2 The appearance of multiple simultaneous Santa Clauses is a
sure sign that mankinds most widely recognized and commercialized
religious holiday is near. Its also a sign that the holiday is
celebrated by many more people than just faithful Christians, for
better or worse. From the traditional Christmas markets in Germany
to elfin divers feeding dolphins in Japan to the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem where it all began, Christmas is observed
worldwide for commercial, irreverent, and religious reasons.
Gathered here are images of people as they herald the advance of an
entire season built, loosely or faithfully, around the birth of
Jesus Christ. - Lane Turner (37 photos total) Click to
continue
3German bicycledesigner Didi Senft,known during theTour de
France as"El Diabolo",presents his
latestChristmas-themedconstruction inStorkow, Germanyon November
29,2012. (PatrickPleul/AFP/GettyImages) Click to continue
4A diver dressed asSanta Claus swimswith a dolphin atHakkeijima
SeaParadise inYokohama onNovember 27,2012. (YurikoNakao/Reuters) #
Click to continue
5Workers fill thebeard of a heliumballoon in the shapeof Santa
Clausahead of theThanksgivingparade in New Yorkon November 21,2012.
(CarloAllegri/Reuters) Click to continue
6Volunteer Santas are reflected ina fountain during their
110thannual Sidewalk Santa Parade inNew York on November 23,
2012.The donations they raise are usedfor a holiday food
voucherprogram for needy residents.(Richard Drew/AssociatedPress)
#
7Finished hand-made, woodenchristmas figures are displayedat
the Seiffener VolkskunstChristmas decorations factoryon November
20, 2012 in Seiffen,Germany. Seiffen is home to anumber of
workshops thatspecialize in hand-paintedwooden Christmas
decorationsand carvings. (JoernHaufe/Getty Images) #
8 The Rockettes dancers perform on opening night of the 2012
Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New
York on November 13, 2012. (Amanda Schwab/Starpix/Associ ated
Press) #Click to continue
9Claire Robertson fromScottish Ballet posesdressed as the Good
SnowFlake inside a lifesize snowglobe during a promotionfor their
production of TheNutcracker on November20, 2012 in Glasgow. (Jeff
JMitchell/Getty Images) #
10Shoppers walk through fakesnow on Oxford Streetduring a
traffic-freeChristmas shopping day incentral London onNovember 24,
2012. (OliviaHarris/Reuters) #
11Booths offer traditionalThuringian handcraftsand sweets and a
bigFerris wheel at theChristmas Fair inErfurt, Germany onNovember
28, 2012.(Jens Meyer/AssociatedPress) #
12TheRockefellerCenterChristmasTree is lit onNovember28, 2012
inNew York.(StanHonda/AFP/GettyImages) #
13Shoppers walk on a snow-like carpetas they visit a Christmas
home showon November 14, 2012 in Londonwith over 400 exhibitors at
the EarlsCourt exhibition centre. (PeterMacdiarmid/Getty Images)
#
14Hundreds ofpeople gatherin the rain toattend theopening of
thetraditionalChristmasMarket on theRoemerbergsquare inFrankfurt
onNovember 26,2012. (MichaelProbst/Associated Press) #
15Amidst a fanfareceremony withfireworks, theChristmas lights
areswitched on atHarrodsdepartment store inLondon onNovember 1,
2012.(AndrewMatthews/PA/Associated Press) #
16Fireworks explode over the stateCapitol following the
lighting ofthe state Christmas tree onNovember 16, 2012, in
Lansing,Mich. (Al Goldis/AssociatedPress)
17People enjoy Christmas LED lights thatchange colors in Tokyos
Shiodome onNovember 26, 2012. (KazuhiroNogi/AFP/Getty Images)
#
19 James Parker lifts a Christmas tree atGarrocher Tree Farm on
November 10, 2012 in Creetown, Scotland. The tree grower won the
title of Champion Christmas Tree Grower2012 at the 14th Annual
British Christmas Tree Growers Association and will now deliver
asixteen foot six inch tree to take up residence outside 10 Downing
Street. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) #
20Abraham Plaza (left) and Eduardo Rosalesdrag a Christmas tree
through a field at theOmni Farm in West Jefferson, N.C. onNovember
17, 2012. Crews at the farm willharvest nearly 20,000 Christmas
trees thisseason. North Carolina has 1,500 Christmastree growers
with nearly 50 million Fraser FirChristmas trees on over 35,000
acres. (ChrisKeane/Reuters) #
21Joe Balku, whodonated thetree, drives astake into
theRockefellerCenter Christmastree beforeworkers stood itup on
November14, 2012 in NewYork City. Thetree, an 80-yearold
NorwaySpruce, weighsapproximately 10tons andmeasures 80 feettall.
