13 Christmas Around the World

About the Author Belinda R. Collins created The Adventures of Roxie to inspire curiosity, kindness, and a love of learning. Designed for family read-alouds and growing independent readers, each adventure introduces real places, fascinating facts, and exciting new vocabulary. Belinda combines her love of travel, history, nature, and lifelong learning to create beautifully illustrated stories filled with memorable places and animal friends. Through Roxie's journeys, readers discover that every destination has a story waiting to be told. When she is not creating Roxie's next adventure, Belinda enjoys traveling, reading, learning, and discovering the stories that make each community and culture special. “Every adventure begins with curiosity.”Roxie is a fluffy Maine Coon cat with a curious mind and an adventurous spirit. Wherever she goes, she discovers new places, new friends, and new things to learn. Turn the page and come along. Every day holds an adventure! Follow “The Adventures of Roxie” on social media, YouTube, and the web: @Roxie.AdventuresCOPYRIGHT © 2026 Belinda R. Collins Roxie is a fluffy Maine Coon cat with a curious mind and an adventurous spirit. Wherever she goes, she discovers new places, makes new friends, and finds wonderful things to learn. Turn the page and come along. A whole world of Christmas adventures awaits! Follow The Adventures of Roxie on social media, YouTube, and the web: @Roxie.AdventuresRoxie’s Christmas Adventures Christmas was almost here! Roxie zipped her coral suitcase closed and looked at the little Christmas tree beside her. Its branches sparkled with lights, ornaments, and memories. Outside, snowflakes danced past the window. “I wonder,” she said, tilting her head, “does Christmas look like this everywhere?” She opened her world map and studied her globe. Across oceans, mountains, islands, cities, and tiny villages, families were preparing for Christmas in many different ways. Some celebrated with traditional church services. Some decorated trees. Some decorated boats. Some hung shiny candies on Christmas branches. Some left polished boots by the door. And some waited until January for one last mysterious visitor! Roxie's green eyes widened with curiosity. She tucked her travel journal into her backpack. She would have to visit different places throughout the Christmas season to discover their special traditions. “There is only one way to learn,” she decided. “I have to go see!” She gave her suitcase one final pat. Her Christmas adventure was about to begin! What Christmas traditions do you think Roxie will discover?Christmas by the Sea: Greece Roxie arrived in Greece expecting to find Christmas trees. She found those, but something else soon caught her eye. “A Christmas boat?” In the town square, a little wooden boat called a karavaki twinkled beneath hundreds of tiny lights. Roxie learned that Greece has been connected to the sea for thousands of years. In many places, decorated boats became symbols of Christmas and of sailors returning safely home. The next morning, cheerful voices floated through the streets. Ting! Ting! Ting! Children walked from door to door singing the kalanda, traditional holiday songs. Some tapped little metal triangles as they sang. Roxie joined the procession, keeping time with one furry paw. Later, she learned that the Greek Christmas season did not end on December 25. New Year's Day was especially important. Families might cut a vasilopita, a special cake containing a hidden coin. “Whoever finds the coin gets good luck for the new year!” Roxie wrote in her journal. She smiled. A boat, a song, a cake, and a little bit of luck. Christmas in Greece certainly had its own story. How would you decorate a Christmas boat in Greece?Christmas Made of Many Traditions: United States of America Back in the United States, Roxie thought she knew exactly what Christmas would look like. There would be Christmas trees, stockings, candy canes, and cookies with milk for Santa. But Roxie soon discovered something much more interesting. American Christmas traditions had traveled from many different places! Families brought customs with them from Europe and other parts of the world. Over generations, old traditions met new ones. Some families attended church on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Some gathered for enormous family dinners. Some hung stockings near a fireplace. Some baked cookies. Some drove through neighborhoods just to admire the sparkling Christmas lights. And Christmas dinner could be different in every home. In one home, dinner might include turkey. In another, tamales. In another, pasta. Roxie discovered that each family's celebration could have its own special flavors! She also learned that some American families celebrated other winter holidays, while others did not celebrate Christmas at all. “So, America's Christmas traditions,” Roxie wrote, “are really a collection of traditions!” She drew a large star beside the sentence. Many histories. Many families. Many wonderful ways to celebrate. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?