Finland is the first country on the list of Santa's stops. Finished families celebrate St. Lucia's Day, as do most of the Scandinavian countries. The celebration of Christmas occurs from December 24th to the 26th. Several weeks before hand, during the advent season, homes are prepared, cookies are baked, and decorations are made ready.

 In England we celebrate with the town light tern on we decorate 25 nov and eat turkey and Brussel sprouts and pigs in blankets and for afters Christmas pudding.

Christmas is a very special time in Jamaica and like a lot of other countries, radio stations play Carole all through the Christmas period. Lots of people paint their houses and hang new curtains and decorations for Christmas. Most families spend Christmas Day at home with friends and family members. The Christmas day meal is usually prepared on Christmas Eve. The traditional Jamaican Christmas meal include fresh fruits, sorrel and rum punch and meat. The Christmas Day breakfast includes ackee and salt fish, breadfruit, fried plantains, boiled bananas, freshly squeezed fruit juice and tea. Dinner is usually served in the late afternoon and this may include chicken, curry goat, stewed oxtail, rice and peas. Jamaican red wine and rum fruitcake is traditional and is eaten in most homes. The fruits in the cake are soaked in red wine and white rum for months before Christmas. (I have some friends who come from Jamaica and Jamaican Christmas Cake is really nice!) Thank you to Lola Adegoke for her help in giving me information on Christmas in Jamaica!

Most people go to Church on Christmas Eve in Madagascar. The services start about 5.00pm and lasts until after midnight! Different groups in the Church, especially children, perform songs and plays celebrating the birth of Jesus. People also go to Church on Christmas Day as well. After the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service, churches give out sweets or biscuits to the people in the Church.

For the 40 days before Christmas Coptic Orthodox Christians fast don't eat any meat products except for fish. This is called 'The Holy Nativity Fast. The Coptic month leading to Christmas is called Kiahk. People sing special praise songs on Saturday nights before the Sunday Service.

japan Christmas's Encouraged by commerce, the secular celebration of Christmas is popular in Japan, though Christmas is not a national holiday. Gifts are sometimes exchanged and cake with cream and strawberry's on top eaten.