How does a tall glass of eggnog sound in the middle of summer? What about baby Jesus dropping off your gifts instead of Santa? The American ideal of a present-laden tree, a white Christmas, and a champagne-drenched New Year's has found its way to--and partly originated from--other continents. But the traditions, history, and climate of other countries create an entirely different holiday season.

"I had a barbecue for Christmas," says Lauren Harris. Though she is not a fan of eggnog, she did enjoy the sunny weather that Australia's Southern Hemisphere provides during December. Born in Britain, Harris spent three years in Australia, where she celebrated last Christmas with family in Balmoral. Because the country was colonized by the English, Australia has Christmas traditions very similar to America, which means Santa Claus, presents, and decorated trees--but all in the middle of summer. "It was more active," says Harris. "We went for a walk, played games outside."

German student Philipp Tschoeke remembers his hometown of Osnabruck, Germany having snowy holidays until around ten years ago. "We used to have white Christmases, but now when it happens it's like, 'wow, snow,'" she says.

On December 5, children leave their boots outside and Saint Nick comes to fill them with small sweets and games. From then until December 26 the Christmas season is in full swing. Each city has Christmas markets that sell ornaments and serve warm snacks like sausage and hot spiced wine out of decorated portable wooden houses.

"You might go once with family and with friends, or with coworkers after work, standing there in the cold weather holding your hot wine."

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus delivers presents. But Santa Claus is the same as Saint Nick, right? Wrong, says Tschoeke. "I think you copied it from us and then we copied it again to have it twice," she says. Some families choose an angelic baby Jesus as the courier of gifts.

Eggnog, nativity scenes, and advent calendars are holiday treats similar to what Americans are used to. Though there are no mall Santas, the brightly-lit Coca-Cola Christmas semi trucks from their ubiquitous holiday advertising campaign tour around Germany, stopping in cities to spread commercialized holiday cheer, bringing Santa along. "They're American trucks, they're different than German trucks. They don't do that in America?"

Inclusive of its citizens' many religions, India's calendar is filled with holidays of spiritual and secular origins. "We have the most bank holidays in the world," says Shirin Usmani, a graduate student from Bombay. "We have to respect everyone." The largest festival is Diwali, a Hindu holiday of lights celebrated according to the lunar calendar--October 17 in 2009 and November 5 in 2010. "The Goddess of Wealth visits your house, everyone lights candles to welcome her," says Usmani. Men gamble, women buy jewelry, and households make large purchases on the auspicious day. Like many other holidays, devotional songs are sung in temples and sweets are exchanged.

Eid al-Adha, a Muslim celebration commemorating Ibrahim's readiness to sacrifice his son on Allah's command, is the second of two Eid festivals. The Festival of Sacrifice coincides with the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, when the travelers are descending Mount Arafat. The holiday starts with prayer and ends in the sacrifice of an animal such as a goat or camel to be eaten and given away. The date changes according to the lunar calendar and this year fell on November 27, America's Black Friday. Usmani combined traditions from both cultures. "I went to the mosque and like all other Americans went shopping. Reverse culture shock," she says. 

While most might feel comfortable sidling up to the holiday table in sweats and slippers, Usmani stresses the importance of a nice new outfit for festivities in India. "It's not that people won't like you, but everyone is going to see what you are wearing," she says. "It says somewhere in the holy Koran that you must wear new clean clothes."

Aside from the many religious holidays, India also has National Day on January 26, and celebrates Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on October 2.

In the metropolitan city of Bombay, Christmas is widely celebrated. "When I was little my parents did stockings," says Usmani, "[The movie] Home Alone was a favorite of mine." As far as India as a whole: "Everybody knows about Christmas, but not everyone celebrates."

In the Czech Republic, fish is on the menu for Christmas Eve. "Traditionally we eat fish soup and potato salad with breaded fried fish in it," says graduate student Lenka Belkova. Many types of Christmas cookies are baked, including some "similar to Mexican wedding cookies, but shaped like little crescents." Christmas Eve dinner is usually immediate family, and like Usmani, Belkova is used to dressing up for the occasion. "The way I've celebrated here doesn't have the same spirit," she says. In the Czech Republic, it "feels like a special day."

The Czech Republic is not Santa Claus territory either. Instead, on Christmas Eve, parents secretly ring a bell from another room, symbolizing that baby Jesus has delivered the presents. But no cherub shaped chocolates take Santa's place on shelves. "We don't have an image, you never see a portrait," says Belkova.

Despite the urge to connect this to a deeper religious meaning, Belkova says the Czech Republic's communist history has changed the significance. "It wasn't really a religious thing, we saw it as a Czech tradition," she says. "After dinner everyone goes to midnight mass. It's more social, you can meet with friends."

Superstitions also add to the spirit of the holiday. After dinner, everyone cuts an apple in half from stem to bottom. A star shaped core means good health for the next year. Unmarried women stand facing away from a door and toss a slipper over their shoulder. If the toe points to the door, it means she will get married or leave home.

After a pause to consult her dictionary on the English name for the substance in mind, Belkova says an old tradition involves lead. "[It is] a liquid form of lead. We pour it into water and tell about the future from the shape it makes, but people don't really do it anymore," she says.

Fireworks are truly an international way to ring in the new year. In all the experiences shared, New Years Eve is a time for letting loose with friends and looking forward to what the next year brings. [X]