Americans have so many Christmas traditions that vary from family to family, leaving us to wonder how teenagers across the country celebrate Christmas. Luckily for us, we have three exchange students from three different countries this year at Delphi. 

Eva Frechede, from Mirepeix, says she celebrates Christmas in France similarly to how it is celebrated here. She mentioned how Americans decorate more for Christmas than those in France, but she doesn’t have any favorite traditions. 

Maite Vilar Muchiutt, from Brazil, will be going back home for the rest of the school year. There she will celebrate the holiday by spending time with her mom’s family at the beach. She mentioned that the biggest difference between our country’s Christmas is how back home the Christmas trees are always fake and there are no big family gatherings. A unique difference that could be the cause of this is how their school year runs from February to November, so Christmas falls in the middle of their summer break; therefore, a lot of students spend their summer traveling. 

Karolina Jandova says her favorite Christmas tradition is cutting an apple in half to see if there is an even star from the seeds, which would mean good luck. Back in the Czech Republic, she would celebrate Christmas on the 24th with a few family members by having dinner. Some of the things they would have include fish, sausage, fish stew, breaded chicken steaks, and potato salad. After dinner, they would go to the Christmas tree to open presents. In the coming days, they would visit other family members to exchange gifts. However, this year she will be celebrating Christmas with her host family and sending some of her friends and family members gifts. 

Around the world Christmas is celebrated differently. Some celebrate Christmas day while others celebrate Christmas Eve. Another major difference could be seen in the food choices. May all of you have a wonderful holiday, no matter how you choose to celebrate the season.