This post is written by Owl.

Our Christmas book for today is from the Usborne Young Reading series.  It is called “Christmas around the world.”

This book is about all the different Christmas traditions all over the world.  These are the most interesting facts I found out:

• When Christmas trees were first used in Eastern Europe, they were hung upside down.
• Some people think that Santa lives in Lapland, but others think he lives in the North Pole.
• In 1843, the artist John Callcott Horsley invented the first ever Christmas card.

Around the world, people eat different foods at Christmas time.

Menu

Roast turkey

Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Ireland, Nigeria and the United States

Boiled cod in creamy sauce

Finland

Spicy chicken stew

Ethiopia

Roast eel

Italy

Roast pig

Philippines

One day I would like to have Christmas in Finland so that I can try the cod in creamy sauce.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

This evening Paul and I sang in our carol concert, and Owl and Monkey came with Granny to watch.  We were very pleased that some good friends came  too (a home education group family), as we haven’t seen them for a while.  By the time we got home, it was late and the little ones were asleep.  While Paul took the babysitter and our friends home, I read to the big boys.  We were very tired, and it didn’t feel like time for something new, so we got out our Usborne Christmas Treasury, an old favourite, and read the story of the Nutcracker.

This is a lovely illustrated collection of Christmas stories, carols, songs and activities and it is suitable for children of all ages.