Comparing and Contrasting Christmas

Around the World

It’s time to take a trip around the world and experience Christmas in different countries. Students will explore
how their Christmas traditions compare and contrast with kids across the world and chart their findings on a
Venn diagram.

Materials and preparation

One copy of the Christmas in New Zealand

worksheet
One copy of the Christmas in the Philippines
worksheet
Class set of the Christmas in Sweden worksheet
Class set of the Christmas in Mexico worksheet
Class set of the Nonfiction Compare and
Contrast worksheet
Christmas in England worksheet (optional for
enrichment)
Projector
Chart paper

Introduction (5 minutes)

Tell students that today we will be learning about how people celebrate Christmas in different countries
and comparing and contrasting Christmas in different countries around the world.
Ask students if they celebrate Christmas, and, if so, to share some of their favorite Christmas traditions
including activities, foods they eat, etc.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (10 minutes)

Tell students that as a class we will read about Christmas in New Zealand.
Draw a Venn diagram on a piece of chart paper.
Label one circle as “Christmas in the U.S. ” and the other circle as “Christmas in New Zealand.”
 Tell students that as we are reading they will be looking for examples of how Christmas in New Zealand is
similar to Christmas in the United States. This information will go in the overlapping section of the two
circles on the Venn Diagram.
Tell students that we will also be looking for examples of how Christmas in New Zealand is different from
Christmas in the U.S. This information will be written in the circle under the correct heading. For example,
in New Zealand they celebrate Christmas during the summer, but in the U.S. they celebrate Christmas
during the winter.
Remind students that they do not have to write on the Venn diagram using complete sentences. Instead,
they can use single words or phrases (e.g. Christmas during summer).

Guided Practice (10 minutes)

Project the Christmas in New Zealand worksheet on the board.

Read the information aloud and ask students to follow along silently.
Remind students to be listening closely for examples of how Christmas in the U.S. compares and
contrasts with those celebrating in New Zealand.
After reading, refer back to the Venn diagram and call on volunteers to contribute ideas to fill in the
diagram.
Write students’ ideas in the appropriate place and remind students where to write information that is
similar and information that is different on the Venn diagram.

Independent working time (20 minutes)

Tell students that it is their turn to compare and contrast Christmas in two different countries.
Distribute the Christmas in Mexico and Christmas in Sweden worksheets.
Tell students that they will be reading these two informational texts and comparing and contrasting how
people celebrate Christmas in these two countries.
Distribute the Nonfiction Compare and Contrast worksheet to each student.
Tell students that they will use this worksheet to write down their contrasts and comparisons between
Christmas in these two countries.

Differentiation

Support: Read each informational text aloud to students needing extra support. Talk through their ideas with
them before they move onto filling in the Nonfiction Compare and Contrast worksheet.

Enrichment: Give students a copy of the Christmas in England worksheet, and ask them to add a third circle to
their Nonfiction Compare and Contrast worksheet so that they are comparing and contrasting three different
informational texts.

Assessment (10 minutes)

On the board write some different categories for students to use to compare and contrast Christmas in
different countries, such as food, names for Santa Claus, weather during Christmas, beginning and end of
Christmas celebrations, etc.
Tell students that you will read aloud an informational text called "Christmas in the Philippines."
As they are listening, ask students to compare and contrast Christmas in the Philippines with Christmas in
New Zealand.
After reading, go through the categories on the chart paper. Ask students to give a thumbs up if people
celebrate in the same way or a thumbs down if people celebrate differently for each category.

Review and closing (5 minutes)

Discuss unique cultures and traditions with the following questions:

Are there any similarities with how they celebrate Christmas compared to how people celebrate in
Sweden and Mexico?
Are there any differences with how they celebrate Christmas compared to how people celebrate in
Sweden and Mexico?
 Christmas in New Zealand
New Zealand celebrates Christmas much
like Great Britain and North America.
Christmas is on December 25. Santa Claus,
or Father Christmas, brings presents to
good children. Homes are decorated with
strings of lights and decorated trees.
People in New Zealand sing Christmas
carols and have a large Christmas dinner.
What is different about Christmas in Christmas decorations along a
New Zealand is the weather. Since New street in Auckland, New
Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere, Zealand
December 25 is in the summer. There
is no snow or cold weather. Many New
Zealanders, also known as Kiwis, go to the
beach or have a barbecue on Christmas Day.
Santa sometimes arrives by boat, rather
than a sleigh.
Because the weather is warm, parades
during the Christmas season are popular.
In December, the pohutukawa tree
blooms in New Zealand. It is now known as
the New Zealand Christmas tree, because of
its bright red flowers.
Much of the Christmas food in New The pohutukawa tree is known
Zealand is like the food in Great Britain. as the New Zealand Christmas
Roast beef, plum pudding and potatoes tree
are popular. New Zealanders like a
special
dessert for Christmas called a pavlova. It is
a special meringue with a soft center. It is
topped with whipped cream and fruit, such
as strawberries, passionfruit and kiwi.
Christmas is the beginning of summer
vacation for many New Zealanders. Many
people will play sports or have fun
outside.
The pavlova is a
popular Christmas
 Christmas in New Zealand
ill in the Blank
Fill in the blank with the correct answer about Christmas in New Zealand

