas goat”. Because of this, people dress up in goat masks to
deliver presents. The three holy days of Christmas are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and
Boxing Day. Christmas Eve is very special, when people eat rice porridge and a sweet soup
made from dried fruits (plums, raisins, apples, pears, apricots and figs). It´s eaten in the
morning or at lunchtime. They will then decorate a spruce tree in the home. At midday, the
'Christmas peace declaration' is broadcast on radio and TV from the city of Turku by its
Mayor.
8.France

Christmas here is called 'Noël. The Christmas tree is sometimes decorated in the old way
with red ribbons and real white wax candles. Fir trees in the garden are often decorated too,
with lights on all night.
Father Christmas is called Père Noël. On January 6th people eat a special almond cake with a
toy crown inside. The lunch contains a starter of fois gras (a strong tasting pate made from
goose liver) followed by lunch of seafood - usually including lobster and oysters.
Decorations in houses are minimal but town centres have Christmas decorations including
trees.

9.Sweden

In Sweden, there is a special celebration on St Lucia Day, which is 13 December. One

story says that St Lucia was young Christian girl who was killed in the 4th Century
because of what she believed in.Swedish people mark this with many Lucia
processions, led by a girl in a white dress with a crown of candles.

Children open their presents on Christmas Eve. The night before, they are expected to
leave a bowl of porridge out for Tomten - their name for Father Christmas - so that he
will leave presents for them.

Swedish people also have their main meal on Christmas Eve. This tends to be a big
buffet called Julbord, which people are encouraged to visit several times to eat lots of
food!

___________________----

10.Norway

Children look out for two creatures at Christmas.

First is a creature like a goat called Julebukk, who is a present-carrying gnome. Then
there is Jul Nisse, who guards farm animals and plays tricks on children if they don't
leave porridge out for him.

This country also gives the UK a Christmas tree every year, which stands in Trafalgar
Square in London. This is to say thank you for helping them during World War II.
11. Germany
Many houses have little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows, and
coloured pictures of paper or plastic which look beautiful from the outside at night. Often
too, they will have an 'Adventskranz' - a wreath of leaves with four candles. (Advent -
meaning 'coming' - is the 4 week period before Christmas). On each Sunday of Advent,
another candle is lit. Most homes also have little wooden 'cribs' - a small model of the stable
where Jesus was born, with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and animals.
Father Christmas - Der Weihnachtsmann - brings presents in the late afternoon of
Christmas Eve (December 24th), after people have been to a church meeting. The presents
are then found under the Christmas tree. One person in the family rings a bell and calls
everyone to come to the room. On Christmas Day, fish (carp) or goose is usually cooked.

12.Italy

Epiphany (6 January) is marked when children receive a stocking of sweets if they've

been good or a stocking full of coal if they haven't. This is brought by the Christmas
witch, who is called La Befana. Some families will leave a glass of wine and some food
for La Befana.

13.Greece

Children go from house to house on Christmas Eve, playing music and singing carols in
return for treats to eat. Before Christmas, fresh basil is wrapped around a wooden
cross, which is used to sprinkle water around the house to keep away mischievous
goblins called Killantzaroi.

14.Hungary
It is customary to hang edible things on the tree, like golden wrapped assorted chocolates
and meringues beside the glass balls, candles (real or electrical), and sparklers. For
children, who haven’t behaved well, a golden birch is placed next to the sweets, a symbol
for spanking.

15. Australia and New Zealand

Christmas lunch is a Bar-B-Q for friends and family to get together. They have a few beers
or wines with the meal!!

16.Latvia
It was in this country that the first Christmas tree was decorated. Father Christmas brings
presents on each of the 12 days of Christmas starting on Christmas Eve and puts them
under the family Christmas tree!

17.Romania
On the 6th December St Nicholas comes and puts small gifts in children shoes that have
been polished and placed near the windows and if children have been naughty they get a
little stick. In the countryside people dress as bears and goats and go and sing special
traditional songs at each house in the village. On Christmas Eve usually children go around
houses and sing carols and get fruit, sweets or money in exchange
People in the country side grow their own pigs which are sacrificed for Christmas and the
meat is cooked in different ways, like home made smoked sausages. People from
Transylvania serve stuffed cabbage or vine leaves, which are called 'sarmale'on Christmas
Eve, and next day for lunch.

18.United States
All year long children are told to behave, or they will get coal in their stocking. On
Christmas Eve, they hang highly stylized stockings on the mantle of the fireplace. At
midnight Santa lands on the roof with his sleigh and nine reindeer. He comes down through
the chimney, bringing a huge bag of toys and leaving candies in the stockings and presents
under the Christmas tree. Children leave a carrot for Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer. On
Christmas morning, things such as cinnamon rolls or coffee cake are served for breakfast,
and for dinner there is typically ham or turkey.
______gingerbread man___________________________________________
19. Great Britain
On Christmas radio and TV often broadcast the chiming of the bells from the main
clock of the country which has its own name. When two people get under the
mistletoe at the same time, they have to kiss each other.
The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day and was traditionally a day to give presents to the poor.
It is believed that a person to first foot (visit) friends or relatives in the New Year
should be tall, dark and handsome to will bring the people in the house good luck.

20. CANADA
Fir trees grow here and they always send the biggest and most beautiful tree to Boston in the USA. The
Santa Claus Parade is one of the oldest and largest parades in the world!
The main Christmas meal is roast turkey and “all the trimmings” like mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Desserts include plum puddings and mincemeat tarts.

21. Scotland

Children compose a letter in which they mention all the presents they want for
Christmas and throw it into the fireplace. It is believed that the list would go up the
chimney and get to Santa in Lapland that way.

A popular tradition is burning the branches of a rowan tree, which means that any
bad feeling between friends or relatives had been put aside.
People sing Auld Lang Syne (Times gone by) at New Year to remember old friends .