Children around the world wait all year for Christmas Eve. It’s a very magical and special time of year. Santa will soon be here, bringing gifts to all the good boys and girls…which is one tradition. But did you know that Christmas Eve traditions differ in various countries? In this article we will be exploring all the traditions of Christmas Eve. Welcome, we hope you enjoy it…
Santa and his elves have been working all year for this big night. Spanning the globe via sleigh and reindeer can have you working up quite an appetite. Children to the rescue. In both Canada and the United States, children leave some milk and cookies to feed Santa’s ferocious appetite. In Australia and Britain they prefer to leave mince pies and sherry. The children of Sweden want to satisfy Santa’s love of chocolate, so they leave brownies.
Santa’s reindeer are not to be forgotten on this big night. After all, they need to pull a sleigh filled with Christmas presents around the world. How tough is that? Once again, children to the rescue. Kids from the United States, Canada, Britain, and Australia leave a carrot to give those reindeer that “extra boost of energy” that they are going to need to make that final push. Children who follow the Dutch custom of sinterklass go a bit further in that they leave some hay with a carrot in a shoe. When they wake up the next morning the shoe will be replaced by a gift.
Reading books and watching television or videos have become a Christmas Eve tradition as well. One popular book is “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clark Moore. Popular videos are: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or Frosty the Snowman. For those who like to sing Christmas Carols, popular titles are: Here Comes Santa Claus, Up on the Housetop, or Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
Just before going to bed, children around the world put their stockings on mantels in hope that “Santa will soon be here”, or so the song goes. They are full of anticipation that Santa will fill them with gifts, candy, and other goodies…ready for them when they wake up tomorrow morning. A quick look up the chimney to ensure that he has not arrived yet, a glance out the window to see if they can catch a glimpse of a passing sleigh, and perhaps unlocking the front door (in case Santa has problems navigating the chimney), then off to bed…
Parents have their part to play in Christmas Eve as well. There are a lot of gifts that need to be placed under the tree, and they will often be signed “From Santa” or “Love Santa”.
Did you enjoy this little tour of “The Night Before Christmas”? Christmas Eve is certainly a magical time of year…but we are not done yet. In future articles we will be exploring more aspects of Christmas, so stay tuned…
Want to find out more about Christmas, then visit Emily Latimer’s site on how to choose the best Christmas gifts for those special people on your list.
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