1. New Zealand is in the Hemisphere.

2. Christmas in New Zealand is warm because it is

3. Many traditions in New Zealand are like the traditions in

and .

4. The pohutukawa is called the New Zealand Christmas tree because it blooms

in December and its flowers are .

5. A New Zealand Christmas dessert decorated with fruit is called a

In the space below, draw a picture of what you think Santa Claus looks like in
the summer
 Christmas in the Philippines
In the Philippines, people celebrate many
different holidays during the Christmas season.
The season begins on December 16. People attend
an early morning church service each day for
nine days. This series of services are called
Simbang Gabi in the Filipino language. It is a
very important time for the people of the
Philippines. When services are over, many
people will buy
special holiday treats from shops. One treat Bibinka is a
is bibinka, which is a rice and egg cake. popular
Christmas Eve is very busy in the Philippines. Christmas treat.
Families attend church services at midnight. In some areas, people will
perform a play about Mary and Joseph looking for a room in an inn. Many
families will have a late dinner and open presents. Gifts
for children are delivered by Santa Claus or by the
Three Kings who visited Jesus.
On Christmas Day, Filipinos visit family
members in the morning. Older members of the
family give a blessing to younger ones. The older
family members then give a gift of money. This gift
is called Aguinaldo.
On December 28, the Philippines celebrates
Niñ os Inocentes, which is a feast day. People attend
A parol is one of the church. Later, to have fun, they play tricks and
most popular pranks on each other.
Christmas decorations The Christmas
in the Philippines. It isseason continues with
a lantern that celebrations on New
represents the Star of Year’s Eve. Filipinos
Bethlehem. make loud noises to
drive away bad luck.
They wear polka dots and decorate with circles leave candy or money.
to represent money coming in the new year.
The season often ends on Three Kings Day
on the first Sunday in January. Children leave
their shoes out in the hopes that the kings will
 Christmas lights are very popular in the
Philippines.
 Christmas in the Philippines
Christmas Timeline
Put the following Christmas events in the Philippines in the order in which
they happen. Write 1 in the blank for the first event, 2 in the blank for the
second event and so on

Christmas Eve

Three Kings Day

New Year’s Eve

Nine days of church

services Christmas Day

Vocabulary Match
Match each word to its definition by writing the letter in the blank.

parol A. people of the Philippines

Aguinaldo B. nine days of church services

Filipinos C. gift of money

Simbang Gabi D. hotel

inn E. a Christmas lantern

 Christmas in Sweden
The holiday season in Sweden begins with Advent,
which marks the four Sundays before Christmas. On
Saint Lucy’s Day, December 13, girls around Sweden
take part in a special procession, or parade. They
dress in white robes and carry candles or sweets, such
as saffron buns. They sing a special song about Saint
Lucy. One girl is crowned for the day. They also sing
Christmas carols or other songs about the saint.
Saffron buns are
In December,
carried on Saint Lucy’s
Swedes decorate with
Day in Sweden.
candles, lights and
stars. Christmas trees are popular in Sweden.
A special Swedish decoration is the Julbock, or
Christmas goat. Small ornaments of the goat
hang on the Christmas tree. Large goats made
of straw are set up in towns.
December 24, Christmas Eve, is the
A Julbock, or day when children receive presents from
Christmas goat, made Jultomten, or Tomten, the Christmas elf.
of straw. He knocks on doors
and asks “Are there
any nice children here?” If there are, the children
will receive toys and sweets. Many families leave
a bowl of porridge outside for Tomten. If they don’t
leave it, they might have bad luck the next year.
After a large Christmas Eve dinner, called a
julbord, families open their presents. Each present
has a rhyme attached to it that gives a hint about
the present.
Christmas Day is quiet in Sweden. Families
go to church or watch TV specials. The
holiday
season is officially over on January 13 when all the
decorations come down. This day is known
as knutdagen.

