Christmas Around the World

There are plenty of weird and wonderful Christmas traditions around the world - here's a selection of them, contributed by BE readers.

Christmas in Australia (1): "I've now spent Christmas in Aus for twenty-four, out of a possible twenty-six years of living here. Every year it's the same, the feeling of surprise when hearing the first Christmas carols while shopping, around the beginning of November. I don't think I'll ever get accustomed to hot sunny days and Christmas celebrations." Sydney Sue in New South Wales describes the Australian Christmas.
Christmas in Australia (2): "'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire'...it's not!! In fact anyone caught doing anything with an open fire between the months of December and April is likely to incur a huge fine in Australia, as it's 'bushfire season'! The Country Fire Service personnel would not be best pleased to be summoned from their Christmas Day lunches for reason of chestnuts being roasted on an open fire and starting a bush fire that's now spread over 15 hectares or more!" Mojan in South Australia gives a different view of the Aussie Christmas.
Christmas in Canada: "As a child I didn't give it much thought...do children ever? I assumed that Christmas was just the way we celebrated it. I even thought the very first Christmas had snow and occurred during the shortest days of the year. Going to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, then returning to a late dinner of tourtière and eggnog seemed the perfect way to relax and fall asleep. I would have dreamt of sugar-plums, had I any idea what they were." Nora reminisces about childhood Christmases in Canada!
Christmas in France: "One thing I notice is that the people round here decorate the outsides of their houses... Several shops and small businesses, as well as a few private houses, sport half-sized Santa Claus figures shinning up ropes fixed to the gutters. Next year I'll get one myself, but I also need a stuffed wolf to put at the bottom of the rope to make it more exciting." Mike Kingdom-Hockings tells of his Joyeux Noël in France.
Christmas in Portugal: "Tradition here in Portugal dictates that whoever invites the family round at Christmas does a repeat performance on New Year's Eve with exactly the same meal! Boiled 'bacalhau', potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Sprinkled with chopped garlic and olive oil. Imagine eating that while the rest of the (wealthy) world is eating caviar, smoked salmon, Chateaubriand, whatever!" Jayne describes the festive season in Portugal.
Christmas Gifts: Let family and friends know you're thinking of them.
Book Review: Bad Christmas: "Don't you just love Christmas? The feelings of guilt when that distant relative thousands of miles away sends you a card and it's too late to send them one? ... The arguments in the kitchen as mother-in-law insists that you don't baste a turkey that way? No? This could be the book for you, then." Dave McMahon reviews 'Bad Christmas', a rib-busting collection of news stories and anecdotes about other people's Christmas disasters.

Christmas Gifts
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