How do YOU celebrate Christmas? What are some of YOUR traditions? Over the years and especially through blogging, I've come to realize people celebrate Christmas differently throughout the world. There are so many beautiful customs, values and traditions. I'm thinking about incorporating some of them into my own Christmas traditions. Have you ever done that? Other cultures fascinate me. I love looking at Christmas through other people's pictures and written words. Some customs may include decorating the tree the day before Christmas, a nativity scene (creche) instead of a Christmas tree, giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day instead of Christmas Day, advent and advent calendars, attending midnight mass, opening presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. It may even be a warm Christmas for some people in the world. Christmas trees may be called Trees of Light. Santa Claus may be called Saint Nicholas, Svaty Mikalas, Father Christmas, or Pere Noel. Remember to respect others traditions, values and beliefs. No matter where you are in the world! No matter what your beliefs! One thing is certain. People gather together and celebrate with loved ones. No matter the combination, Christmas is a time for celebration. It's a time to come together, be thankful, give, love, praise, rejoice and enjoy. I thought a great way to capture this essence, would be through art. I found these beautiful Christmas paintings on a site called
Saatchi. They feature artists from around the world! It's awesome to see Christmas through an artist's eyes. Especially artists from different parts of the world. They're different, yet the same!
We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve after midnight mass - which was at 7pm (even though still called midnight mass!)
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in France, Germany and the UK, my Christmas is a mix of traditions. Going to a Christmas market in the weeks before the big day is a must and so is mulled wine. We open our presents on Christmas day (though they are opened on Christmas eve in Germany) and might go to midnight mass on Christmas eve. One thing that's a tradition in my house is that the tree never goes up before Christmas eve. At lunchtime we put music on, get the sweets out, put the tree up and decorate it. I nearly love the 24th more than the 25th - all the preparations (after the mad shopping is done) and decorating are just fun and the atmosphere is really festive :-) xo
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!! I love the Ginger House!!
ReplyDeleteXOXO!
I love the different Christmas traditions, it shows that there isn't just one right way to celebrate, there are all different and amazing ways to celebrate!! And I love learning about them. These art pieces are amazing, I love the one with the doll & the Journey of the Magi!! Have a great day doll xx
ReplyDeleteLovely paintings! :)
ReplyDeleteHubby has always done mass on Christmas eve, I've always grown up going to church on Christmas morning after opening presents. We kind of rotate each year so we do something from each tradition! :)
Oh, and we definitely have warm Christmases here. Fingers crossed anyway! haha
Away From The Blue
Really like the Frost & Snow and The Russian Christmas paintings - the Russian one even has the old fashion decorations that I remember from my childhood. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the way I feel about Christmas here is the same way I always felt about New Years in Russia as we never celebrated Christmas in my native country until very recently, so the only thing that changed is the choice of food, a sort of mix of British and Russian and ALWAYS a little something for our pupster (he gets a roasted turkey burger with a mix of his favourite veggies, all in a mini bun :) )
How do you celebrate yours, Kim? Any special plans?
xxx
These are great paintings, Kim:) I love seeing how different cultures celebrate the holidays too. For us, it's a very religious thing as well, being Catholic, so Mass on Christmas Eve, dinner afterwards, and then open gifts on the 25th. We also have a big Christmas dinner with the whole fan on Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have always enjoyed learning about holiday customs from around the world! That collection of art is fab (another passion of mine--holiday-themed art)! We always have a gathering on Christmas Eve with a feast and opening of presents. Christmas Day is relaxed: a big breakfast, snacky foods and often a matinee with the family in the afternoon. :) Hugs, T. http://tickledpinkwoman.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHi Kim! Different traditions and customes fascinated me too. Uusally here we make the tree and the nativity on 8th Dec and we took it off the day of Epiphany (6th Jan), during the holidays there are big feasts and yummy stuff to eat. Btw, these paintings are fantastic and so magical, I enjoyed them all!:) Kisses dear! xo
ReplyDeleteHi Kim! We usually have a feast called Noche Buena here during Christmas eve where we eat and eat and eat and eaaattt. lol. But due to unavoidable work issues this year, my family decided to move this three days prior because we wanted to spend it with the whole family. As for decorations, we usually put them up at the start of December. Hihi. We just love Christmas here.
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whenever I come your blog I want to eat sweets candies and chocolates :) oh how wil i stop this feeling?
ReplyDeletexx
Style Of OzOz
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No matter how differently people celebrate Christmas I know for certain that it is a happy celebration no matter how little or big the preparation maybe. Half of my life I had lived in California and we would have a Christmas Eve dinner over at a cousin's house. We would have games and prizes then by 10pm we would head home, go to bed and open presents on the 25th. The other half of my life, I've spent the holidays here in the Philippines. Since the Philippines was once under Spanish rule, they adopted the 9 mornings practice to this day. 9 days before Christmas Catholics would attend mass from 3:00am-5:00am. They say that if one completes the 9 mornings his/her wishes would come true. I've never practiced this. Every Christmas eve we have a grand feast, relatives come over to our house and we all stay up and wait for midnight. As soon as the clock strikes midnight we would exchange presents and eat some more, then everyone goes home and goes to bed. On the 25th, Christmas day, we have another feast. =)
ReplyDeletethere is always fruit cake in the house. a recent tradition I have tried to create with my best friend is having breakfast on Christmas morning somewhere together.
