Christmas
Christmas [n.]
[the period just before and after] 25 December, a Christian holy day that celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ. Synonyms : Noel, Yule, Yuletide. .
Cambridge Dictionary
Christmas is a mix of the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, combined with the time of year and concepts from earlier celebrations and beliefs such as the Norse Yule, the honouring of Odin in Germany, worship of Mithra, Saturnalia and even early Mesopotamia that occurred at this time of the year. It was not until the 4th century that the Feast of the Nativity was declared by Pope Julius. This later became known as Christmas and over time developed the present Christmas format.
This page covers Christmas history, the religious meaning, traditions around the world, an Australian Christmas, arts, crafts, cards, games, books, Santa Claus, Christmas foods & cooking, songs & music, making gifts, … .
History, Religion & Tradition
An Australian Christmas
- Aussie Christmas Recipes [Jamie Oliver]
- Australian Christmas Carols with Lyrics
Click on titles to hear the music and also find the lyrics. Newer version of the previous collection. - Australian Christmas Recipes
- Christmas Recipes and Christmas Food : SBS
Food
‘Christmas in Oz is one of spiced fruit puddings, fresh prawns and hearty roasts, plus a cider-baked ham if you’re into that ! Here’s our pick of festive recipes - some naughty, all nice’. - Christmas in Australia
‘G’day, Welcome to our Christmas in Australia site. The pages have grown so much over the years that the menu on the left has become very complex. I trust you can find the information that you need’. Very extensive. - Christmas in Australia [2]
How we celebrate Christmas in Australia when it is high summer and school holidays. - Christmas in Australia [3]
Introduction; Food; Decoration; Tradition. - Christmas Traditions in Australia
- Christmas Traditions in Australia
[2]
‘Celebrating Christmas in Australia; Santa Claus in Australia; Carols by Candlelight; Australian Christmas Songs; Holiday Meal Traditions in Australia; Enjoy a Traditional Aussie Christmas’.
Tradition & History of Christmas
- All about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
‘Did you know your favourite Christmas character, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer almost wound up having neither a red nose nor the iconic name Rudolph ? Here you’ll find everything that’s worth trying out and knowing about this character : Rudolph carols, riddles, stories, printables and crafts to bring him into your own home’. - Christmas Around the World
‘Christmas Traditions and Celebrations in Different Countries and Cultures’. For example Christmas in China and Christmas in Israel. -
Christmas around the world : 12 countries of Christmas
‘Celebrated around the world, people of all faiths and beliefs have embraced Christmas traditions. Here’s our 12 countries of Christmas’. - Christmas Around
the World [Primary] - FTfs
‘Christmas Day is celebrated all around the world in many different ways. Although traditionally a Christian holiday, people from all cultures now celebrate Christmas. Below you will find lots of information about Christmas and how it is celebrated around the world’. - Christmas around
the World Primary Resource [National Geographic Kids]
‘The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for discussing different countries, cultures and Christmas traditions around the world; as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard using the images included in the resource for class discussion’. - Christmas Celebrations in Different Countries
‘Christmas is usually celebrated among the Christians but since the world is becoming a global village, Christmas is now celebrated in every part of the world. The traditions, the festivity or even the dates might differ’. Includes Animation and Video. - Christmas Traditions Around the World
‘The information placed on this site may not be the way all people celebrate traditions today. Many are over 100 years old. Many people change to suit their families’. Songs, recipes, toys, gifts, favourites. - Christmas Traditions in England, Scotland and Wales [A British
Christmas]
Information and links compiled by Woodlands Primary School in England. - Comparing
and Contrasting Christmas Around the World
Education.com. Download the lesson plan from the site. - Happy Holidays !! - Christmas
How Christmas is celebrated in many countries, icons, music, poetry, links to Hannukah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice. - How Christmas
Works
Trivia from the How Stuff Works site on Christmas. Want to know how it came to be ‘X’mas, when the first one was, etc. ? - How did we come to celebrate
Christmas ?
