• In the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand,December,25th is the most important holiday. Families gather on Christmas Eve. Traditional decorations are red and green.
• Families decorate evergreen trees.
• In America families often decorate early in December, but in Great Britain it is more traditional to decorate in Christmas Eve.
• Children hang stockings by their fireplaces for Santa Claus to fill with gifts during the night.
• Some children leave milk and cookies for Santa before they go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
• In all of countries it is traditional to have a big dinner with family and to exchange gifts. on the 25th.
• Two other holidays are celebrated around the same time as Christmas.
• Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, an eight-day “festival of light”.
• Every night families light a candle until there are a total of nine burning at the end of the period.
Black people in America celebrate Kwanzaa from December 26 to January,1.This is a cultural holiday, not a religious holiday with a principle for each day.
• Because people from many different cultures and countries live in America and Canada, there is not only one strong Christmas tradition.
• People decorate, exchange gifts and have a big dinner on the 25th.
• The Christmas season in these countries is very musical. Many people go from house to house to sing, and there are many concerts with music, singing and bells.
• Sometimes people dress in costumes and put on Christmas plays.
• The day after Christmas is an official holiday, Boxing day. It is a time to help people who don’t have enough money, food or clothing.