Alaska (U.S.): Some children carry star-shaped figures through the streets on Christmas Eve and they go from house to house singing Christmas carols, getting "treats" in return.
Activities:
Language: Thinking Question: Ask the children if they can think of another holiday here in America where children go from house to house getting treats.
Creative Art (within the limits of a theme): Provide large paper star shapes and collage materials for children to create "star people."  Later, parade to another part of the school grounds carrying your stars and singing Christmas carols -- as they might do in Alaska.  (For example, perhaps you could alert the office staff to this mini-multicultural lesson you're doing so they could possibly give treats to the children.)

Argentina: Sometimes trees are decorated with cotton to look like snow since Christmas comes in the summertime.
Activities:
Fine Motor: Tearing: Snow Covered Trees: Provide sheet cotton for children to tear apart and glue onto various shades and sizes of green paper trees.  Or have children place cotton pieces on the classroom Christmas tree -- as they might do in Argentina.

Australia: In some areas, gifts are put in pillowcases by Santa and then placed on children's beds.  It has also been said that eight white kangaroos pull Santa's sleigh.
Activities:
Fine Motor: Lacing a Pillowcase: Have children create a pillowcase by lacing together two 5x7" sheets of paper (leaving one of the 5" sides open).  They can then decorate their cases, and put pictures of toys (from magazines) inside their "pillowcases."  

Denmark: On Christmas Eve, everyone eats a special dessert (rice pudding), but they eat it very carefully because one person will find an almond in their pudding which means good luck.  Families also remember the birds at Christmas time by putting food outside on their doors for them.
Activities:
Science: Examine an almond
Snack: Eat rice pudding -- as they might do in Denmark
Fine Motor: Stringing Cheerios: Children string cheerios to take home and place at their own front doors for the birds -- as they might do in Denmark.

England: Special little tube-shaped packages of gifts are made called "Christmas Party Crackers."  They are like party favors.  ("Crackers" refers to the fact that sometimes items were placed inside that made a popping or cracking sound.)  By the way, in England, Santa is often called "Father Christmas."
Activities:
Create Our Own Christmas Party Crackers (as they might do in England): Give each child a toilet roll tube.  They place something inside the tube as a gift for someone (child gift: lollipop, sheet of stickers rolled up, etc; adult gift: candle, rolled-up note, etc).  The tube is then wrapped in a piece of tissue paper and the ends are twisted to close/seal the package.  Help children tie a bow at each end of the tube to keep the twists in place.  The idea is that when the person receiving the gift releases the bows, the twists come un-done and the gifts fall out.  Children could make a gift for a family member this way, or they could wrap empty tubes as Christmas tree ornaments.  Children could decorate light colored tissue paper before wrapping their tubes in it.

From Anna W:
Advent and Christmas Eve: In parts of the United Kingdom, on the run up to Christmas, starting on Dec. 1st, we have "Advent," by using a calendar to count down the days to Christmas.  We may light an Advent candle every day.  In church, we normally have an Advent wreath with 4 candles, one of which is lit every week (counting down the weekends until Christmas).  On Christmas Eve, some Christians go to midnight mass, which is very special.  We go to church for a regular church service except it starts about 11:15 and finishes after midnight.  At midnight, everyone shakes hands and welcomes in Christmas Day.  When we get home, some familes open thier presents and then go to bed (personally, our family waits until morning).

France: Children place their shoes near the fireplace on Christmas Eve in the hopes that "Father Christmas" will fill them with goodies.  
Activities:
Social Game: Shoe Sized Gifts: Place items in a bag that would be small enough to fit into a child's shoe.  Have children take turns reaching into the bag and feeling for something then naming it before pulling it out.
Shoe Surprises: If you create a fireplace for your classroom (I suggest how in my Christmas booklet), have children leave one of their shoes at the base of it -- as they might do in France.  While they sleep during naptime, place a small candy inside.  For half-day programs, they can bring an extra shoe from home that you can put candy in while they play outdoors.  If you start this early in the unit, you can surprise them several times throughout the week/month by placing something neat in their shoes.
Snack Time Discussion: Share this informational tidbit with the children: In some parts of France, families cut a Christmas cake to eat but the first piece is saved for the poor.  This can then lead to a discussion about how we can help the poor here where we live.  What kinds of things can we do?  (Examples: Children are probably familiar with things like the trees at McDonalds restaurants where toys can be purchased for the needy, dropping money into the Salvation Army pots outside stores, providing canned goods at Thanksgiving, etc)

Germany: Children might leave their shoes outside the door of their homes filled with hay and carrots for the horse of St. Nicholas who will then fill the shoes with apples and nuts.  In some homes, parents decorate the tree as a surprise for the children.  When the tree is deocrated, a little bell is rung telling the children they can "come out now and see the tree." Sometimes, parents might hide a special glass ornament in the tree that looks like a pickle.  When the children come out to see the tree, they also look for the ornament, and whoever finds it gets a special little gift and they get to be first in opening a present from under the tree.
Activities:
Snack: Apples and nuts -- as they might eat in Germany
Social Game: Hide a plastic pickle (or other item) in your classroom tree (or somewhere in the classroom) and have children try to find it (similar to what they might do in Germany).  Whoever finds it gets to be "first" at something (or they get a special sticker, etc).  Hide the item enough times throughout the week/month so that everyone gets a turn.

