Christmas Around the World

Christmas Around the World

When we talk about Christmas, it’s easy to assume that the holiday is the same all over the world. But is that really true?

Traditionally, kids in the United States write letters to Santa to talk about the things they want for Christmas. If they’ve been good throughout the year they will likely receive a letter from Santa that assures them their name is on his ‘Nice List’. These same kids will probably have a decorated Christmas tree in their homes and they will hang stockings for Santa to fill with wonderful surprises.

For most of us, Christmas includes an exchange of gifts, a visit from Santa, and a delicious meal that is shared with loved ones.

But what about Christmas in other places: Is the holiday celebrated in the same way? Now, we have Internet and social networks that make it possible for us to see and experience how people observe Christmas in different parts of the world.

Christmas Foods

Christmas food is not only ham, turkey, and delicious side dishes and desserts. In other parts of the world, different kinds of food will be served on Christmas. Most European countries

celebrate Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. The Czech Republic, Austria and Germany serve carp with vegetables.

The carp is cooked in a beer and ginger sauce which makes it very tasty and spicy. Bulgaria serves twelve dishes, none of which are meat. They are different kinds of beans, fruits, cakes, cheese and spinach. Some countries, like Australia and Brazil follow the traditional turkey, ham, and stuffing viands.

The Christmas meals in France vary based on the regions. Parisians enjoy foie gras and oysters, while goose is the main fare in Alsace and Burgundy. Spain and Portugal concentrate on seafood such as sea bass, almonds and marzipan.

Christmas Traditions

Some Christmas traditions follow the cultures of the country. Russia celebrates Christmas on January 7. On Christmas Day, the Czech Republic women try to predict if they will get married in the coming year. With their back to the main house door, the shoe is thrown over their shoulder. If the heel is nearer the door, they will remain single.

German children leave their shoe outside the door and if they are good, the shoe will be filled with candies. This is similar to leaving your stockings in the fireplace, with the expectation that it will be filled with goodies the following morning. Slovakians throw a spoonful of loksa to the ceiling to predict if they will have a good harvest the following year.

The harvests are plentiful if more loksa stays stuck to the ceiling. Christmas is normally celebrated on December 25. But there are countries that because of their culture and tradition, might celebrate it on a different day and for a longer period.

But wherever it is and whatever food you partake, the spirit of Christmas lives in everyone. From the team at Package From Santa: A very Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Santa Letters From Santa’s Nice List Are A Child’s Best Reward

Parents everywhere use the concept behind Santa’s Naughty and Nice List as a way of eliciting good behavior from our children. This tactic has been used for generations, passed down from parent to child over and over.

Most of us can remember hearing our parents threaten us with calls to Santa or the simple, “Santa knows if you’ve been good or bad”, which was usually enough of a warning to scare us into being good, at least temporarily.

While as a child, had we known what we know now, this treatment may have been recognized as cruel or manipulative, as an adult we fully understand why our parents used this tactic – the simple truth is that it works. And when a parent finds a fail-proof way to get his/her child to demonstrate the deserved behaviors we latch on to it. In fact, many of us would like to find other ways to use the same sort of method year round.

This method puts the dirty work on someone else – but what child could ever think badly of Santa Claus? After all, he is the ultimate when it comes to giving and caring for other people. Obviously displeasing him is our fault – not his.

These Naughty and Nice Lists are often the core reason that many children want so desperately to write Letters to Santa. They want and need the assurance that they are on his Nice List. While the Santa Letters may not always directly ask Santa which list the child is on, most children know that a response from Santa means that they are in fact, on his Nice List.

The simple fact that a child receives a letter from Santa indicates that he is willing to take the time to talk with the child. In a child’s mind, misbehavior can result in a less caring relationship which would possibly mean that in this case, if the child was on the Naughty List, Santa wouldn’t care and would not write back. When children get a Christmas letter from the North Pole they know they have been forgiven for any misdeeds and that Santa still loves them – but more importantly, they know they are on Santa’s Nice List!