Christmas around the world

It is always fascinating to me to see how holidays are celebrated in other countries. For example, in Russia, people give presents on New Year's Eve. This is a tradition that I grew up with and adhere to even now. I read two separate articles in the New York Time's travel section this morning which really got me thinking about how wonderful it would be to celebrate Christmas in another country, probably somewhere in Europe. A Catalan Christmas described the holiday season in Barcelona where Santas jump into the Mediterranean Sea and everyone parties for weeks straight while awaiting the Epipheny. The second article I read described 36 hours in Salzburg, Austria - home of Mozart and of course The Sound of Music! Check out the photo below of shoppers at the Christmas Market picking out ornaments...I mean, how beautiful and fancy are those things?! And there are just so many of them!

The guy in the glasses looks like Austrian Gary Oldman

If this post was to have a moral I think it would be for everyone out there to have a Merry Christmas regardless of where you are and how you celebrate. Ho Ho Ho!

P.S. It's also the third night of Hanukkah, light those menorahs!

Old school menorah, less candles