‘Where did Christmas traditions originate ? Where did Santa Claus come from ? Christmas in the modern era’. The Conversation. - Observance of Christmas by Country [Wikipedia]
Covers countries initially by geographical area, then by individual country; References, further reading; links. - Saint Nicholas
‘Who is Saint Nicholas ?’, St Nicholas traditions in a range of countries, activities, other resources, play games, read stories, more. - Star of Bethlehem
‘At this time of year it seems almost traditional for stargazers to ponder the age-old question of the origin of the Star of Bethlehem. The Star’s appearance some 2 000 years ago is quite possibly one of the best-known celestial events in all of recorded history’. - The Christmas
Tradition
EnhanceTV. Primary level students. Links to related clips on Christmas. - The History of Christmas
Dates back more than 4 000 years [according to the information supplied]. How pagan festivals linked to Christian ones. - The History of Christmas [2]
‘How much do you really know about this festive holiday ? Explore our site to find the true history !’ Videos, Christmas in Depth sections. Don’t forget to keep clicking “See more” for further clips and information. - Welcome to Why Christmas ?
‘The Hows, Wheres, but mostly the Whys of Christmas’. - What does
Christmas mean to you ?
Western Australian Museum. ‘The notion of “Christmas” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people’.
Other Information
Arts & Crafts
Art & Images
- Animated GIF Archive - Christmas
Christmas animations of all kinds. - Christmas Clipart
More than 700 000 images. - Christmas Clipart and Animations
‘Why not download some free Christmas clipart and add holiday ornamentation to your virtual world as well ?’ - Christmas Clip Art Stock Photos
Photos and Illustrations. - Christmas Graphics.com
Xmas Clipart, Backgrounds, Dividers, Animated GIFs, more ! ‘The galleries each feature dozens of free Christmas-related clipart images’. - Christmas PNG Clipart
‘The best resource of free christmas png Clipart art images and PNG with transparent backgrounds to download’. - Classroom Clipart - Christmas
Clipart, Graphics and Images
‘In this section you will find great free christmas clipart to download. Choose from free Christmas clipart images of angels, candy canes, elves, ornaments, Santa, trees, bells, reindeer, snow, wreaths, candles, Christmas wreaths, candles, candy canes, Christmas gifts and much more’. - Free Christmas Clip Art
Clip art for home made cards and signs. Many categories to choose from. - Free Christmas Clipart Images
Many free clipart images to use. - Free Christmas Graphics
Christmas clipart and animated gifs.
Craft Activities
- 25 Cute and Simple Christmas Crafts for
Everyone
‘Looking for some simple Christmas crafts for kids or for yourself ? Here are 25 ideas for all ages that will put you in the holiday spirit !’ - 25 Fabulous Christmas Crafts for
the Festive Season [Mum’s Grapevine]
‘We’ve found 25 of the best and easiest !] Chrissy crafts for you to try your hand at. Happy crafting !’ - 25 homemade Christmas Gifts
‘There’s nothing quite like receiving a homemade Christmas gift. The thought that goes into one makes it seem just that little bit more special than something bought off the shelf’. - 50+ Christmas Crafts for Kids
‘With Christmas just around the corner, what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to do some fun Christmas Crafts for Kids ?’. - AllFreeChristmasCrafts.com
‘Offers 1 000s of free craft projects, home decor ideas and DIY tips. Some of our reader’s favourites include Ornament Crafts, Christmas Crafts for Kids, DIY Christmas Gifts and DIY Christmas Decorations’. - Christmas Crafts
Using common items found around virtually every home. Suited to K-3 students. - Christmas Decorations
Napkin rings to candles and miniature Christmas trees. Disney Family. - Christmas DIY Projects [To Spread The Holiday
Spirit]
‘There’s no better way to celebrate Xmas than to get together with your loved ones and craft away to the sound of your favourite Christmas carols. We’ve decided to help you make this holiday season merry and bright with these DIY projects. Happy crafting !’. 6 sections -Decoration; Card; Ornament; Gift; Wreath; Garland. - Christmas Gifting - DIY
Crafts
‘There are many things you can make for Christmas which would be great gifts. Let the following links guide you with great ideas and directions for Christmas do-it-yourself crafts’. - Danielle’s Place
‘Christmas crafts for kids’. Activities for all ages. - Fun Australian
Christmas activities for kids [NITV]
‘To make your holiday decorations a little more local and a little less northern hemisphere, use things found in your own backyard’.
