What is Christmas like?

What's christmas like in your country?

• Here in Iceland on the 1st of december they start showing on TV a kids show that is aired everyday until December 24th. The show is literally called "The Christmas Calendar" (Jóladagatalið). Normally, every episode is about 5 minutes long but it's never the same story every year, they either make a new show every year or show older episodes that have been shown some years before. The episodes they're showing this year was actually made in Denmark and is called "The Christmas Calendar 2011: The Pact. (Jóladagatalið 2011: Sáttmálinn). It's about a kid that helps some elves find a pact that will kill some evil elf queen. Well enough of that. December 12th kids put a shoe in their window to get a present from one of the Icelandic santa clauses, called The Yule Lads (Jólasveinarnir). We have 13 santa clauses. Every night, from 12th - 24th december they put presents in the children's shoes, like candy or small toys, but if the kids behaved badly they will give them a potato, which kids don't like. That's why most kids behave well this time of year. In case you're confused it's actually their parents that give them the presents ;), but the kids don't know that. On December 23rd, many Icelanders have a skate (a type of fish) for dinner. It's an old Icelandic tradition. Christmas is actually celebrated on the 24th, not the 25th. All day until 6 pm on the 24th, everybody waits for christmas to start. A few minutes before 6 pm, you can hear ringing church bells ringing on the radio and on the tv. Then when they stop at exactly 6 pm, a man says "Good Icelanders, merry christmas" (góðir Íslendingar, gleðileg jól). Then kids open the present their mom and dad gave them, and then we eat. Some people eat lamb meat, some eat pork and some eat ptarmigan meat which is very popular on christmas. Then after we've washed the dishes after dinner we open the rest of the presents, from relatives and friends. We don't get any gifts from the American Santa Clause. Usually at my home my parents film us opening our presents, and I'm sure some people do too. We still have tapes older than 10 years old of me and my siblings opening presents. The presents are kept, while still in the christmas packages, under the christmas tree. Some people have a fake tree and some people have a real tree. Christmas ends at the end of january 6th the next year. called "the 13th" (Þrettándinn), the 13th day of christmas. At that day we light a bunch of wood and stuff and make a big fire. Usually one fire in every town (towns are really small in Iceland expect for Reykjavík, which is not a really big city when you think about it. My town only has about 1000 habitants.) People stand by the fire and some some men are hired to shoot fireworks near the fire. We also have fire and fireworks on december 31st, the last day of the year. Now i have explained almost everything about christmas in Iceland, expect for a few things like decorations and that but yeah. What's christmas like in your country? (I know you won't be able to explain it in a very long way like i did.)

• Answer:

  It was very interesting to learn about Christmas in Iceland! Thank you! Here is how we celebrate Christmas in the USA! : Throughout the month of December people decorate there houses and there is TV shows and movies that have to do with Christmas on TV! On December 24th it is Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve lots of people like to eat seafood. Its kind of a tradition. And before kids got to sleep they leave milk and cookies out for Santa to eat.On December 25th it is Christmas day and kids run down to the Christmas tree and open tons of presents they got! We tell the kids that Santa Clause left them there! (But its actually the parents who did). We also have stockings which are in the shape of a sock much much bigger. There is small gifts inside of them. If the child was bad they get a piece of coal inside theirs. We also have a big dinner on Christmas with turkey. We also like to sing songs around Christmas time! Here is two verses to a very popular Christmas song in our country: You better not shout You better not cry You better watch out im telling you why Santa Clause is coming too town He sees you when your sleeping He knows when your awake He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake Santa Clause is coming to town