Although I would say it is my family’s Christmas.  We combine the Costa Rican, European and American traditions.   It all begins on mid-November when we take out of storage all the Christmas decorations and we start decorating the Christmas tree; it is a long process that takes approximately a week. We try to make the decoration seem different every year, but the tree remains pretty much the same, lots of lights and stuffed animals.  We started this tradition many years ago and we did it mostly for the kids, since the tree is pretty much a “Kids Tree.”  Just before the end of the November, we have a big “tamaleada” (a Costa Rican tradition where we elaborate a large number of tamales). This also takes several days, as it entails going to the Central Market to buy plantain leaves (supermarkets don’t have them available until December) and meats. Then we go to the "Feria del Agricultor" for the vegetables and to Price Smart for the olives, prunes and everything else. Everything is cooked the day before the actual “Tamaleada”, which is a family day. Everyone, including my kids' Grandma, aunts and cousins come to our house to get together with us to start putting it all together.  My mother-in-law prepares the plantain leaves, I am in charge of putting the dough (masa) on the leaves, the kids place the other ingredients on the dough, Silvia folds the plantain leaves and Dominga ties them in packages of two.  Nicole, Julian and Esteban are experts!  In one afternoon we prepare more than 130 tamales. Once all the tamales are ready, we put them in a large pot with boiling water and salt, and when they are cooked, we start eating! As a matter of fact, we eat tamales during the whole month.   On the month of December, we take a family picture, we go for a ride, we have a Christmas party at my house where we invite all of Nicole's classmates as well as their parents, we also go to other parties with friends, and then... Christmas Eve.   We have dinner at home with all our family.   We serve an all American dinner:  turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, a salad I love since I was single (cucumber with cottage cheese... absolutely delicious!), all kinds of nuts, and a variety of desserts made by Silvia that are to die for…  In two occasions we also had pork’s leg.  Next morning the kids get up at the crack of dawn, Santa and Mrs. Claus came during the night (the poor man doesn’t get much sleep.  I remember one Christmas night in which he had to hide behind a couch and crawl through the floor to the bed so he wouldn’t be seen by one of the kids that got up too early).  Then everyone opens their gifts, something special in our house is that Santa leaves a trail of gifts that goes from the rooms all the way to the living room to the Christmas tree.  We each take a turn opening a gift and we spend several hours doing this. In the afternoon, everyone comes over to eat the leftovers.  This is the type of Christmas we've had at our house for almost 15 years, and I hope it will continue the same for years to come.  New Year’s Eve is nothing special.  We used to always go to the beach, as 80% of Costa Ricans do. However, last year we stayed in San Jose and had a family dinner where we served a great pork's leg.  God willing, we plan to do it again this year.