Books, Poems & Other Stories
- 25 Free Online
Christmas Books and Holiday Stories
‘A wonderful list of free read aloud books online for Christmas and winter holidays is sure to inspire holiday reading !’ - A Child’s Christmas in Wales
A Dylan Thomas short story. - A Christmas Carol
Read this book by Charles Dickens online. A second version is available here while a video version of the story is found here. A shorter animated version can be watched here. - Christmas and Winter Poems
- Christmas Day Jokes
- Christmas Poems
‘The Christmas Poems that have been selected are very traditional and are dated as far back as the 14th century’. -
Christmas Stories
‘Christmas is a time when magic really does happen. These are our seasonal tales’. Audiobooks - listen or download. - Christmas Stories from Around the
World
‘Holiday tales for all ages as well as how to say Merry Christmas in several languages’. Fun Christmas facts, more. - Kid’s Christmas Stories, Poetry,
Rhymes, Plays and Recitals
‘Short stories, tales, poems, rhymes, recitals, plays from Children’s Literature’. - Ten Little Snowmen
Interactive book for the young. - The Cat in the Hat : Freeze Your Knees, Follow Me
Please
Presentation from the United States. - The Polar Express
Games and fun. You can even send an e-card from the site. - Traditional Christmas Stories & Poems
Also Christmas greetings in many languages.
Cards & eCards
- 123 Greetings - Christmas
‘Beautiful Merry Christmas wishes, Christmas cards and ecards to share the spirit of peace and joy with your friends and family and make their Christmas a memorable one. Browse about 700 cards’. - Christmas 2017-2018 Greeting Cards, Season
Greetings, Animated eCards
‘Our free Christmas greeting cards are full of snow, Angels, Christmas trees, candles, magic and love everywhere. Even Santa is coming to celebrate with us’. - Christmas Cards
‘Every year, we add at least 100 new Christmas Cards while continuing to offer our popular Christmas cards from previous years’. - Christmas cards - Greetings Island
‘Sleigh bells ringing, reindeer prancing, and cards for giving this Christmas ! Design with our card maker, print or send online for free !’ They also provide access to a free Online Card Maker. -
Christmas Cards and Greetings
‘Offers its collection of free, beautiful Victorian Christmas cards in PDF format for you to print from your computer’. - Christmas E-Cards
‘Click the Christmas image that you would like to send as an E-Card !’ - Create Christmas Cards for Free in Minutes
‘Make unique and custom Christmas cards in minutes. No design skills needed’ with Adobe Spark. Multiple options to login to access the program - Koala’s Free Christmas Email Cards
‘I have had lots of people ask for more Australian content in the cards. With this request in mind I have taken some of my photos of Australian animals and scenery and replaced some of the more traditional cards with these’. - Kudoboard Christmas Cards
Online, Personalised and Fun. A different approach to creating a Christmas greeting. Free and fee-based sections available. - Personalised Christmas Cards - Canva
‘Spread the festive cheer with custom Christmas cards. Upload your own holiday snaps to create a photo Christmas card, or explore hundreds of seasonal card templates. Best of all, it’s free !’ - Printable Christmas Card
Templates
‘Matching envelopes, labels, writing paper’. - Virtual Free Christmas eCards
A range of types with musical accompaniment.
Christmas Recipes & Cooking
- 50 Favourite Christmas Recipes
‘Planning your Christmas menu can be stressful, so we’ve tried to make it easier. Whether you prefer to go traditional or a little bit fancy this year, we have the recipes for you’. - Australian Christmas Recipes & Ideas
Get a wide range of recipes, many which you may not have thought of or considered before. - Christmas ‘Cookies’
Cookies and other christmas fare from around the world. A second cookies site is found at this link. - Christmas Cooking with
Children
‘A collection of Christmas recipes - family favourites. Kids love teat them ! They like to help too !’ Recipes are grouped in collections e.g. bread, breakfast, cakes, snacks. - Christmas Recipes
Extensive [1 000+] and sometimes unusual listing broken into multiple sections and more. - Christmas Recipes
[AllRecipes]
‘Cookies to decorate. Christmas dinner ideas. Party traditions like pudding and cake. See top recipes, plus videos and tips from home cooks like you’. - Christmas Recipes and Menus
‘Look no further for Christmas recipes and dinner ideas. Get into the spirit with Christmas food like mulled wine and mince pies, make homemade presents, and create the perfect Christmas menu’. BBC. - Christmas Recipes and Tips
‘Over 1 000 delicious Christmas inspired recipes, plus loads of decorating and gift ideas’. Many recipes are found in specific collections, e.g. Alternate Christmas Desserts, Christmas Leftover Recipes. - Healthy Christmas Holiday
Recipes
‘It’s the best time of year, and we’re here to help your celebrate with all of our healthy Christmas recipes’. - Kid’s Christmas
Recipes
‘Try out some of the mouthwatering kid’s Christmas recipes and spice up your yuletide days with the dipped chocolate treats’. - Vegetarian Christmas
Recipes [BBC Good Food]
‘Ideas for a sensational spread on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and throughout the festive season, including a stunning centre-piece - Layered squash, barley & spinach pie’. - Vegetarian Recipe Search
Search for specific recipes using the range of filters.