Hungary: Children place their boots in the windows instead of hanging stockings on the fireplace, and Mikulás (pronounced Me-ku-lash) (name for Santa), fills the boots with candies and small gifts.  Houses and trees are decorated with gingerbread figures.  As in Germany, instead of children helping to decorate the tree, mommies and daddies do it and surprise the children who come into the room when they hear bells ringing.  Fish and cabbage are special foods eaten during Christmas time.

Activities:

From Sandi, in Nevada:
Gingerbread People Recipe
You will need:
One 3 1/2 oz package of cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a large bowl, have children help cream together the butterscotch pudding mix (dry), butter, and brown sugar until smooth.  Stir in the egg.  Separately combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon, and then add this to the pudding mixture to form a dough.  Chill the dough about an hour or until firm (you could even make it the day before and chill it overnight).  On the day you make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° and grease your cookie sheets in advance.  Sprinkle flour on the surface of the table where the dough will be rolled out, then have children cut out small figures with cookie cutters.  Place the cookies about 2" apart on the cookie sheets and bake 10-12 mins or until edges turn golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

From Stormie:
Goody Boots: On a snowy day when everyone has worn boots, see if you can arrange for "Mikulás" to fill one boot (per child) with goodies without the children knowing about it.  ;-)  

Italy: Every house sets up a nativity scene but without the baby Jesus in it (define "nativity scene" for children unfamiliar with what it is).  On Christmas Eve, many candles are lit as the family tells the Christmas story (birth of Jesus).  On Christmas morning, the mommies of the families place a baby Jesus doll in the manger of the nativity scene.  Another thing that happens in Italy during Christmas time is that children go from house to house singing Christmas songs.  

Jamaica: Because there is no snow, it is believed that Santa rides to children's houses on a donkey.

Mexico
From Ana Oscos, in Acapulco, Mexico:
At Christmas time here in Mexico, we have parties called "Posadas."  The children sing, eat tamales, and drink "Ponche" (a hot drink made out of fruits and cinnamon).  They then take turns trying to break a piñata that's in the shape of a star.
More from Stormie:
Nine days before Christmas, the Posadas (parties) begin.  Each night, children parade through the streets carrying lit candles.  They stop at each house, where they are turned away, until they come to the house that has a replica of the stable outside (which represents where Mary and Joseph stayed during the night of the birth of Jesus).  This is where the party for the night is being held so children then enter that home.
******Gifts are not exchanged on Christmas Day, but rather, on the night before "Day of the Wise Men," Mexican children put out their shoes and wait for "wise men" (instead of Santa) to come fill them with toys.

Request from Stormie: Do any of you out there have a super-easy recipe for tamales and/or for a warm ponche drink that I can post here on my website?  They need to be simple enough for preschoolers to help prepare in a short period of time, but yet, something that they will eat/drink?  I would also like to post instructions here on how to make a "star pinata."  (Ana, if you read this, I have lost your e-mail address :-(

Philippines: Families make and decorate huge beautiful stars.  Contests are held to see who can make the most beautiful star of all.
Activities:
Beautiful Stars: Provide collage materials and star shapes in various colors and sizes and allow children to create the most beautiful star imaginable -- as they might do in the Philippines!

Poland: At homes in Poland, a wafer (cookie) called an Oplatek (Oh-pwah-tek) is broken and a piece is given to everyone in the family.  As everyone takes a bite, they express good wishes and remember loved ones who have died and aren't there with them.  At least for one mealtime during the holiday period, some families have 12 dishes of food on their table -- one for each month of the year.
Activities:
Favorite Foods: Provide paper plates and magazine pictures of yummy foods for children to choose from and glue onto their plates (foods they themselves would enjoy on Christmas Day).  If children are developmentally ready, they can cut the foods from the magazines themselves.
Special Snack Time Wishes: With impeccably clean hands, children could take turns each day (for about a week) breaking a large cookie into pieces and sharing it with the others while wishing them a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"

Spain: Santa is called Papa Noel.

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