Look who we visited this week! Santa Claus (aka Mr. Christmas)…yes, that’s his REAL name and he’s the REAL deal! Our kids have visited him every December since we moved to this area in 2003.
Mr. Christmas is a legend in our community. He taught swim lessons for years at the YMCA…and everyone recognized him because he wore a red bathing suit. His wife, Shirley (aka Mrs. Claus) was a teacher assistant at our kids’ elementary school. Our grandson met him and couldn’t wait to tell him about his favorite toys…books about trucks and Thomas the Tank Engine!! Seeing THIS Santa and Mrs. Claus every December is one of our favorite holiday traditions!
Growing up, our family visited Santa every year at the shopping mall. One year we even caught Santa (aka Mr. Ortolano) delivering a bike! How about his mustache and beard made from cotton balls?! Pretty creative, don’t you think?
On Christmas Eve we went to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. When we got home, we’d help my dad set up the luminaries along our sidewalk and down the driveway lighting the way for Christmas. My mom always made a beautiful spread of appetizers that we nibbled on as we exchanged gifts among family members. We’d end the evening with my dad reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” a tradition that still takes place today.
Many yuletide traditions remain the same no matter where you live, like: singing carols, visiting Santa Claus, lighting candles, trimming the tree, baking cookies, opening presents and feasting on special holiday meals or treats that only appear once a year.
Many of us go on marathon shopping trips, both in store and online to find that perfect gift while listening to Christmas carols. Stockings are hung and people enjoy holiday parades, concerts and classic Christmas films with a glass of eggnog or mug of hot cocoa.
There are also lots of different and interesting Christmas traditions from around the world – let’s take a look at some of the more unusual ones. Who knows, you may even want to start some of these in your own home, or some of them, maybe not 🙂 !
Scandinavia – The Yule Goat
You’ve likely heard of the Yule log, but how about the Yule Goat? Throughout Scandinavia, especially Sweden, Norway and Finland, locals celebrate a variation of the Santa Claus legend, which involves him riding a goat instead of a sleigh pulled by reindeer. As such, it’s common to find goat ornaments everywhere.
In 1966, the town of Gävle began a tradition of building a larger-than-life straw goat in the town square that measures more than 42 feet high, 23 feet wide, and weighs 3.6 tons. The structure is meant to last from Advent until New Year’s Day.
But, this Swedish Christmas tradition has unwittingly led to another “tradition” of sorts – people trying to burn it down. Unfortunately, since 1966 the Goat has been successfully burned down 29 times despite the town’s attempt to protect their goat. They’ve had guards stationed, security cameras put up, fences raised, and the goat itself has been sprayed with water and flameproof chemicals.
Some years the goat even survives the whole holiday season! But most years…it doesn’t.
Wouldn’t it be fun to join in on the Scandinavian tradition and add a straw goat to your ornament collection?
Russia – A Visit from Ded Moroz
While much of the world’s Christian community embraces Santa Claus or St. Nick, Russians welcome Ded Moroz each year, an ancient figure from Slavic mythology. Also called Father Frost, the Santa-like character brings gifts to children, except he delivers them on New Year’s Eve.
Ded Moroz traditionally wears a full-length blue coat, so as not to be confused with Santa, and is accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka, or Snow Maiden. Even though it’s now more common for Ded Moroz to wear red, he maintains the tradition of carrying a staff and riding in a sleigh pulled by three white horses.
Iceland – 13 Days of Christmas
Similar to the 12 days of Christmas in the U.S., Iceland celebrates 13. Each night before Christmas, Icelandic children are visited by the 13 Yule Lads. After placing their shoes by the window, the little ones will head upstairs to bed. In the morning, they’ll either have received candy (if they’re good) or be greeted with shoes full of rotten potatoes if they’re bad. And you thought coal was a terrible gift!
Dario’s family also owns Tenuta Cavasecca, an organic olive oil farm. He taught us the process of how the oil is made from planting the olives to harvesting by hand, to transporting them to the mill so they can be washed, smashed, pressed, mixed and bottled into award winning olive oil. What a fun night of taste testing fresh olive oil and a homemade Sicilian meal! Delicious!
Japan – Celebrating with Colonel Santa Christmas
In Japan, a white-bearded man has become associated with Christmas, and it’s not Santa Claus. KFC’s Colonel Sanders makes an appearance at many Japanese Christmas dinners, with his smiling face on red buckets of fried chicken.
