Just for you Santa!

 

 

England

In England, children leave out a sweet treat for Santa Clause. Instead of cookies and milk, the tradition in England is to leave out some mince pies and milk.

Chile

In Chile, children prepare a pan de Pascua for Viejo Pascuero, or Old Man Christmas, as he is lovingly called. Pan de Pascua translates to Easter Bread, but it is a traditional Christmas treat, made of sponge cake flavored with candied fruit, ginger, and honey. It is typically part of the night’s meal, too. After a dessert of the sweet treat, family members exchange gifts, so the kids leave some for Santa in the hopes he will leave something for them, too.

Denmark

In Denmark, Father Christmas and his sneaky little elves, or nisser, who take up shop in the attic of homes to keep an eye on things, expect to find a bowl of Christmas rice pudding waiting for them on Christmas Eve. The pudding, called risengrød, is made with sugar, cinnamon, and milk, and is also part of Christmas Eve dinner. Forget to leave it out and Santa and the nisser are said to play some cheeky little tricks. 

Kids in the Netherlands spoil Sinterklaas’ steed, not Sinter himself. Carrots, hay, and water are left out for Sinter to feed his horse for the long night’s journey. In return, he leaves marzipan, chocolate coins, hot cocoa, and mandarin oranges.

Philippines

The Feast of the Three Kings marks the end of the Christmas celebrations in the Philippines. On Three Kings Day, January 6, kids leave out shiny shoes and squeaky-clean socks just begging to be filled with gifts. Oh, sorry, were you Three Kings hungry? Well, drop the presents and get yourself to a diner, ‘cause there’s nothing to see, or eat, here — ironically, no food is left out during the so-called feast

France

One might expect cheese and Champagne to be the go-to midnight snack in France, but that’s not the case when it comes to Santa, or Père Noël as he is known in France.  Children in France leave out some carrots and some biscuits for Père Noël by the fireplace. Sometimes, they put the carrots and biscuits in their shoes, which they leave out for the night to find some them stuffed with some trinkets, treats, and toys when they wake. 

In America:

 

When it comes to Christmas, cookies and milk are tradition — at least at holiday time here in the States. The ritual of leaving out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa — and sometimes carrots for Santa’s reindeer — has become routine in the U.S.