Christmas in Australia
In Australia, Christmas comes during the summer
holidays. Some people hang wreaths on their
front doors and go out Christmas carol singing
on Christmas eve.
Australians decorate their houses with Christmas trees, Christmas lights, tinsel,
snowmen and glass baubles. They also decorate their homes with bunches of
Christmas bush, a native Australian tree with green leaves and cream flowers.
On Christmas Day, children receive presents in a stocking or under the Christmas
tree. Children write letters to Santa Claus so that he knows what they would like
for Christmas. Santa wears a thick red suit and travels in a sleigh pulled by
reindeer.
Many Australians have a special meal on Christmas Day. Some people have cold
meats and seafood and a Pavlova for dessert. A Pavlova is a soft meringue cake
with cream and fresh fruit.
On Boxing Day most people go to the beach with their friends and have
barbecues and swim in the sea.
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Christmas in Germany
A big part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany is

Advent. Several different types of Advent calendars are
used in German homes. As well as the traditional one
made of card that is used in many countries, there are
ones made out of a wreath of fir tree branches with 24 decorated boxes or bags hanging
from it. Each box or bag has a little present in it.
Sometimes wooden frames, covered with coloured plastic sheets and with electric candles
inside, are put in windows to make the house look pretty from the outside.
Santa Claus or Father Christmas brings the presents on December 24th. December 6th is
St. Nicholas' Day and "der Nikolaus" brings some small gifts, such as sweets and chocolate,
to the children. He comes in the night between the 5th and the 6th and puts the presents
into the shoes of the children, who usually place them by their doors on the previous
evening. Christmas Eve is the main day when people in Germany exchange presents with
their families.
In German Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Frohe Weihnachten'.
Carp or Goose are often served for the main Christmas meal. Stollen is a popular fruited
yeast bread that is eaten at Christmas.
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Christmas in France
In France, a Nativity crib is often used to help decorate
the house. French cribs have clay figures in them, not
wooden ones. During December, some towns and cities
such as Marseilles have fairs that sell Nativity figures. As
well as having the normal Nativity figures in them, French scenes also have figures such as a
Butcher, a Baker, a Policeman and a Priest.
In French Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Joyeux Noël'.
Yule Logs made out of Cherry Wood are often burned in French homes. The log is carried
into the home on Christmas Eve and is sprinkled with red wine to make the log smell nice
when it is burning.
The main Christmas meal, called Réveillon, is eaten on Christmas Eve/early Christmas
morning after people have returned from the midnight Church Service. Dishes might
include roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters, foie gras, lobster, venison and
cheeses. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten.
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Christmas in the United Kingdom
In the UK (or Great Britain), families often celebrate
Christmas together, so they can watch each other open
their presents.
Most families have a Christmas tree in their house for
Christmas. The decorating of the tree is usually a family
occasion, with everyone helping. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are also sometimes used to
decorate homes or other buildings.
Most villages, towns and cities are decorated with Christmas lights over Christmas. Often a
famous person switches them on. The most famous Christmas lights in the UK are in
Oxford Street in London. Every year thousands of people go to watch the big 'switch on'
around the beginning of November.
Father Christmas or Santa Claus leaves presents in stockings or pillow-cases. These are
normally hung up by the fire or by a child's bed on Christmas Eve.
In the UK, the main Christmas meal is usually eaten at lunchtime or early afternoon on
Christmas Day. It is normally roast turkey, roast vegetables and 'all the trimmings' which
means vegetables like carrots, peas, stuffing and sometimes bacon and sausages. It is often
served with cranberry sauce and bread sauce.
Dessert is often Christmas pudding. Mince pies and chocolates are often eaten as well!
The dinner table is decorated with a Christmas cracker for each person and sometimes
flowers and candles.

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