Christmas is a magical time for young and old across the world!

While it celebrates the birth of Jesus, it has become much more than a religious holiday. Today, it is the celebration of giving to others, to "eat, drink and be merry" and kindness to others. For children, it is the coming of Santa Claus to their houses and bringing presents. 

Adults exchange gifts also. Among larger families or groups of friends, people participate in "Secret Santa" or "Kris Kringle". Instead of having to get every person a present, you randomly select one person to whom you will buy a present for. It is then kept a secret until the day you exchange gifts!

On Christmas Day, children wake up early with the excitement. After the opening of presents, some people may go to church. For a lot of people, this may be the only day of the year that they attend mass. Those who do not go to church will relax at home. Normally, Christmas dinner begins around 2pm or 3pm. There is normally a soup as a starter and then a main course of turkey, ham, potatoes and lots of other vegetables. Some of the appeal of Christmas is getting to eat so much food! 

Christmas also incorporates the New Year festivities. On the 31st of December people celebrate New Year's Eve in different ways. Some people like to spend the time quietly in their homes with family, others organise parties in their homes. The majority of people go to bars and clubs to "ring in the new year". New Year's Day, the 1st of January is usually a relaxing day for people. They may have a meal with their family or go to a restaurant but New Year's Day is not as significant as Christmas Day. 

After New Year's Day, people begin to go back to work with school's reopening after January 6th. In most English speaking countries we do not celebrate January 6th as people do in France. This is usually the day that people take down their Christmas decorations and look forward to next year!

Kealan Hegarty