Christmas is favored all around the world making the traditions different in each place. Some places in the world have cultural traditions and some people have personal family traditions. 

Coming close to home, the Philippines has many of the same traditions we do. They celebrate with Christmas trees, Christmas cards, and Christmas carols. One unique tradition they have is that at midnight on Christmas Eve, they have a feast called Noche Buena, which means Good Night in Spanish. Noche Buena is a tradition that is celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries. Although in the Philippines it is celebrated with many Filipino foods. In San Fernando, they hold Liglin Parul, a giant light festival. Tons of giant lanterns are released which symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.

Across the world in Australia, they are having a very different sunny Christmas. During Christmas break, Australians are enjoying their time at the beach. Bondi Beach is where the party is at. Many dress up in Santa costumes and they set up Christmas trees all along the beach. They tend to celebrate the holiday with the same fun summer activities as we do. 

In the United States, we celebrate with many various holiday activities. Multiple kids send letters to Santa and write down their wishes and tell Santa how good they have been during the year. Another tradition that is important to many Americans is decorating the tree. When Christmas trees first came to America they were decorated with homemade ornaments. While German Americans decorated with apples, nuts, marzipan cookies, and stringed popcorn. These traditions still mean a lot to people today.

Here in Arizona, there are lots of traditions. Around the town, lots of people like to look at the lights. Many events in Arizona allow people to enjoy the festive lights with their families. A popular place for lights is The Phoenix Zoo ZooLights. Azcentral says, “ ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo celebrate 25 years this season and is a holiday tradition for many families.” With 4 million lights and around 700 animal displays, ZooLights is a must-have Arizona tradition. Alana Montoya, a student, was asked about her time at ZooLights and said, “It was really cool to see all the lights and it was a memorable time with my family”. Somewhat similar to zoo lights, since 1994 Glendale Glitters has been lighting up kids’ faces with 1.5 million lights in Murphy Park. Glendale Glitters has all the fun activities such as gifts, crafts, vendors, visits with Santa and so much more.

Providing families with traditions all around the world, Christmas is a cheerful time that everyone enjoys. The gifts we give are fun and all but the memories that we make are what brings us together for a cheerful and Merry Christmas.