Christmas; a time of peace and joy. As a holiday celebrated the world over, we all have our own vision of the perfect Christmas day. Gift giving, Advent calendars, wreaths, Christmas carols, Christingle, Christmas cards, church services, massive family dinners, Christmas films, mistletoe, holly, the Nativity, elves, singing, dancing, prancing – Christmas is part of almost every culture in one way or another. Whether it’s Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Christkind, or Sinterklass who comes to visit in the middle of the night, we await the morning of the 25th to celebrate the festive holiday.
We always drive to Mildura where all of the family meet at my Nan and Pop’s houseboat. We spend a lot of time together, camping, swimming, cooking and eating, water skiing and trying to keep cool. We have campfires when we don’t have fire bans and use them for cooking. For breakfast, the favourite is eggs, bacon, and tomato in a roll.
On the evening of Christmas day, we drive for two hours to my other Nan and Pop’s house and meet up with our extended family for dinner (this is sometimes more than seventy people). Dinner is always cold meats and salad and our absolute favourite desert, Pavlova!
Jayden and Zac, Canberra, Australia
We decorate the tree on 24th and the presents are delivered by Santa at around dinner time. On 25th, we either have friends or family to eat with us (we usually eat duck).
Although I have celebrated Christmas around the world, personally, I like it better when we celebrate it at home. Spending Christmas with my loved ones and appreciating everything that I receive is very important to me.
Francesca, Copenhagen, Denmark
Usually, I just relax at home and spend as much time with my friends and family as much as I can.
Alex, Essex, England
The main celebration is on Christmas Eve. In the morning, my sister and I decorate the Christmas tree and my parents start to prepare dinner. After the tree is decorated and all of the Christmas lights are correctly positioned, my sister and I help out in the kitchen. At 4pm, we go to church where the local children perform the Christmas story. Every year it is the same play which can be pretty boring but it belongs to our celebration of Christmas. We return home, dress up, turn on Christmas songs, and help out in the kitchen. We have the best dinner of the year, watch films, eat biscuits, and, finally, go to sleep. The days of Christmas are similar to Christmas Eve.
I was born in Croatia and, sadly, we’re always in Germany for Christmas. We can’t celebrate the festive season with the rest of our family because my parents, usually, don’t have many holiday days over the Christmas period. So, on Christmas, it is only my parents, my sister, and me.
I never feel closer to my family than I do on Christmas. Even if we argue sometimes during the preparations about the colours of the baubles and the cooking of the dinner, at the end of the day, nobody thinks about it. We are happy to be together with a delicious dinner and our most important people.
Mario, Donja Stubica, Croatia
I celebrate Christmas at home with my family with a big feast at lunch time on Christmas day and a big dinner the night before on Christmas Eve. We usually go to church at midnight. We eat not only with our family but our extended family too. We have a lot of typical Christmas dishes – for example, pandoro and panettone – but I am more of a chocolate and mandarin type of person. We have a Christmas tree and a “presepe”, or a crib, with little models depicting that image of Jesus’ birth in the manger.
Silvia, Milan, Italy
In the Netherlands, the most important day during the Christmas period is 6th December, when Sinterklaas (or Santa Claus) brings children presents. When we are young, we believe that Santa Claus travels to the Netherlands from Madrid, Spain and bad children are put in a sack and taken to Spain to be taught how to behave.
On 5th December, we put a shoe in front of the chimney (the night before Sinterklaas arrives), which is filled the next day with something small, like sweets. We buy presents and write poems and throw all of the presents into a basket and place it under the tree. On 6th December, we have special treats, wine, and dinner. After dinner, we gather around the basket under the tree. The one who receives a present reads the poem and then picks the next present and gives it to the person it belongs to, etc. The tree can sometimes stay up for as long as six months.
Daniël, Groningen, Netherlands
So, Christmas when I was young was always a bit mediocre, mostly because the day of Christmas Eve and the first day of Christmas were always very much controlled by my mother.
My mother is a Catholic; so, for her, Christmas is a religious holiday first and a family holiday second (although the two, in her eyes, do overlap very much). Since I am not religious in any shape or form, I always protested against the fact that we had to go to church on Christmas Eve. In the last couple of years, however, I began to attach much more value to the Christmas holiday. Going to church still isn’t my favourite thing – partly because of boredom and mostly because of my own personal principles – but I do it because my mother really attaches value to me being there.