The story is that in the early 1970s, the manager of the first KFC in Japan began marketing a “party barrel” of fried chicken to be sold on Christmas, after it came to him in a dream. He was inspired after he overheard foreigners in his restaurant talk about how they missed having turkey for Christmas. He thought a dinner of fried chicken would make a great substitute, and began marketing it as a way to celebrate Christmas.
By 1974, KFC took the Christmas marketing plan national across Japan, and it took off. The fast food chain has maintained its yuletide popularity, causing some people to order their boxes months in advance or stand in two-hour-long lines to get their “finger lickin’ good” food.
Now, millions of Japanese families celebrate the Christmas holiday with a KFC dinner tradition. Imagine that!!
Venezuela
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In the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, the city’s residents head to Christmas Eve church early in the morning on roller skates. The tradition is so well established that many of the city’s streets are closed to traffic from 8am, so that the skating congregation can get to church safely. It’s even said that children will sleep with one lace from their skates tied around their toe, the other skate dangling from the window so that their friends can wake them up with a friendly tug on the lace.
So how about pulling out your roller blades or skates, lace them up and skate to Christmas Eve Service! You’d arrive in style!
There is definitely a magical feeling around the holidays. It is a time of laughter, joy, hope and good cheer for those you love and who are around you. So spread some love, share a message of hope, laugh at the small things and be joyful! It's also a time to gather together and share the traditions that you've established with your family and loved ones. If you don't have one, then how about starting a new one this holiday season!
COME WITH US ON A LUXURY EGYPT ADVENTURE
February 17-26, 2023
Is Egypt on your bucket list? If yes, then this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this amazing destination with family and friends. Registration is already underway.
I am limiting this to a small private group of 16 travelers…couples and singles…are welcomed. We already have some single travelers and some couples registered for this adventure. Come join us! If you think you want to go, sign up soon because this one will SELL OUT!!
Also, only $100 of the initial deposit is non-refundable so invite your friends to experience this life-changing trip with you!
I am so excited to be going back and and I hope you join me. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Click the buttons above and check it out!
Below are some pictures from my trip to Egypt this past September that I hope inspire you as much as they do me. I am so excited to be going back and and I hope you join me. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Our 10-Day Guided Tour will include Cairo, Luxor, Aswan plus a 4-night Nile Cruise, featuring all the best attractions of Egypt.
- The Pyramids of Giza, The Sphinx, and The Egyptian Museum.
- The ancient Necropolis of Saqqara and Mosque of Ibn Tulun, the oldest mosque in Cairo.
- The ancient City of Thebes, where we’ll immerse ourselves in its magnificent wonders.
- See the stunning colors while visiting The Valley of The Kings and The Tomb of King Tutankhamun.
- Enjoy the Nefertari Tomb at the Valley of the Queens.
- Ride in a hot-air balloon sunrise flight, the perfect way to experience the world’s largest open-air museum.
- Sail up the Nile on a luxury cruise for 4 nights and enjoy the sunset in a private Felluca.
- Visit to the magnificent Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel.
Here’s an overview of the itinerary and what it includes –
- Arrivals and departures, we’ll be greeted and escorted by our local English-Speaking Egyptologist tour guides and Egypt Unlimited Tour Staff.
- All meals are included (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner), with unlimited mineral water available during the entire tour.
- First two nights in Cairo at the magnificent Marriott Mena House Hotel with awesome views of the Pyramids.
- One night in Luxor at the Hilton Resort and Spa Luxor.
- Four nights on the MX MayFair Luxury Nile Cruise Line.
- Last two nights in Cairo at the Nile Ritz Carlton Hotel with views of the Nile.
- Entry Fees to all venues / sites and temples included in the tour.
- All transportation with Egypt, in a new air-conditioned bus.
- Round trip domestic flights from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo.
- All baggage transfers.
- Free SIM Card with 10GB of included internet.
- All Gratuities / Tipping.
- All service charges and taxes.
- Local support and 24-hour emergency hotline.
There’s so much to see and do!
Follow along on my social media where I post highlights of my adventures.
Throughout the year, but especially during the holidays, we think about what we are most thankful for. I am thankful for your support and the trust you give me to plan your travel experiences and for continuing to give me the opportunities to deliver the best vacations possible.
From my family to yours, I wish you and your loved ones much happiness, good health and a very happy holiday!