Games
- 42 Best Family Christmas
Games
‘Activities and Games for Holiday Groups of Kids and Adults’. - 30 Awesome Christmas Games for Kids
‘I’ve played a version of this game in every class Christmas party I’ve ever hosted. The kids love it, it’s super interactive, and the supplies are pretty simple’. - Christmas Games
From Primary Games. - Christmas Games for Kids
‘Need some ideas for Christmas games for kids? Whether you’re hosting or helping to organise a Christmas party for kids at home, school, or church, here are some great ideas for games for kids’. - Christmas Games - Free Online Games
- Christmas Games from Disney Family
Another collection, each clearly annotated. - Christmas Minigames
A huge number of minigames with a Christmas theme. 100 on the first page of listings alone.
General Sites
- All About Christmas
‘There’ s much more to the fascinating history of Christmas ! Where did the Christmas tree originate, why are Christmas candles important, etc. ? The answers are all here’. - All Things Christmas
Use multiple menus to find All things Christmas. - Amazing Christmas Ideas
‘Providing you with a resource to help you with all your Christmas planning, shopping and decorating’. Use the Main Menu for book reviews, decorating, tips, even Christmas stockings. - A Victorian Christmas
Decorating, entertaining, toys, dolls, gifts, crafts, a Child’s Christmas, links. All based on Christmas as it was during the Victorian period. - Christmas
Etymology, history, traditions, date, economy, controversies, further reading, links, more. Wikipedia. - Christmas 2019 - All about Christmas
Good overview. History and a large number of other categories are covered. - Christmas Activities
DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids. Activities from colouring pages, to games and puzzles, a variety of other activities. Mostly for younger children. - Christmas.com
Claimed to be the internet’s largest Christmas portal, for everything you did or didn’t, want to know. - Christmas Countdown 2020
‘How Many days until Christmas 2020 ?’ - Christmas Fonts
This site provides you with a wide range of fonts suitable for use in many ways at Christmas. - Christmas For Kids !
‘One of the most special times of the year, and we know it ! We have hundreds of Christmas activities for kids at Activity Village. Have a look around, find inspiration and ideas, enjoy yourselves !’ - Christmas
Theme Unit
Includes all you want in a Christmas unit. Suited to younger children. - Christmas Tree Activities for Early Learning
Lesson plans, things to print, things to make, Crafts, Online Activities, media. - History of Christmas
All things Christmas from history, to Santa Claus, gifts related to the Christmas season. History Channel. - Merry -Christmas.com
‘Merry-Christmas.com is your total Christmas destination ! From Christmas Games, Letters to Santa and Christmas gifts to Christmas Stories, Jokes and Recipes’. - My Merry Christmas
Christmas online, music, movies, stories, clipart, downloads, for parents, memories, world Christmas, more. - Santa Letter
‘Your place for family friendly Christmas fun. Browse our sections [to the left in the Candy Cane signs area], or check some of our favourite recommendations. We have lots of fun activities to do, one of our top things to do is send a letter to Santa Claus !’ - Santa’s Naughty or Nice List
Check the quiz to see which you are. - Welcome to Santaland
‘Old fashioned Christmas Traditions’. Arts & crafts, gifts, carols, recipes, stories, books, cards, stamps, more.
