Tag: Christmas

Christmas Superstitions in the Czech Republic

Cultures all over the world have their unique Christmas superstitions. The Czech Republic is known for being one of the most atheist countries in the world. Ironically, according to Czech tradition it is baby Jesus, not Santa Claus, who brings gifts. Instead of lining up to sit in Santa’s lap, Czech children wait in line…

Read More

10 Unique Advent Calendars to Spice Up Christmas

Your typical advent calendars contain chocolate, which is great. It is scientifically proven that most people love chocolate. 91% of women and 87% of men eat chocolate. But chocolate advent calendars year after year get stale – literally, if you forget to eat them on time. Today there are many fun and unique advent calendars…

Read More

Monthly Earring Mania: Earring Subscription as a Christmas Gift

I created Monthly Earring Mania because I am obsessed with fun subscription boxes. They have done irreparable damage to my wallet, so I wanted to make my subscription as affordable as possible. I decided to start my subscription when I discovered CrateJoy while working on an article about 99 monthly subcription boxes! It took me…

Read More

5 Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts for Zero-Waste Fans

Christmas is a stressful time for people who are into a more eco-friendly lifestyle. It is hard for us to try and find Eco-Friendly Christmas gifts for friends and family that they will love that won’t harm the environment. We are also worried that we will get something that is awesome but will end up…

Read More

Christmas in Vietnam: Confetti & Selfies

Christmas in Vietnam is not as new as you may think. This is because Vietnam used to be part of the French Empire. French influences can be seen all over the country. However, Christmas is the most popular in the capital city Ho Chi Minh or Saigon. Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas Day….

Read More

Christmas in China

Christmas in China has gotten big this last decade. Chinese schools, especially those that employ foreigners, enjoy Christmas holidays. All shopping malls, parks and public venues in major cities get as festive as New York City. There are also many events for both Chinese locals and foreigners to attend. I celebrated my first Christmas in…

Read More

Christmas in India: Decorated Mango Trees & ‘Christmas Baba’

Christmas in India is unique because 97.2% of the population is not Christian. They also don’t have pine trees, so they decorate banana and mango trees with fairy lights. The one who brings the gifts is Father Christmas, or ‘Christmas Baba’. The city with the most Christmas spirit is Mumbai, because of their larger Christian…

Read More

Zero-Waste Christmas 2021

Most modern holidays come with a lot of unnecessary waste. Single use plastic, paper packaging that ends up not decomposing in the landfill and presents that people don’t actually want or need. Having a zero-waste Christmas isn’t as hard as it seems. You can follow some or all of these steps to make a difference….

Read More

Sankta Lucia – Christmas in Sweden

St. Lucia’s Day is also known as the Feast of Saint Lucy or Sankta Lucia in Sweden. It is a Christian feast day that commemorates her sainthood. Her feast day also coincides with the shortest day of the year prior to calendar reforms. Scandinavians celebrate it. “In Scandinavia, where Saint Lucy is called Santa Lucia…

Read More

The Mysterious Christmas Pickle Tradition in the USA

Christmas Pickles sound like something from Rick and Morty. But I’m not referring to the Pickle Rick episode of the show. I’m talking about the strange tradition where families hang a pickle-shaped ornament on their tree. Why a Pickle? This is where the mystery begins. The Americans point at the Germans. Supposedly Woolworth stores were…

Read More

Krampus Brings the Scary Back to Christmas: Austria

Growing up in the Czech Republic, I experienced some of the scarier sides of Christmas. Czech parents often hire actors who come dressed as Mikuláš (St. Nick) and the devil. Their job is to literally scare children into being good. It sounds silly, but when you’re five years old, a chain-bearing devil is pretty darn…

Read More

Newport Illuminated Boat Parade: Christmas in RI

The Newport Illuminated Boat Parade of 2019 took place on November 29th. The crowds were huge, the atmosphere was festive and the boats were beautiful! EDIT: Newport Illuminated Boat Parade: A kind person commented on this post and pointed out that I was confusing Newport, RI and Newport Beach in California! So I am rewriting…

Read More

Gifting & Reading Books for Christmas – Icelandic Traditions

Books are amazing because they have the unique power to take you on a wild adventure without requiring you to leave the house. They teleport you to worlds that do exist and those that don’t. Nothing is impossible in a book. People in Iceland understand the magic of reading and the holidays. So they combine…

Read More

Gävle Goat, Christmas in Sweden

While Rhode Islanders decorate a termite for Christmas, other cultures have their own quirks and traditions. The town of Gävle [say: yeah-vleh] puts up a giant straw statue of a goat. Then they wait—and sometimes even bet—on whether the goat will make it to Christmas. The reason they worry about the goat is because every year…

Read More

(Guest Post) CZECH TRADITIONS: CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas from the Czech Republic! In recognition of our time here, I wanted to learn more about their culture and traditions. Czechs celebrate their Christmas on Christmas Eve (so Merry late Christmas to all the Czechs out there). The only way that it made sense to me was to compare it to how we celebrate the…

Read More

(Guest Post) CZECH TRADITIONS: CHRISTMAS CARP

About a month ago someone told me to be on the lookout for tubs of carp being sold on the street for Christmas dinner. I immediately imagined bath tubs of carp. Claw foot bath tubs on the side of the street with carp. Unfortunately, there are only plastic tubs of carp – no bath tubs….

Read More

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING IN PRAGUE

Starting as early as January 1st, the streets of Prague become crowded with discarded Christmas trees. Although the sight is quite depressing, leaving a used tree by the recycling containers is one of the most ecologically friendly way to dispose of it. Read the full article on Prague.TV’s website. The best place to discover Prague,…

Read More

Bar Hopping on Czech Christmas

Czech’s celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December but they have public holidays from the 24th until the 26th. So what happens if you want to grab a beer and lunch in the city center on Christmas? I’t not an easy task. I set out at 15:30 with my boyfriend Isaac and headed for our regular spot, Nagano…

Read More

Santa Con in Prague, Christmas 2014

Santa Con is an event that happens all over the world! Basically, people come together dressed as Santa and walk around singing carols. In Prague this event happened on December 13th and was a combination of dressing up, singing carols, bar-hopping and raising money for charity! The Prague event is organized annually by Kate Powers…

Read More