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Costa Rica, as with many other countries around the world, has it's own unique and special way to celebrate Christmas. As the last days of November past by, the weather start to change, it becomes colder, clearer and windy.As the wind starts to blow harder and the days start to get colder, the people begin the decoration of their houses.
The Capital celebration led by the City of San Jose has just had the Festival de la Luz to officially start the holiday season. All the trees can be decorated but Ticos preferred the cypress trees in their decorations. The cypress scent, the lights, the balls and other decoration hanging in the tree is almost found in every place you go. The most important Christmas tree in Costa Rica is the tree of the Children's National Hospital. The tree represents hope for the coming year and thankfulness for all we receive. This tree has been at the Hospital for decades and it gives a light of hope to all those kids insideBesides the tree, another important decoration is the Portal. The Portal is the representation of the birth of Jesus, with the figures of Mary, Joseph, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar (the three wise men), the ox and the mule. The most important figure is the Baby Jesus; this is set on the manger the 25th. The day that the Christmas presents are opened.In Costa Rica Santa Claus doesn't bring the Christmas gifts to the kids, those are brought by Baby Jesus the night before Christmas called la "Noche Buena" while they were sleeping. At the same as the Baby Jesus appears at the portal the gift appears under the tree the 25th in the morning. That day all the people that live in the same house get together around the tree and pray, thanking Baby Jesus for the good year that has passed, followed by the opening of the gifts. You can find all over the country different kind of Portals that goes from Spatial Portals, Crystal Portals, Painted Portals, Light Portal and the traditional portal. There are two important Portals in San Jose. The first one is the one at the National Theater that is made on real scale, full of detailed and made by Costarican artist. The second one is a lights portal that is hanged in the Costa Rica National Bank building, this can be viewed from a number of locations in San Jose.Another important date to remember is the 24th evening dinner, when all the families get together and make a special dinner The menu usually is based on pork leg and "tamales". The "tamal" base is corn, corn have been cultivated in America by the Indians before the arrival of the Spaniards. The tamal is made of corn flour dough stuffed with potatoes, vegetables and pork or chicken, all covered by plantain leaves and then boiled. Making "tamales" is also a tradition that involves the participation of all family members. This is a slow and laborious process taught by Grandmothers and mothers to granddaughters and daughters.Also the 25th in the night, the religious families in Costa Rica go to the midnight mass called "La Misa del Gallo¨..The local municipality of San Jose also organizes a lot of activities for the holiday season. Some of them are the "Tope" that have been celebrated since colonial times. There's a lot of "Topes" but the "Tope" of San Jose is the most famous in the country.Riders from across the country come to the city to show off their best animals and costumes. It's a very friendly competition. Some people train their horses during the year only for this special occasion. Recently there have been introduced another elements such as horse-drawn carriages and the famous hand-painted oxcarts. This parade takes place at the Paseo Colon and The Second Avenue.Attached to the "Tope" there's a lot more of activities like the Carnival and the "Festival de La Luz". The carnival joins dancing and musical groups from all the country. Groups are prized for the best costumes, the best dancers and the best orchestra. The "Festival de la Luz" is a Light Festival, and takes place in the same streets but at night. Floats with colorful lights and decorative design run all over the two main streets at San Jose. At the end the fireworks light the sky of the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose.Finally the most popular activity of the holiday season is "Zapote" that is a town in San Jose. In "Zapote" there's a special area designated to make an improvised amusement park with amusement games and a lot of "chinamos" that are improvised stands that sell all kind of food. To this fair come people from all across the country and all kind of social status. .But definitely the most anticipated activity is the "Zapote Bullfights" or "Toros a la Tica" synonymous with the season's festivities in Costa Rica. The Costarican Bullfight is very different because the bulls are never harmed, or killed. The most famous cattle ranches provide the bulls free. Also the bullfighters are normal people that get into the arena without any professional preparation. It's amazing that only a few actually get hurt by the bulls. This activity is a headache for the red cross that voluntarily offers it's service in the arenaThe bulls are never harmed in the Tico version of the bullfights. The most popular phase of the Tico bullfight is the run when dozens of young men race into the ring en masse with the intention of frightening the bull and provoking it to attack. Although the bull is never harmed, occasionally one of the men is gored. The whole thing is a performance designed to release adrenaline, relieving the frustrations of the past year.The Holiday Season ends in January sixth, the day the three wise men arrived and see Jesus for the first time. That day all the neighbors get together and make a special prayer for the Baby Jesus. This pray is based on the rosary and the Christmas carols. Of course after the prayer, there's coffee with "Tamales", "Rompope", "Aguadulce" and all kind of typical pastries and drinks.

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CANADA In Canada, we celebrate Christmas with snow (approximately 20 centimeters) and the cold (about minus 25 degrees). We take advantage of the weather to practice sports with the family like skiing or skating on the lakes. It is the custom to decorate our houses with lights, make a Christmas tree and put under it all the gifts. The family goes to the church during the evening and when we come back, the children wait for Santa Claus to discover their surprises. The Christmas table is always full of food , recipes of our grandmothers. We enjoy sugar, apple and blueberry pies, meat pâté, stew, turkey and mash potatoes. All night, the house thrill to the sound of the popular Christmas songs, the laughter and everybody’s stories.  All these activities happen on December 24^th so the 25^th is more relaxed, enjoying the outside.  Hoping this little description will help you to better understand the Canadian culture. Merry Christmas to all of you, health and love!  Sophie Poulin