On Christmas Eve, we have dinner together but, this year, I am in charge! On the first day of Christmas, we spend time together just the four of us; my mother, my father, my brother, and I. We have a big Christmas brunch, go for a long walk, play games, and watch a movie together. On the second day of Christmas, we visit my grandmother on my father’s side for one or two days. We have a big dinner with around ten to fifteen members of my family. As a family, we don’t spent that much time together and aren’t particularly close (I am actually closer with some of my friends). So, being together on holidays like these have become really valuable to me. Seeing my father’s side of the family, who I usually see only once or twice a year, is really awesome. They’re such fun people and we are not often together.
Edwin, Limburg, Netherlands
Firstly, we visit the grave of someone that is missing, someone that is lost, and set out candles and a wreath for those who are gone. The family meet later, talking about anything and everything, eating dinner and opening presents. All this happens on 24th. That is the day of Christmas in Norway; nothing really happens on 25th December.
My family alternates between my parent’s home and my uncle and aunt’s home. When I was a kid, Christmas was all about the presents but now, having the family gathered to talk and eat is the true meaning of the holiday.
Oyvind, Lørenskog, Norway
On Christmas morning, we have a little lie-in. Because there are no children in our family, one of us pretends that we have been awake since 6am and runs around the house shouting “It’s Christmas!” We open our presents and have a jolly old shindig. My step-father cooks (he always takes far too long) and we usually eat around 6-7pm instead of 3pm, like we planned. My mother insists on watching EastEnders because she loves the Christmas specials. My siblings and I compete to see who can spike her drink the most with gin so she gets really drunk. Our friends and family, usually, pop round in the evening to drop off gifts and well wishes.
This year, however, Christmas will be slightly different – we’re shaking things up. We’re going to go to my brother’s instead.
Joyleen, Scotland
We have a big gathering of all of our friends at Christmas dinner; we live far away from our family so it is difficult to meet. This year, however, we are going to go to a hotel. We are going to get all pampered and have somebody cook us our dinner and be all fancy.
Lily, Scotland
On 25th December, I do absolutely nothing; we just don’t really celebrate Christmas. This year, I’m meeting some childhood friends (they are also Indian and, as such, don’t really celebrate Christmas either) and we’re going to do that Secret Santa thing.
Christmas to me doesn’t mean as much to me as it probably does to Christians but it is a great time to spend time with people you love, I guess.
Anuthama, Singapore
I’m going to my Aunt’s house and we are going to have a huge Christmas dinner and gift exchange! I think it’s one of the few occasions where the entire family makes the effort to be there, so it’s nice that everyone comes back from all over the place and the whole family gets to celebrate together.
Chloe, Singapore
This year, I will celebrate Christmas with my new friend, Tina. We are both from Switzerland and we met randomly, travelling in Yamba, Australia. Normally, I celebrate Christmas with my family, eating fondue, but this year I am going to have a barbeque at a friend’s house here, in Brisbane.
I spoke to my dad last week and he told me that, on Christmas Eve, he will dish the table for me as well and place the laptop so that I can celebrate Christmas twice; firstly here, in Australia with my friends, and secondly in Switzerland, nine hours later with my family. It is important for me to know that I have a family back home and that they are missing me as much as I am missing them, to know that there are people who love me even when I am not there. Most importantly, it was important for me to not spend Christmas alone. I am so happy that I have found a friend who I can share my day with (but it will never be the same as spending Christmas at home).
Laura, Switzerland
On the evening of the 24th, my family and I usually go to church (one of the few occasions where we actually go to church). We head home and we always have a great meal; a nice piece of meat or fondue chinois. After we finish the main courses, we go and get the presents and put them under the tree.
When I was little, one of my parents would stay at home whilst the other took the kids to church. When we got back home, the presents would be already magically placed under the tree; supposedly brought by the “Christmas Child”.
After the food is finished, we open the presents and listen to Christmas songs and when all of our neighbours are finished, we usually meet with them outside, drink hot wine and play more Christmas songs. On the 25th and 26th, we meet with the extended families.
Tim, Schwyz, Switzerland
We celebrate Christmas the American way!
Our Christmas is all about the family. I celebrate Christmas at my grandma’s house on my dad’s side. We cook together on Christmas Eve and go to church as a family, opening all of our presents at midnight.
Vivy, Texas, USA
This year, Christmas will be just that little bit different for me. After a twenty hour flight home and a lot of airplane food, I arrive at London Heathrow Airport to see my brother waiting for me. He takes me to our parents’ house, where I walk in and see my mother for the first time in six months. She has no idea that I am coming home. My dog jumps up excitedly as I enter. Patting him on the head, I walk into our living room. She smiles at me, although with some shock, and says how happy she is that I have come home for Christmas. I smile back; I am glad to be here, at home for Christmas with my family. I cannot imagine spending Christmas anywhere else.
