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Welcome to Christmastown
Travel Agency
In NORWAY, on Christmas Eve, a bowl
of porridge, "nisse" is left in the barn for the gnome who protects
the farm.
When the children first see their Christmas tree all decorated, with
presents underneath, the family joins hands and circles the tree
singing carols.
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 In GERMANY, children decorate their Christmas Lists
with pictures and then leave them on the windowsill overnight,
weighed down with a little sugar so they won't be missed by Father
Christmas.
There is a flower in Germany called the Christmas Rose which blooms
even in the snow and ice.
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 In MEXICO, children sometimes leave their shoes out
instead of stockings.
On Christmas Eve there is a parade of singers carrying bells and
candles on top of long poles. They wind through the streets until
they get to the local church.
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 In ENGLAND, children write their letters to Father
Christmas and then throw them into the fireplace so they will float
up the chimney and fly to the North Pole. If the lists catch fire
first, they have to rewrite them.
At Christmas dinner, a plum pudding is served with little treasures
hidden inside that bring their finders good luck. England was the
first country to hang up mistletoe.
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 In FRANCE, young children leave their shoes by the
fire on Christmas Eve for a gift from "le père Noël" while the older
children and adults go to church at midnight and then return home
for a late supper called "le réveillon".
Christmas puppet shows are very popular in France, mainly in Paris
and in Lyons.
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Country kids adopted from Nanou,
created by RBG |