ReplyDeleteWow this was a very interesting post! It's so fun to read how everyone celebrates holidays differently. I love hearing about what other people do for the holidays!
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My friend is German and she said back in Germany they put the tree up right before Christmas. Now that she lives here in the states, she likes to put the tree up in advance so she can enjoy it longer. Definitely interesting to hear about other customs!
ReplyDelete-Sharon
The Tiny Heart
Cool post! You're so right. We gather and celebrate no matter what.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Hungary keeps it my kind of cool and simple.
We are starting new traditions. Like going to the Christmas tree farm and picking out a tree and making recyclable and reusable garland.
We believe in keeping it simple and concentrating on the important things and our blessings.
Gorgeous paintings! I love different they all are.
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunning array of art! It's so interesting to find out about different holiday customs around the world. And so true that no matter what traditions you follow, Christmas is a time for gathering with your loved ones to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteRowena @ rolala loves
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You have chosen such a lovely varied selection of festive pictures. I too am very interested in the traditions of other cultures and I have just been reading the other comments - fascinating!
ReplyDeleteLate on Christmas Eve we leave a mince pie and whisky for Father Christmas and carrots for the reindeer in the fireplace and we open our presents on Christmas Day in the morning!
http://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk
Kim this was such a wonderful post for this time of year! I love how traditions are different all around the world. My traditions have changed since I have lived at home, now that I live in my own house. But all of them were nice :)
ReplyDeleteThose paintings are beautiful Kim. I especially like the French Reindeer and Russian Doll. My family's tradition is that we stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve and open our stockings. Then on Christmas morning we open the rest of the gifts. I love learning how other people celebrate as well!
ReplyDeleteHere in Finland we usually bring in the christmas tree only a couple of days before Christmas Eve, sometimes even as late as the day before. Christmas Eve is the day we gather with friends and family over a big christmas dinner and later in the evening we open our gifts. I love the idea of incorporating traditions from other countries into my own celebration, maybe I should do that too. I wish you a fabulous day, dear gal!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I loved all the paintings. It's so neat to see what each artist associates with Christmas time.
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<3 gingerbread houses
ReplyDeletexx
bianca
www.worryaboutitlater.com
Dear Kim, I love getting to know other people traditions too :-) Mine are among those you have mentioned: we have a huge dinner on Christmas' Eve , and before midnight we open our presents. We both decorate our Christmas tree and have a wood carved Nativity scene, where baby Jesus is placed only on Dec 25th. What about you?
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Coco et La vie en rose
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Very interesting post Kim....lovely to learn about other traditions:)
ReplyDelete~Anne
This is adorable. I totally want to make and eat a gingerbread house now.
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This is such a lovely post. And so in keeping with the spirit of the season and what it is really about.
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Lovely post Kim as it is so neat how other countries celebrate the holiday. I am such a sucker for gingerbread anything, love that house! Hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeletewww.nycstylelittlecannoli.com
How pretty - thanks for sharing all these beautiful paintings!
ReplyDeleteI love the angel!
ReplyDeleteFor us its all about putting up our Tree, xmas carols, family time and plenty of food Kim. Love this time of year. :)
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Happy Holidays doll.
Maria
http://www.onestyleatatime.com/
Christmas really is different all over the world. Even my own family is a mix of traditions; my paternal grandmother was Ukrainian and brought a very different set of celebrations to her marriage, including a nine-course meatless dinner on Christmas eve. And now, having lived in France, I've learned some new traditions of my own - mulled wine is a must! I think the wonderful think about Christmas is that we can really make it our own, and celebrate in the way that makes us most joyful.
ReplyDeletexox,
Cee
so many traditions around the world kim! we usually have a huge dinner on eve..
ReplyDeletesteph / absolutely-fuzzy.com
This is simply a WOW post. It is really fun to learn that how Christmas holidays are celebrated differently in different territories.
ReplyDeleteIt is always good idea to plan holidays differently to explore the most interesting way..
xoxo
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Hi Kim, beautiful post girl!! You know, I love Different traditions and costumes, they always attract me! I love the paintings and Christmas trees!! It is really nice to learn that how Christmas holidays are celebrated differently in different places.
ReplyDeleteHello there!
ReplyDeleteGreat post here!!
Traditions from different country/ races really sounds interesting.
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Nice post my dear! It's really intresting discover different traditions, I love the russian tree!
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Viky --- MySecretFashionPoison
Beautiful pictures!!!!