A Swedish Christmas tree

with a Swedish flag at the
top
 Christmas in Sweden
Vocabulary Match

Match each word about a Swedish Christmas to its definition by writing

the letter in the blank

Tomten A. Christmas goat

porridge B. Christmas dinner

julbock C. a thick soup made from grain

officially D. Christmas elf

julbord E. formally or with authority

hristmas Timeline

Write the date for following Christmas events in Sweden.

Christmas Eve

Saint Lucy’s Day

knutdagen

Christmas Day
 Christmas in Mexico
The Christmas season is a very religious time
in Mexico. It begins with the Feast of the Virgin
of Guadalupe on December 12. People in Mexico
go to church and often have a dinner with
family after church
Las Posadas starts nine days before Christmas.
Las Posadas is a parade through neighborhoods.
Two people in the parade pretend to be Mary
and Joseph looking for a room for the night. The poinsettia is a
Other people in the parade pretend to be angels, native Mexican flower. It
shepherds or other travelers. Children in the is popular at Christmas
parade often carry poinsettia flowers. The parade because it looks like the
goes from house to house. At each house, the Star of Bethlehem
owner refuses to let them in. Finally, at the last house, the owner lets everyone
in. The guests pray, sing songs and have a big party.
At Las Posadas, children break a hanging
pinata with a stick. A pinata is a colorful holder
made of clay, paper or cloth. A pinata comes
in many shapes, such as a star, an animal or
a cartoon character. It is filled with toys and
candy. When it breaks open, the children run
to get the treats.
Each area in Mexico has different traditions.
La Rama is a popular tradition in some areas.
Children decorate
The pinata is part of the branches with
fun of Las Posadas balloons, paper
and ornaments.
They go from house to house singing songs. They
often receive money, fruit or candy.
On Christmas Eve, children receive gifts
from Santo Clos, which is the Mexican name for
Santa Claus. On January 6, children leave their
shoes out and receive candy and money from the
Three Wise Men.

La Rama is a tradition in
some parts of Mexico
 Christmas in Mexico
Christmas Timeline
Put the following Mexican Christmas events in the order in which they
happen. Write 1 in the blank for the first event, 2 in the blank for the second
event and so on.

CHRISTMAS EVE

FEAST OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE

LAS POSADAS

CHILDREN RECEIVE GIFTS FROM THE THREE WISE MEN

Draw a Pinata!
In the space below, draw and color a pinata you would like to have at
Christmas time.
 s in
The English Christmas season starts
on the fourth Sunday before Christmas
Day, usually around November 27 to
December 3. This time is called Advent.
People in England mark each Sunday
with candles, a wreath or a calendar.
Many of the Christmas traditions
in the U.S., Canada, Australia and
other English-speaking countries came
from England. The tradition of
sending Christmas cards to friends
The first Christmas card was made
and family began in England. Many
in England in 1843
Christmas carols are originally
English. Even the
phrase “Merry Christmas” became popular after the English author Charles
Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol
In England, Santa Claus is also known
as Father Christmas. He travels to each
house on Christmas Eve to fill children’s
stockings. He also puts presents under a
decorated Christmas tree. English children
often leave food for Father Christmas and
his reindeer.
On Christmas Day, families have a large
dinner of turkey, potatoes and parsnips.
Many families serve Christmas pudding
for dessert. Christmas crackers are very Christmas pudding is also
popular at Christmas dinner. Crackers are known as plum pudding. It is
decorated paper tubes filled with toys, a a traditional English cake
paper hat and a joke. Two people pull on
each end. When the cracker splits, it makes a loud pop!
Some English families attend church on
Christmas Day. Many will listen to the Queen on TV
or radio when she gives her Christmas Day speech.
The day after Christmas is also a holiday in
England. It is called Boxing Day. Originally, Boxing
Day was a time to give servants and other service
people a gift. Today, Boxing Day is celebrated with
shopping trips and watching sports.
Christmas crackers
 s in
ill in the Blank
Fill in the blank with the correct answer about Christmas in England.

1. In England, Santa Claus is also known as .

2. The four Sundays before Christmas is a season called

3. Inside a Christmas cracker are ,

and .

4. is the day after Christmas.

5. Many U.S. and Canadian Christmas traditions come from

hristmas Timeline Matc

Put the following English Christmas events in the order in which they
happen. Write 1 in the blank for the first event, 2 in the blank for the second
event and so on

Father Christmas leaves presents.

Boxing Day

Advent begins.

The Queen gives a speech.