2008 Woodie Awards
Christmas spirit carries throughout the globe
Stephanie Augsburger
Issue date: 12/5/06
Last Updated: 12/29/07
Christmas is present all over the world. But there are some different traditions, depending on where you live. For example, let us start with my own country… the beautiful Switzerland!
My family and I celebrate it on the 24th and on the 25th. On the 24th, we gather with my parents and sister in the evening, share a nice meal, and exchange gifts around our real Christmas tree lighted by real candles on it (and no, it never catches on fire!). At 10:30 p.m., we go to church for the special Christmas service. On the 25th, we spend the day with my mom's family one year and the other with my dad's. On my mom's side, the meal is always Chinese Fondue. And we exchange a few gifts too. But in my dad's family, it's always a different meal, and the gifts are only for the younger kids.
In France, it changes from family to family. For example, Geraldine Richard, a French exchange student, only celebrates Christmas on the 24th in the evening, with her family. They also have a little ritual, Richard said.
"One of the traditions is that before the dinner, all the children go in a bedroom, while the parents put the gift around the chimney. When they are done, the children heard the parents say 'good bye Santa Claus, thank you.' So the children come out of the room, discover their gift, and open them."
Their typical meal is made of turkey, potatoes, beans, oysters and the "bûche" (a dessert, in the shape of a log … most of the time with chocolate frosting). But Carole Juin, another French exchange student, celebrates Christmas on the 24th and the 25th; once with her dad's family and once with her mom's. They also eat oysters and a "bûche," but they add to the menu some "foie gras" and champagne. They exchange gifts during each celebration.
In Sweden, Sofia Andersson celebrates Christmas only on the 24th. They wake up in the morning and eat porridge with one almond in it. The one who gets the almond is supposed to get married within the next year.
My family and I celebrate it on the 24th and on the 25th. On the 24th, we gather with my parents and sister in the evening, share a nice meal, and exchange gifts around our real Christmas tree lighted by real candles on it (and no, it never catches on fire!). At 10:30 p.m., we go to church for the special Christmas service. On the 25th, we spend the day with my mom's family one year and the other with my dad's. On my mom's side, the meal is always Chinese Fondue. And we exchange a few gifts too. But in my dad's family, it's always a different meal, and the gifts are only for the younger kids.
In France, it changes from family to family. For example, Geraldine Richard, a French exchange student, only celebrates Christmas on the 24th in the evening, with her family. They also have a little ritual, Richard said.
"One of the traditions is that before the dinner, all the children go in a bedroom, while the parents put the gift around the chimney. When they are done, the children heard the parents say 'good bye Santa Claus, thank you.' So the children come out of the room, discover their gift, and open them."
Their typical meal is made of turkey, potatoes, beans, oysters and the "bûche" (a dessert, in the shape of a log … most of the time with chocolate frosting). But Carole Juin, another French exchange student, celebrates Christmas on the 24th and the 25th; once with her dad's family and once with her mom's. They also eat oysters and a "bûche," but they add to the menu some "foie gras" and champagne. They exchange gifts during each celebration.
In Sweden, Sofia Andersson celebrates Christmas only on the 24th. They wake up in the morning and eat porridge with one almond in it. The one who gets the almond is supposed to get married within the next year.
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