Making Gifts
- 12 Christmas Tree Crafts for Kids
- 240 best Christmas
Labels and Christmas Label Templates
240 pins on this Pinterest page. - Crafts kids can make
to give as gifts [on Pinterest]
627 pins at time of inclusion. Links to related boards, some also covering crafts. - Free Tutorials To Make [Your Own]
Kids Toys For Christmas
Covers simple to make toys in areas including Wooden Toys, Felt Toys, Puppets, more. Has links to resources for each area. - Homemade Christmas Gifts
Bookmarks to hats and journals. Grouped under specific topics including Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make. - How to Make Your Own Christmas Gifts
‘Here are several easy-to-make crafts that make wonderful home-made Christmas gifts’. - Simple Gifts
Simple but effective gifts for the Christmas season. Use the middle listing.
Santa Claus, His Life & Home
- Christmas at the North Pole
Tour the village where Santa lives, sing along [karaoke] to carols, more. - Google Santa Tracker
‘Explore, play and learn with Santa’s elves all December long’. - Santa Claus
‘History, Legend and Facts. Britannica Encyclopaedia’. - Santa Claus : Real Origins & Legend
[History.com]
‘Santa Claus - otherwise known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle - has a long history steeped in Christmas traditions. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red who brings toys to good girls and boys on Christmas Eve, but his story stretches all the way back to the 3rd century’. - Santa Television
Christmas traditions from around the world, visit Santa, watch presentations. - The North Pole Times
‘Santa’s Official Newsletter’. Read stories, visit the workshop, visit the kitchen, check the wish list. - Track Santa
Track Santa Claus on his travels around the world. Begins 1 December.
Songs & Music
- 13
Royalty-Free Christmas Music Downloads
‘These free and legal Christmas music downloads are perfect for contemporary, classical, and traditional Christmas music’. - 50 Best Christmas Songs
Includes a range of modern music with some you may not have considered. - Best Christmas Songs Ever - 2019 Playlist
Links to other videos with Christmas songs as well. - Best Christmas Songs Ever - 2021 Playlist
Links to other videos with Christmas songs as well. - Christmas Music 2020 - Top Christmas Songs Playlist
Links to other videos with Christmas songs as well. - Top 100 Traditional Christmas Songs Ever
Links to other videos with Christmas songs as well. - Christmas Carols
‘Looking for the lyrics to your favourite classic Christmas carols, songs and hymns ? Simply click on the title that you’re interested in. We’ve recently also added midi music players to many of the carols, so that you can sing along to your heart’s content, if you so feel the urge’. - Christmas Sheet Music and Carols to
Download
‘High Quality Christmas sheet music to download instantly’. - Christmas Songs
‘The Christmas Songs List provides the lyrics of the most famous festive lyrics and popular holiday music which have lasted the test of time. Christmastime is the best of all times for kids and they love to sing-a-long to the old favourites. Videos of Christmas songs and also Modern Christmas songs and Christmas Rock songs’. - KIDiddles Christmas Songs
‘Christmas Songs, Christmas carols, and music for the Holiday Season with lyrics and music to listen to. About 120 songs listed alphabetically’. - Lyrics to Popular Christmas Songs and Carols
Classics and also modern carols and songs. - Resources to Help Teach Christmas Carols [Includes Videos]
‘This collection will help you teach Christmas carols to anyone. It includes videos, printables, lyrics and much more. You can simply use the filters [below] to choose the age range of your pupils, as well as the type of resource that would be fit for them. Then all you have to do is sing your heart out’. - The Top 100 Christmas Songs
‘These are 100 of the top Christmas songs of all time, including details and links to pop performance videos’. - The Ultimate List of Christmas Songs
Traditional to modern, listed alphabetically, and available as video presentations.
Write or Email to Santa
- eMail Santa
Email him. There are also other activities in which to be involved. - How to Write a Letter to Santa Claus [with
Pictures] - WikiHow
‘Sample letters; Preparing to Write; Writing your letter; Decorating and sending your letter; Q & As; Tips; Warnings; Things you’ll need; Related things to do’. -
Let’s write to Santa
‘Australia Post Santa Mail. The Santa Mail Tracker returned in November 2020’. - Letters to Santa
‘Send a letter to Santa and get an instant reply ! NO email or home address is required’. - Send a Letter to Santa
‘Once you have sent a letter to Santa, come back and check your mailbox by clicking Santa Letter Pick-Up. Santa answers every letter that is sent to him, but he has so much mail it usually takes him about three days to write back to you. Have you sent a letter to Santa on this site previously? You can view it here’. You need to set up a free account.