Customs & Celebrations:

An enormous number of customs surround Christmas, and vary from country to country. Many aspects, such as the Christmas tree, holly, the Christmas ham, the Yule Log, and the giving of presents were appropriated from the earlier Asatru pagan midwinter holiday of Yule and the traditional celebrations of the Winter solstice, which were very popular in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. (Other major pagan holidays similarly appropriated include Easter and Halloween.) Rather than attempting to suppress these popular feast days, the Christian missionaries simply gave them a new Christian interpretation, while permitting most of the associated customs to continue with little or no modification. A few Christian churches, most notably the Jehovah's Witnesses and some Puritan groups, thus view Christmas as a pagan holiday not sanctioned by the Bible and do not celebrate it.

In most Western countries, Christmas celebrations have both religious and secular aspects.

Secular customs

A house (over-)decorated for Christmas in Yate, EnglandSince Christmas has become associated with the Northern Hemisphere winter, motifs of this season are prominent in Christmas decorations and in the Santa Claus myth.

Santa Claus

Some of the more popular customs of British and North American Christmas are Santa Claus (or Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas), who brings gifts to children on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In some versions elves in a toy workship make all his holiday toys; he may also be married to Mrs. Claus. Many shopping malls in North America have a holiday mall Santa Claus whom children can visit to ask for presents.

Gift-giving and cards

Gift-giving is a near-universal part of Christmas celebrations. In many countries, children leave empty containers on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill with small gifts such as toys, candy, or fruit. In the United States, the tradition is to hang a Christmas stocking by the fireplace, because Santa is said to come down the chimney the night before Christmas to fill them. In other countries, children place their empty shoes out for Santa's visit.

Christmas cards are extremely popular in the United States, in part as a way to maintain relationships with distant relatives and business acquaintances. Many families include an annual family photograph with the card and/or a family newsletter which summarizes the adventures and accomplishments of family members during the preceding year.

Decorations (aka decking the halls)

Decorating a Christmas tree with Christmas lights and Christmas ornaments; and the decoration of the interior (and sometimes exterior) of the home with garlands and evergreen foliage, particularly holly and mistletoe are common traditions. In North America and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with large numbers of lights, including (sometimes) lit-up models of sleighs, snowmen and other Christmas figures.

The traditional Christmas flower is the poinsettia. Other popular holiday plants are holly, red amaryllis and Christmas cactus.

Cities often get into the swing of things, hanging Christmas banners from street lights or placing Christmas trees in the town square.

Social aspects and entertainment

In many countries, businesses, schools and communities have Christmas parties and dances. These often take place during the several weeks before Christmas Day. Some groups put on Christmas paegents, which may or may not include a retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ. Sometimes groups may go out carolling, and visit neighborhood homes to sing Christmas carols. Other people are reminded by the holiday of man's fellowship with man and do extra volunteer work, or hold fundraising drives for charities.

Timing of Christmas gifts

For most of the world, Christmas gifts are given at night on Christmas Eve (24 December) or alternatively in the morning on Christmas Day.

For those countries who recognize Saint Nicholas as the bearer of gifts, presents are given on 5 December or 6 December. In Spain, and in countries with a similar tradition, gifts are brought by the three Kings (Magi or Wise Men) at Epiphany on 6 January. In the UK, it was traditional to give gifts to non-family members on Boxing Day, 26 December, but this is less common now. Some families choose to give presents more than once during the winter season.

The song The Twelve Days of Christmas suggests an old tradition of gifts each day from Christmas to Epiphany.

Food

On Christmas Day, a special meal of Christmas dishes is usually served, for which there are traditional menus in each country. Candy and treats are also part of the Christmas celebration in many countries.

Religious customs and celebrations

The religious celebrations begin with Advent, the anticipation of Christ's birth, around the start of December, and are marked by special church services. Advent services often include Advent carols, and the period is also celebrated with Advent calendars, sometimes containing sweets and chocolate for children. Immediately before Christmas, there are many Christmas services at churches at which Christmas hymns and Christmas carols are sung. There also are special services, typified by the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Cambridge. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, special services often include a Midnight Mass, or a Mass of the Nativity. The church's season of Christmas ends on the feast of the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night, the traditional date of the visit of the Three Kings to the child Jesus.

The holiday's popularity is so pronounced that other faiths have emphasized their own winter holidays to serve as a Christmas surrogate. The most obvious example is Judaism's Chanukah, which in the 20th century has evolved a similar family gift-giving tradition.

National customs and celebrations

In the United Kingdom, another aspect of the Christmas season popular with young families is the pantomime.