Rhonda

I know we have alot of countries represented on here. I hope a few more will speak up. I'm curious about Santa Claus in other countries. Do you have an equivalent? And elves? Rudolph the rednosed reindeer. Do you have anything like this in your country? Or other stories surrounding Christmas? Do you celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas time in your country?

earthwalker

We are in Western Australia...very hot today around 95f or 36c. Christmas here is usually hot, but as I am English and my husband Sicilian, we do the usual European Christmas (mix of English and Italian food). We have a huge late lunch which extends into the evening...our children, their partners and other extended family all gather under our patio and eat and drink. We are very fortunate to have a swimming pool, so everyone hops in if it gets too hot (the dogs included). We put up the usual decorations and have a large potted conifer (pine) that we bring in and decorate, we also have a nice nativity scene as that is traditional for my husband.

We open our gifts from under the tree now, but when the children lived at home (even when they got big), we used to put gift/sweet filled pillowcases at the end of their beds on Christmas Eve....then later in the morning, they got the tree gifts (usually bigger items).

This year we did a "Christmas in July"...(our winter). It is like a mini-Christmas (minus the majority of the decorations). We had traditional Christmas food, a little tree with just tinsel and lametta (long strands of tinsel stuff) and did a Secret Santa fun gift game instead of proper presents. It is becoming popular here - eating Christmas fare when it is so cold cold/wet is fun...also gives us another chance to get everyone together and eat too much!

purplemem

Rhonda, my family does new pjs for Christmas Eve. It started when I was a little girl, my gramma made my nightgowns. I could open one gift for Christmas Eve, it was always hers...I do this now for my kids and gdkids. Everybody gets new pjs Christmas Eve - including ME!

Rhonda

Is this a family thing or does it have a broader beginning in a certain culture? Just curious because it isn't anything I have heard of before. Just wondered where it comes from.

purplemem

Good question! My background is native american...almost all of our gifts are handmade, always have been. Don't know more than that.

Rhonda

Thanks Purplemem!

sunflower126

When my kids were young I always made them new p.j.'s for Christmas. Now I make them for the grandchildren. In fact I was just cutting them out this evening. I have to make 5 pairs. A friend of mine always bought her grandson new p.j.'s and while they were at Christmas Eve service she would have someone throw into their driveway and tell him Santa had left them. I don't know how our tradition started, probably because when my kids were young I made almost everything they wore.