Gifts - Stores sell merchandise for men, women, and children; and on Christmas Day, families exchange gifts.

Decorations - More and more artificial Christmas trees are beginning to appear. They are decorated with small toys, gold paper fans, dolls, lanterns, paper ornaments, and wind chimes. A popular ornament is the origami swan. Other decorations are mistletoe, evergreen, tinsel, and lights. An amulet is put on the front door for good luck and children exchange 'birds of peace,' pledging there must not be anymore war.

Customs - The daiku, or Great Nine, refers to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and is performed many places.

Mexico

Greeting - Feliz Navidad

Customs - Beginning on December 15, some families carry colorful lanterns and walk from house to house in their neighborhoods, each night, until Christmas Eve. This is called La Posada, which means 'the procession.' On each of the nights, the families are invited into different houses where they become guests at a party. There is plenty to eat and drink. Children play the pinata game, trying to break open the papier-mache figure with a stick while blindfolded; when it is cracked open, candies and small gifts fall out.

Netherlands

Greeting - Hartelijke Kerstroeten

Santa's Name - Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas), who wears a red bishop's hat and bishop's cloak and has white hair and a white beard. He arrives on a white horse with his servant, Black Pete, to put small gifts in children's wooden shoes.

Food - The Dutch people eat lots of marzipan, spiced ginger biscuits, tall chocolate letters, and 'bankletter' - initials made of pastry and filled with almond paste. When they are around the Christmas tree singing songs, they eat 'Kerstkrans' - a Christmas ring.

Gifts - On December 6, after hearing a knock at their door, children find a bag full of toys, nuts, and gifts.

Decorations - The Christmas tree is known as the Paradise Tree. Decorations of the season include dolls, musical instruments, fruit, candies, and lights.

Customs - The Dutch sing carols, the most popular one being "O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree."

Sweden

Greeting - God Jul

Food - Coffee, cakes, and special buns are served on Santa Lucia Day, December 13.

Customs - Santa Lucia Day honors Saint Lucy, who helped blind people. The oldest daughter in each Swedish household dresses in a white gown with a red sash, wears a crown of evergreen

with seven candles in it, awakens the family with a song, and serves the coffee, cakes, and buns. Each town and city also chooses a young woman to be Lucia for the day. She then serves coffee and food to the townspeople at schools, hospitals, and other public buildings. From these women, a national Lucia is chosen; followed by a parade, feast, and dance.

Now that you have this data, let your children put the information in a comparison chart. Label the left side with the names of the countries and the bottom with the various information (ie: Greeting, Food, and so on). Then fill in the boxes!

Let your children do research to find out the information I left out.

Conduct research to find out the same customs for other countries, especially the heritage countries of students in your class or your own family.

However you celebrate the holidays, have a safe, wonderful season and a Happy New Year!

I hope these ideas are useful and inspire your own creative thinking.

And remember...Reading is FUNdamental!

About The Author

Freda J. Glatt, MS, retired from teaching after a 34-year career in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her focus, now, is to reach out and help others reinforce reading comprehension and develop a love for reading. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com. Reading is FUNdamental! Copyright © 2003-2005 Sandral Sensations, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida All Rights Reserved?