It’s 🎄Christmas, friends! That means something different for all of us. Up before sunrise with kids who couldn’t wait to see what 🎅🏻Santa brought in his sleigh. Quiet time alone with a cup of ☕️coffee and a parade on TV. Family stopping by for quick visits. Virtual chats. College kids wandering from bed to the couch.
I thought it might be fun to learn a little about 🎄Christmas celebrations 🌎worldwide.
🎄In Poland, Christmas dinner may not begin until the first star appears at night. It’s a tradition to set an extra place at the table for uninvited guests.
🎄Families in Finland start the day with a porridge made of rice and milk topped with cinnamon, milk, or butter. They end it by warming up in the sauna together.
🎄New Zealanders and Australians celebrate their summertime Christmas by gathering for cookouts and maybe a day at the beach.
🎄Children in England hang stockings on their bedposts, so they wake up to treats!
🎄The Irish leave a tall red candle in a front window overnight to symbolize warmth and shelter for the holidays.
🎄Children in the Netherlands put a shoe by their chimneys or back doors. Then, on Christmas morning, they find treats like gingerbread men, marzipan, or chocolate letters inside.
🎄Kids in Austria worry about a devil-like creature called Krampus, who joins their St. Nicholas festivities on December 6. Good kids get treats like apples. Naughty kids wonder what Krampus might bring for them.
🎄In the Philippines, a Christmas lantern is made mainly from bamboo and paper. It’s shaped like a star to symbolize the star of Bethlehem.
🎄Since 1966, in Sweden, a Yule Goat about 42 feet has been built in the center of Gävle’s Castle Square for Advent. Unfortunately, this tradition has led to another– people trying to burn it down! The Goat has been burned down 29 times- most recently in 2016.
🎄In Ethiopia, people celebrate Christmas, called Ganna or Genna, on January 7. This is a time for church, games, and food- not a time for presents.
Whatever today looks like for you, ✨I hope you find joy. ✨I hope you feel love. ✨I hope you have beautiful holiday memories. ✨I hope you have hope. Merry Christmas!💖
sharing the stairs 