In Britain Christmas greetings are sent in Christmas cards. Houses, shops, streets and whole towns are decorated with coloured lights, Christmas trees, brightly coloured streamers and every colour of tinsel imaginable. Gifts are exchanged between friends and families. Children hang stockings on Christmas Eve ready for Santa to fill when he visits. In some houses Santa leaves the filled stockings with the family presents under the tree, in other houses he leaves them at the bottom of the child's bed. Santa usually enters the house down the chimney leaving his reindeer and sleigh parked on the roof. Santa receives a mince pie and glass of sherry (or something similar) and very often there is a carrot or some such fayre for the reindeer.
A Christmas carol service or midnight mass is often held in churches late on Christmas Eve, with a wide range of services on Christmas morning.
Christmas dinner is a high point of the celebration with huge family gatherings, crackers, festive food and a lot of fun. Dinner is often followed by the family watching The Queen's Christmas Message on the television.
Decorations, Christmas trees, candles, the singing of Christmas carols, nativity plays, pantomime, walking, playing games and watching special Christmas programmes on television are all part of the activities within the celebration.
Nearly everyone in Britain gets some holiday at Christmas time.
Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, traditionally the day the servants had as their holiday, and the day they were given their "Christmas box" or their Christmas gift, hence "Boxing "day. These days it is a day of sport, various sporting activities are shown on television and some country folk will go hunting or follow the hunt.
In France, Italy, Portugal, Southern Germany and Spain the celebration is very similar but with the addition of fireworks which are set off on Christmas eve. The Christmas tree does not tend to be the centre of the household decoration as in Britain, but the creche...the little models of the nativity scene where baby Jesus is laid in his crib with great awe during a carol service on Christmas Eve. France adds models of saints to the creche.
In 1224 the first creche was created by St. Francis of Assisi near Greccio in Italy. Crowds of people gathered round to sing hymns on Christmas Eve and gradually the idea spread until it has become a tradition. The popularity of the Christmas carol owes a lot to the same event.
In Holland the big celebration is on Christmas Eve. The festive gathering for dinner is then, the presents given out after dinner and midnight mass to complete the celebration for the evening. Christmas day is a much quieter affair. On the 26th December the decorations are put away again and the Christmas tree is placed outside the house. The children collect up the trees and have a bonfire. That is the end of Christmas. On January 6th children dress up as the three kings and go ringing door bells. At visited houses they are given cake. At home they have a cake with a bean hidden in it. Whoever gets the bean chooses the meal for the next day.
In Italy and Mexico the presents are given for Epiphany on the 6th January to coincide with the present given to baby Jesus by the kings.
In Australia Christmas is celebrated on the beach in early summer. They barbecue the turkey and have ice-cream with the Christmas pudding. However heat is not going to stop the decoration which is an important part of Christmas and it is possible to see windows sprayed to look snowy in the heat wave. Most carol services are performed by candle light out of doors.
In France a celebration meal is often eaten after midnight mass, it is called "le reveillon" or midnight party.
In Finland the Christmas tree is taken in and decorated on Christmas Eve. Tomtar is put on top, he is a gnome who helps Father Christmas by telling him if the child has been good or naughty. The candles on the tree are lit early on Christmas morning when it is still dark outside.