December 25th takes on a unique local flavor depending on where you find yourself on that day. In some places Christmas falls on a different day entirely. Have a very Merry Christmas wherever you live and whatever day you end up celebrating!
A look around…….
Christmas in Santa Fe – I’ve experienced & loved it!
Visit the historic Santa Fe Plaza on any chilly, clear evening from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, and you will find silvery lights strung on every tree, sparkling against the gray winter dusk. The farolitos, luminous brown paper bags of candles and sand, are lit by hand each night, to flicker on the rooftops of the surrounding adobes. The City has a hushed, reverent quality at this time of year, regardless of the number of locals and tourists who partake of the numerous holiday festivities.
Colosseum Christmas
In Italy, Christmas decorations may traditionally be put up on the 8th of December, a national holiday. Depending on the region, Christmas gifts might be given on Christmas Eve, or on Christmas Day. Decorations are taken down on the 6th of January and in some areas, female puppets are burned to signal, along with the end of Christmas, the end of the old year and beginning of the new. Photo: Jakob Montrasio
Parisian Christmas
Unlike the tradition of hanging socks by the fireplace, many French children will put shoes out for Father Christmas to put presents into. Photo: Her Own Journey
Parisienne Chocolates – always the best!
eTHIOPIAN cHRISTMAS
Christmas is widely and seriously observed in Ethiopia by its Orthodox Christian majority. As the country follows a calendar based on traditional Coptic calendars (which denote the current year as 2003 like the Julian calendar), Ethiopians will celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Photo: Richard Stupart
Brazil Christmas
Brazilian Christmas follows similar traditions to Northern Europe and America. Some cities, such as Curitaba, will have decoration contests where judges will inspect interior and exterior decorations of competing houses to proclaim the most beautiful.. Photo by Denise Mayumi
German Christmas
In some parts of Germany, St. Nicholas will come and visit children on St. Nicholas’ Day, giving out sweets. Sometimes he will be accompanied by his servant Ruprecht, dressed in dark clothes and occasionally with a devil’s tongue.
Ruprecht carries a stick, in theory to punish naughty children. Nowadays, he mostly hangs around looking scary and reminding German kids to behave ahead of Christmas. Photo: Marius Kallhardt
IndiaN Christmas
In India, Santas sleigh and reindeer are often replaced by a horse and cart. Although Christians only make up about 3% of the country’ population, Christianity has a long history in India, allegedly founded by the Apostle Thomas himself. Photo: Meanest Indian
Russian Christmas
Christmas in Russia is actually celebrated on the 7th of January like it is in Ethiopia. The Russian Orthodox Church still operates according to the Julian calendar, which runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar of the rest of the world. As a result, Christmas gets bumped back almost a fortnight until after the New Year. Photo: Dmitry Boyarin
Australian Christmas
While Christmas traditions in Australia are very similar to the UK, Canada and other Commonwealth countries, it is less well known that the country is responsible for starting the tradition of Carols by Candlelight. The practice began in 1938 after Norman Banks, a radio announcer with Melbourne station 3KZ saw a woman singing Away in a Manger by candlelight and had the idea to organise a large candle-lit singalong. Photo: Ctd 2005
JapanESE Christmas
Christmas in Japan is both popular and secular. Christmas is not a national holiday in the country, though gift giving is popular. Its first Christmas was held way back in 1552 by Jesuit priests in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Photo: mendhak
Scandinavian Christmas
In Scandinavia, the Julbock or ‘Yule Goat’ is the traditional bringer of gifts at Christmas time. Large versions of the goat are frequently put up in towns and villages over the festive season, while in older traditions, smaller-sized versions of the animal made of straw or wood would be snuck into people’s houses as a prank. Houses finding goats in them had to pass them on by pranking others. Photo: Seppo Laine
Vancouver Christmas – anything goes!
and ALL was not still…..cause there was still shopping to do and stockings to fill.
If you haven’t completed your list then here are some ideas from HOMEWERX on Davie. 
“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy” ~Author Unknown
Just like apples and oranges you can’t compare bowls… but they sure look nice with apples and oranges in them. 
Then we have the lovely jesus fernandez couture collection from Buenos Aires available in French sizing only. Again, you can consult the jf sizing chart to find out what your equivalent North American size would be. It might take a bit longer but I assure you it’s worth the extra trouble.
Tomima’s Bra Fitting Tip: “You’re a smart person. Since you’ll be wearing the bras, you’re better off taking a few minutes to understand what a perfect fitting bra should look and feel like, and recognize the signs if your bra is the wrong size for you.”
The name of a unique little shop I discovered for the first time last week after having sushi. It looked intriguing from the outside (as in not so sure exactly what to expect) and it’s not your typical tea shop. Indeed not! I had to step inside. (double click on any photo to enlarge).
I loved all the different one-of-a-kind hand painted tea cups from the Orient and their great smelling variety of teas. Not to mention a few healthy skin care products, jewelery and cooking oil.
I bought what is supposedly the “world’s best” Earl Grey loose leaf. It apparently won the award but even if that wasn’t the case the smell alone was enough to grab me. Yes; I’d love to take a few photos and write something for my blog so more people will know about this new find.
which is cold pressed and extracted from green tea seeds and Stephen says it has better health benefits than that of both virgin coconut & olive oil. He’s very convincing but it’s almost too much for me to take in. I start looking into it myself and find out that yes, it contains one of the LOWEST levels of saturated fats and is one of the HIGHEST levels of healthy mono unsaturated fats. It has a great source of vital Vitamin E, antioxidants, healthy omega 6 and 9 fatty acids. Rich in vitamins & minerals, it contains high levels of vitamins A, B and E. It is also a good source of the minerals phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and iron manganese. Hey there’s even more but the thing is it is also the healthiest all-purpose cooking oil as it has one of the highest smoking points (252 C, or 486 F). Also an excellent carrier oil for skincare products. AHA moment! In that case we’re looking into adding it to our new “get spOILed” facial oil. I leave feeling slightly overwhelmed but satiated with this new discovery. I’ll mull it over a cup of tea at home.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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