The night before Christmas, Christmas Eve, is a very magical and special time of the year. Children are “wide-eyed” with anticipation on what tomorrow will bring. They have been waiting for this time of the year for a long, long time, and it is finally here. Christmas Eve traditions differ in various countries around the world, and in this article we will be exploring some of these traditions.

Traveling around the world can work up quite the appetite, and even Santa needs to have a bit of refreshment now and then. In America and Canada, one popular Christmas Eve tradition is to leave Santa a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. In Australia and Britain they prefer to leave sherry and mince pies. The children of Sweden are aware that Santa has a love of chocolate…so they leave brownies.

Now that Santa has been fed, attention must be turned to the reindeer. After all, who can pull a sleigh full of Christmas presents around the world and not work up a big appetite? Children to the rescue one more time. Kids from Canada, Australia, Britain, and the United States leave a carrot to help give Santa’s reindeer a “bit of a push” as they span the globe. Children who follow the Dutch custom of sinterklass go a bit further. They will leave a carrot and some hay in a shoe. When they wake up the next morning it will be replaced by a gift.

Another tradition that has become popular in the United States is the reading of the book “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clark Moore (or similar tale about Santa Claus). Other families watch a Christmas-related video or television show, like: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas or Frosty the Snowman. Singing Santa Claus songs such as Up on the Housetop, Here Comes Santa Claus, or Santa Claus is Coming to Town are also very popular.

Just before going to bed, children around the world put their stockings on mantels in hope that “Santa will soon be here”, or so the song goes. They are full of anticipation that Santa will fill them with gifts, candy, and other goodies…ready for them when they wake up tomorrow morning. A quick look up the chimney to ensure that he has not arrived yet, a glance out the window to see if they can catch a glimpse of a passing sleigh, and perhaps unlocking the front door (in case Santa has problems navigating the chimney), then off to bed…

Once the kids have gone off to bed parents have rituals they need to follow as well. There are lots of gifts that need to be placed under the tree. Many of the gifts will be signed “From Santa” or “Love Santa”.

Christmas Eve is a busy time of year, but a very magical time as well. We hope you enjoyed this little tour of the various traditions. In future articles we will be exploring other Christmas traditions…so stay tuned…

Want to find out more about Christmas, then visit Emily Latimer’s site on how to choose the best Christmas gifts for those special people on your list.