Austria

Capital City: Vienna

Population: 8.5 million

Christmas Insights:

Most towns in Austria have a "Christkindlmarkt" (Christmas Market) selling Christmas decorations, food, and Gluhwein - a sweet, warm mulled wine.

Instead of filling stockings, Austrians traditionally fill a pair of shoes with clementine, chocolates, and peanuts.

The words of Silent Night were written by a priest, Father Joseph Mohr, in Mariapfarr, Austria in 1816 and the music was added in 1888, by his school teacher friend Franz Xaver Gruber.

China

Capital City: Beijing

Population: 1.35 Billion

Christmas Insights:

1% of people in China are Christians. A Christmas Eve tradition is to give apples.

Jingle Bells is a very popular song in China. Most of the world's Christmas decorations are made in China, but the people making them don't know what they are for!

France

Capital City: Paris

Population: 67 million

Christmas Insights:

The Romans introduced Christmas customs, originating in the Middle East, to France, in 496 AD.

Christmas gradually became both a religious and secular celebration, which, in fact, until the end of the Middle Ages, was confused with the celebration of the New Year.

Today, Christmas in France is a family holiday, a religious celebration, and an occasion for merrymaking. It is a time welcomed by both adults and children.

The fir tree was first presented as the holy tree of Christmas in the French city of Strasbourg in 1605.

When the family returns home after midnight mass, there is a late supper known as "le reveillon." The traditional cake in the form of a Yule log or "buche de Noel," which used to burn on the hearth on Christmas Eve.

Germany

Capital City: Berlin

Population: 81 million

Christmas Insights:

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century.

Those shiny glass balls (Glaskugeln) and tinsel (Lametta) are German inventions.

The glass globes you use to decorate your tree were invented in Germany.

The Advent calendar was first used by Germans in the 19th century.

Italy

Capital City: Rome

Population: 59.8 million

Christmas Insights:

Children believe in a female version of Santa Claus called LaBefana, an old woman who flies on a broom and brings presents.

On the eve of December 6, children place a shoe or boot by the fireplace that is later filled with holiday edibles.

The week before Christmas, children go from house to house singing and reciting Christmas poems.

Norway

Capital City: Oslo

Population: 5 million

Christmas Insights:

Trolls, gnomes, goblins - along with Lossi, a very powerful enchantress - roam the night on December 13, the longest night of the year.

The tree is decorated on Christmas Eve by the parents and kept behind closed doors until the evening.

Stars and rosemailed ornaments are used for decorations.

Switzerland

Capital City: Bern

Population: 8 million

Christmas Insights:

The star treetop represents the star of Bethlehem.

Snowflakes represent the four distinct regions.

The stars represent not only the light from heaven, but also the guiding light and the joy of light.

The white candles represent the pure white season of light.

Gifts are given out on St. Nicholas Day, December 6

United Kingdom

Capitol City: London

Population: 64.5 million

Christmas Insights:

Holly & ivy decorations are often used to adorn the home.

Caroling is a popular tradition in the U.K.

Christmas crackers are cardboard tubes wrapped in brightly decorated twists of paper. The cracker is pulled by two people, often with arms crossed, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly, accompanied by a mild bang or “cracking” sound. Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at parties. Typically, the contents of crackers are a colored paper hat, small toy, small plastic model, or other trinket and a motto, joke, riddle or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper. The paper hats and crowns are usually worn when eating Christmas dinner.