In AUSTRALIA, Santa's sleigh is pulled by eight white kangaroos.

Christmas dinner is eaten outdoors and is followed by a visit to the beach or a game of cricket.

In SOUTH AFRICA, Christmas comes in the middle of the summer. After a large Christmas lunch, families visit the homes of friends to ask for and receive a "Christmas box" which usually has food inside.   There are eleven languages in South Africa. Here are the five most common ways of saying "Merry Christmas"!

Merry Christmas – English  Geseënde Kersfees – Afrikaans
Sinifisela Ukhisimusi Omuhle – Zulu  Sinifisela Khisimusi Lomuhle – Swazi Matswalo a Morena a Mabotse - Sotho

In NEW ZEALAND, it is the middle of summer at Christmas time. Instead of a hot drink Santa often gets a cooling beer as a snack on Christmas Eve. Christmas day families often have a picnic or go to the beach for Christmas Dinner. It is more traditional to have a cold ham than a hot turkey.

In GERMANY, children decorate their Christmas Lists with pictures and then leave them on the windowsill overnight, weighed down with a little sugar so they won't be missed by Father Christmas. There is a flower in Germany called the Christmas Rose which blooms even in the snow and ice. Frohes Weihnachtsfest

In LEBANON, families plant seeds of grain in small pots a month before Christmas. When Christmas arrives they have little pots of green to place around the Christmas Cave and their Christmas Tree. The Christmas Cave holds the nativity scene of Jesus's birth.

In AUSTRIA, on December 6, Heiliger Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) rewards good children with sweets, nuts and apples.   On December 24, the Christ Child brings presents and the Christmas tree for the children. The children wait until they hear a bell tinkling. Then they enter a special room where the Christmas tree is waiting all decorated with candles, ornaments and candies. The whole family sings Christmas carols and wishes each other:  FROLICHE WEIHNACHTEN!   FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!

In ITALY, on the evening of the day after Christmas, children are visited by a good witch named Strega Buffana. She flies around Italy on a broom and leaves treats for good children and coal for naughty children.
It is tradition to give a bag of dried lentils to your good friends to make lentil soup. This is a peasant soup and reminds them of their humble beginnings and is eaten to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year.

In FINLAND, it is a tradition to have a sauna bath before Santa's visit. On Christmas day most people go to "Christmas Church" and afterwards visit the grave sites of their loved ones and light candles for them.   Hyvää Joulua!

In BRITAIN, children write their letters to Father Christmas and then throw them into the fireplace so they will float up the chimney and fly to the North Pole. If the lists catch fire first, they have to rewrite them.   At Christmas dinner, a plum pudding is served with little treasures hidden inside that bring their finders good luck. Britain was the first country to hang up mistletoe.

In SWEDEN, "Jultomten", a little brownie helps Santa Claus give gifts to the children who have been good. On Christmas morning, churches are lit up entirely by candles for the Christmas service.

In the UKRAINE, Father Frost visits all the children in a sleigh pulled by only three reindeer.
He brings along a little girl named Snowflake Girl. She wears a silver blue costume trimmed with white fur and a crown shaped like a snowflake.

In the CZECH REPUBLIC, Saint Nicholas is helped by the Infant Jesus to give presents to the children. The Infant Jesus rings a little bell to let the children know he has come.
People believe that Christmas Eve has a certain magic and that you can see your future on that night. VESELÉ VÁNOCE!

In SWITZERLAND, during the holiday season the Star Singers (Sternsingers) dressed as the Three Kings parade through the streets of cities and towns singing Christmas songs.
In Zurich, Santa visits in a special fairytale tram and gives the children a ride through the city, singing songs with them and sharing a basket full of sweets.

In POLAND, traditional tree with all the trimmings, Christmas Eve family gatherings, dinner table always has a place setting left open for a homeless or less fortunate person who doesn’t have food to eat.  Breaking of the bread and exchange of prayers; One person breaks off a piece of another person’s bread while they kiss cheek to cheek and wish each other peace and happiness for the new year. 

In UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, people rush around like headless chickens, typically spending more money than intended, charging lavish gifts on credit cards they can barely pay. Countless parents subject their children to waiting in long lines in malls to sit on the lap of an overpaid, usually grouchy, white bearded, bad breathed, commercialized elderly man in the hopes that he will deliver the gift they want most. They’ll be the ones setting out cookies and milk
for a man who never comes.   What a sad lesson to learn that Santa Claus is a fraud that American parents use to manipulate their children into behaving properly.  Ever wonder how the child feels once they discover they’ve been lied to, all these years?
 
Actually, the American families I know travel far and wide to attend Christmas Eve church services to celebrate the birth our savior Jesus Christ.  After church many will gather round the fireplace or Christmas tree and exchange a gift or two.  Many Americans still enjoy the traditions of singing Christmas carols, donating their time to help those less fortunate, and giving gifts from their hearts instead of their pocket books.  Many Americans make time to visit wounded troops recovering in military hospitals, or pay a visit to the local homeless, abused women, and animal shelters, giving and serving in any way they are able. 

Share with us your family’s special Christmas traditions, CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Mr. Liddy will share his favorites with the audience all next week.