Russia
The Russian Orthodox church celebrates on Jan 7th, using a different calendar.
Ukraine
This year a Ukrainian city near the border decided to celebrate instead on Dec 25th (in alignment with other parts of the world) instead of with Russia.
Spain and UK
I remember as a child that we would go to my parents' one bedroom flat in Marbella, Spain. On Christmas day, instead of spending more for meals, we could have sardines on toast by the beach.
Marbella had many ex-pat families from London, England, and Jews from North West London could be elsewhere for Christmas without the children noticing that they were not getting expensive presents but instead having a holiday swimming and sunbathing in the sun escaping the risk of snow in England. If we extended our holiday to January 7th, on the evening of the 5ht or 6th, I forget which, we would read in the local free newspapers about the Magi on horseback parading through Estepona, and throwing sweets to the children in the crowd. One year we went along to see them.
UK
In the UK many people keep up their decorations until the end of their break from work and school, at least until the new year when decorations change from red, green and white to silver, gold, white and black or blue. Increasingly with longer breaks, the decorations are staying up and the shops and attractions are attracting customers with ice rinks and events staying open.
France
With energy expensive, economies are being made in the UK, France and Europe. In France some lights are turned off at a quarter to midnight (11.45 pm or 23.45). Others are turned off at 10 pm. So if you are taking a trip to see the lights, go early.
London
In London, England, new energy saving light bulbs are now the norm and it is hard to find bulbs for your old fittings or if one light bulb of a set of six needs replacing and you don't want one odd one.
Half Open Top Bus
You can take a tour of the lights in an open top bus. Actually, some of the buses are half open at the top. Depending on the weather, early boarders can get the seat open top with a better view and opportunity for unobstructed photos, or inside out of the chill and risk of rain.
Walking Tours Of The East End
If you are avoiding traffic and taking a walking tour of London, such as the East End of London, which I did one year, seeing Jack the Ripper sites and the Old Jewish East End. There you can sometimes see outside or inside a synagogue, learn about Disraeli, and pass another former synagogue which changed to another religion. You can still buy bagels, at one of the two shops during the night for taxi drivers and night owl workers and tourists
Now the mosques and their Muslim congregations have taken over.. But the Asian sweets are an extra attraction.
Singapore
Over in Singapore, where parts of my family have lived, on and off, since the nineteen nineties, the department stores took down the Xmas decorations. But they kept up decorations for the anticipation of the next holiday, which was Chinese New Year, which falls variably, sometimes earlier than other years.
We are now looking forward to New Year. Celebrated in the UK, Gibraltar, and first over in Australia in New Zealand. Although the Chinese have a different New Year, increasingly around the world you can see magnificent displays of lights and fireworks in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and around the world, one after another.
Lastly, there's the ice hotels, in Sweden and other northern countries. Over in the USA, you can find one in the Americas, in Canada.
Useful Websites
Ukraine
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20221226-tearing-ourselves-away-ukrainians-break-with-russian-orthodox-christmas-tradition
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