ReplyDeleteciao
Funny i never knew Christmas was celebrated in different ways. Well, in Africa a life animal has to be sacrificed either a Goat, Chicken or turkey depending on your pocket. It's usually a big celebration. You have your family and friends come around to visit and dance to music,then you go out to exotic places,Unlike the UK,It's a must you sit at home with your family or go on holiday.You don't even feel like driving.Buses and trains are restricted so you got no choice than to stick your butts at home. So boring!Well, been use to this since i was little except i travel to Africa. Africa is fun sometimes...
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In South Africa it's the middle of Summer so when we come back from Midnight Mass we have chanmpayne breakfast and open gifts and phone family around the country. The day is filled with loads of food and family :)
ReplyDeletex Nats ~ coraltintedperceptions.blogspot.com
very nice pictures! i love christmas
ReplyDeleteSo great and so pretty!!!
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great global post, Kim!! i'm so excited for Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing to see how it's celebrated around the world!
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I love that you wrote about this Kim. I love learning about different traditions. My family used to open presents after dinner on Christmas Eve and then get more from Santa on Christmas morning. These days I like having my friends over for Christmas dinner and having all different religions etc present--I love the harmony in that.
ReplyDeletexo Mary Jo
Lovely post Kim, love learning new things. In Denmark we have Christmas dinner on the 24th and open the presents later that night. For food we have roast duck, Back of pork with crackling, new potatoes, caramelized potatoes, red cabbage and lots of gravy. For dessert we have a dish called Ris A'la mande - with cherry sauce. Hidden in that is an almond, and the one who gets it, gets the gift:) Watch out I'll post our Christmas dinner on the blog soon. Take care love,
ReplyDeleteAx
My parents are from Taiwan and though they do christmas presents, they never did all the traditional things like a christmas tree and stockings. Now my husband and I do those things together and it's great. :)
ReplyDeletexo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee
i love decorating the tree with the kids.
ReplyDeletetwo years ago i started the Elf on the shelf. this year our elf hasn't been flying to the north pole much...eek! this morning, he was in a new spot, and I DIDN'T MOVE HIM! i think mini-she is picking up my slack, haha!
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I love learning about others' traditions. Our daughter just turned four, so I am really trying to create our own traditions within our little family. Some of my favorites are going to Temple Square (SLC, UT) and looking at the lights and a carriage ride; having the Pajama Elves deliver our jammies on Christmas Eve, and making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the absolutely most interesting posts Ive read about Christmas. In Sa, we have so many diverse cultures, that its a holiday just celebrated with friends and family having a bbq on the beach or somewhere outdoors. You are so sweet to stop by...Happy End of the Week Darlin :)
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the absolutely most interesting posts Ive read about Christmas. In Sa, we have so many diverse cultures, that its a holiday just celebrated with friends and family having a bbq on the beach or somewhere outdoors. You are so sweet to stop by...Happy End of the Week Darlin :)
ReplyDeleteOther cultures fascinate me too. I love reading and learning about the customs and traditions of others. And I think that incorporating the traditions of others into your own is a wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteTracy @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights
Great post Kim! Well, my family has several traditions of their cultures and prepare the first week of Dec., but when we usually come together my parents do a huge Christmas Eve feast of Hors d'oeuvres, spice cake, and open presents. Then a big Christmas breakfast/brunch catered. It's a big deal in our family and a bit over the top, but I love it. But these days, I am celebrating some of my bf fam traditions. I love Christmas! Have a great weekend!:-) xx
ReplyDeleteHey Kim, I never knew there are so many Christmas traditions! Thanks for educating us.
ReplyDeletexo Jo
http://www.whiterosesandcoffee.com/
I like finding out about how different people do/celebrate/decorate/etc. similar things.
ReplyDeleteLike apartments. It's the "same" but everyone has their own way of decorating! It's always interesting to me!
Hi Kim! Here in Lima we have adapted many American and European ways, for example drank hot chocolate at midnight despite being in the middle of summer! Children believe in Santa, eat turkey, and open presents at midnight Christmas tree we have snow and snowmen, even though there's no snow! but as you say we all had a family and that is the most important.
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Here in Toronto! we have dinner with our family on Christmas Eve and open the presents after that. Then we go to Midnight mass. Our tradition is to decorate our Christmas tree on the beginning of December. Love Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful cards and lovely words, Kim! I've always had a warm Christmas at Tenerife and this years I'm staying in Switzerland with my boyfriend so I might enjoy a white Christmas for the first time :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you're so right about different Christmas traditions, they're all wonderful! I was really surprised when I first heard about st Nicholas but after two years in the Netherlands it's a tradition I love and share - they also have it in Switzerland. And I love British mince pies, they're just too good and this year I'm going to try and bake my own from scratch. Very excited about it :)
Thank you for your nice comments, Kim, and sorry I haven't replied on time. First I was busy and now been sick for more than two weeks, so annoying. Hopefully I'll be fine by some time this week.
Big hug,
Irene
wonderful art...and I'm fascinated by Christmas traditions as well!
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