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ENGLAND Hi Daniel,I've been out of England now for over 12yrs, & here in Costa Rica for 7 yrs, yet probably the only time of year I get homesick is this time at Christmas !! As much as I love Costa Rica,  I just can't get into the Christmas spirit here with the weather so different to England. In our family, we do try to keep all our Christmas traditions from England, maybe with the only difference being, eating our Christmas dinner out-side on our balcony in shorts, rather than in a heated dining room wearing sweaters !! And no Queens speech after dinner !!In England at this time, it's really cold & gets dark sometimes as early as 3.30pm. The houses are decorated out-side with lights,and inside, with Christmas trees & other decorations. Christmas cards from friends & family are displayed proudly around.On Christmas Eve many families go to church in the evening. It's all alight with hundreds of candles & we sing Christmas carols, then after the service, go home to eat mince pies (made of fruit) and drink mulled wine. Before the children go to sleep, they hang their Christmas stockings at the end of their beds and leave some milk & mince pies out for Father Christmas (Santa Claus) by the chimney & a carrot for the reindeer !!In the morning, when the children wake, they scramble to the end of their beds to retrieve their stockings, then run into Mummy & Daddy's bedroom with them to see what Father Christmas has left. Then everyone goes downstairs to see what has been left beneath the Christmas Tree !! The glass of milk left the night before,beside the fire-place has always been drunk, and only a few crumbs remain on the plate !!Mummy will make a cup of tea for everyone, then the present opening begins, while listening to Christmas music !! Some families may wait until after breakfast !!  Often 'bucks fizz' is served with breakfast (fresh orange juice & champagne) The turkey goes in the oven & preparation for the Christmas day meal begins. We always eat Christmas lunch around 3-4 pm. It's a grand meal consisting of roast turkey with stuffing,cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, bread sauce, vegetables & lots of gravy !! We pull Christmas crackers before the meal begins. The crackers always hold a paper hat which everyone wears, a small gift or puzzle & a joke !! Wine will be served of course. Dessert is Christmas pudding with brandy butter or cream. Christmas pudding is a really rich fruit pudding which some times holds lucky coins !! We lace it with brandy & set fire to it & everyone cheers. Then everyone totally stuffed, sits in front of the roaring fire & watches the Queens speech to the nation on television !!If anyone gets hungry later on, there's plenty of left overs to feast on & also a delicious Christmas cake. This is a rich fruit cake, covered in marzipan & thick white icing. Happy Christmas to you & all your readers !! John & Diane Wakefield

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IRELAND. Hi Daniel Enclosed a bit of an atmospheric report of the 25th of December in a Irish village. Regards Michael George Christmas in rural Ireland   The little fishing village that nestles by the sea, ensconced by white capped mountains, has falling quite. Last days-hectic swirl gradually fades away.  Shoppers returned from the’ Big Smoke’ loaded with boxes and packages.

The two mini buses, indefinable of age and brand, catering for the community were doing over time.   ‘ Flying back and fro’ as the locals use to say. Three hundred kilometres over ever so winding roads to the nearest airport. A la nding strip and two tiny buildings garlanded by a festooned conifer that dwarfs the tower.  Relatives and friends are flocking in like migrant birds. >From London and Manchester, Cardiff, the unsettled North with its  never- ending strife. Or further a field from Australia, the Middle – east,  Canada and the States.  To be re-united with relatives, friends and a magical place that compensates for the scares life brought about and reconciles with yesterdays squabbles..  Penumbra is melting the vault of heaven, clouds, land and sea. Immersing the little harbour church in a soft light. Chorals wafting over never calming waters.   Christmas has begun.  Michael O’George  Port McGee Nollaig Shona Dhuit

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U.S.A An American Christmas As a Roman Catholic growing up in the USA, Christmas time is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It is also a time to get together with family and friends and enjoy good food, drink and the gift of giving. This is my story, of how my family celebrates Christmas in the USA.
First, around the 18th of December, we start by going out as a family to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.  Then we'd take it home and dig out the decorations from the basement, and each of us finds our special ornaments and hang them on the tree.  Then we decorate the rest of the house with lights and special decorations collected over the years.
Then a couple of days before Christmas day we help our Mom bake homemade cookies and have fun customizing each of the sugar cookies.  Mom also makes her special fruit cake, which my Grandpa refers to as "the brick".
On Christmas Eve, we would go to my sister's house and have a celebration there.   She would make us play the game Gestures and the all time favorite Twister.  Then we would all pack up and head to midnight Christmas Mass.  After mass we would go home, and when we were little, leave Santa a note with some cookies and milk, and some carrots for his reindeers, but we don't do that now that we are older.
On Christmas Day, we get up extra early (usually around 5am) and find tons of presents under the tree that Santa had left there.  We then open them as a family, and have some coffee and cookies while doing so.  My Dad usually has the job of taking pictures and video taping our morning.  Then we all have fun trying out our new toys and deciding which new outfit to wear for the day.  Then we have to watch one of my Dad's Favorite videos "A Christmas Story". We then help my Mom cook up the Christmas dinner, usually Polish sausage, turkey, ham, potato salad and lots more.  Our relatives and friends then come over and we have one big celebration. THE END!!!! Tammy Farias

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