(JohnMoore/GettyImages) #
22 Marching band members attend the 2012 Hollywood
ChristmasParade in Los Angeles onNovember 25, 2012.
(PhilMcCarten/Re uters) #
23A believer visits the Church ofthe Nativity, the site
reveredas the birthplace of Jesus, atthe beginning of theChristmas
season in the WestBank city of Bethlehem onNovember 24, 2012.
(MarkoDjurica/Reuters) #
24A child looksat a christmas-themed shopdisplay onNovember
28,2012, in Paris.(JoelSaget/AFP/Getty Images) #
26A woman poses for aphotograph at a LegoChristmas attraction
set upoutside a shopping mall inHong Kong on November22, 2012.
(AnthonyWallace/AFP/GettyImages) #
27A girl touches aChristmas treemade out ofover 2000
glassbaubles on themain street ofValletta, Maltaon November28,
2012. (DarrinZammitLupi/Reuters) #
28An employee places a newlypainted glass Christmas andNew Year
decoration in adrying rack at the "Biryusinka"toy factory in
Russias Siberiancity of Krasnoyarsk onNovember 27, 2012.
Thefactory, founded in 1942,produces decorative glassspheres, which
can be foundon Christmas trees all overthe country and in
MoscowsKremlin in particular, duringthe festive season.
(IlyaNaymushin/Reuters) #
29Artists join in a show atStrasbourgs Christmasmarket, one of
the largestand oldest FrenchChristmas markets, onNovember 24, 2012
inStrasbourg, France. Withover 300 market chalets,Strasbourg
attracts over1.6 million visitors duringthe Christmas
season.(Patrick Hertzog/AFP/GettyImages) #
30A Japanese womandressed as a reindeerposes for a
picturebefore the start of theSanta Claus WinterGames in
Gallivare,above the polar circlein northern Sweden onNovember 17,
2012.Santas from all overthe world gather forthe games.
(JonathanNackstrand/AFP/Getty Images) #
31A postal employee dressed as Santa Clausdisplays letters as
he poses for the opening dayof the Santa Claus secretariat in
Libourne postoffice in France on November 6, 2012. Since1962, they
have operated as one of the postaladdresses for mail sent to Santa
Claus writtenby children from 160 countries. 1,400,000 lettersand
180,000 emails have received repliesduring the 2011 Christmas
holiday season.(Regis Duvignau/Reuters) #
32 A Christmas teddy bear iswheeled on a trolley at theSteiff
stuffed toy factory on November 23, 2012 in Giengen an der Brenz,
Germany. Founded by seamstress Margarethe Steiff in 1880, Steiff
hasbeen making stuffed teddy bears since the early 20th century
ever since her nephew Richard Steiff exhibited the first
commercially produced teddy bear in Europe in 1903. (Thomas
Niedermueller/Getty Images) #
33Children run insidea pinata store inManagua onNovember
12,2012. Thegovernment willdistribute 250,000pinatas to
familiesacross the countryas part
ofChristmascelebrations(OswaldoRivas/Reuters) #
34Chatsworth staffmember RosieHodgkinson appearsas Cinderella
in thepainted hall ofChatsworth as thestately homesChristmas events
getunderway onNovember 6, 2012 inChatsworth,
England.(ChristopherFurlong/GettyImages) #
35Spectators look upat the stage atMacys HeraldSquare
ChristmasWindow Unveilingon November15, 2012 in NewYork.
(JohnMinchillo/AP Imagesfor Macys) #
36A chocolateSanta Clauswaits in adisplaywindow of aboutique
onNovember 11,2012 inMunich. (PeterKneffel//AFP/GettyImages) #
37Workers prepare atray of traditionalfrutas escarchadaat the
PecesMazapanes bakeryon November 28,2012 in Consuegra,Spain. The
companyopens annuallyduring the threemonths leading upto Christmas,
hiring32 workers toproduce traditionalSpanish Christmascakes
calledMazapanes. (DenisDoyle/GettyImages) #
38 Adam Briere filled his cart with gifts for his children in a
department store duringBlack Friday at amall in Braintree, Mass. on
November 23, 2012. (Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)#
39 A man kisses a woman as they look in the window of a
jewelery shop on New Bond Street on November 26, 2012 in London.
Shoppers spent an estimated 100m in the capitals West End over the
weekend as Christmas approaches. (Oli Scarff/GettyBin tp
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