Most festive and joyful Christmas places around the world
For the citizens of Finland, Rovaniemi's location just north of the Arctic Circle makes it Christmas headquarters. Children bake gingerbread cookies with Mrs. Claus, enroll in Elf School and write wish lists with a traditional quill.
Courtesy visitrovaniemi.fi
Christmas in Strasbourg, France, is packed with concerts and a special selection of cultural events.
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Joyeux Noël! You'll enjoy the holiday lights and brisk winter atmosphere in historic Quebec City, Canada.
Courtesy la ville de Quebec
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico —
Piñatas, posadas and ponche sum up the festivities in the colorful Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende, where Christmas is a solemn and celebratory affair.
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The Dyker Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, is known for its yearly display of over-the-top holiday decorations.
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Priest and deacons march in a processional around Beta Mariam Church in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Thousands of adherents to the Ethiopian Orthodox faith come here to observe Orthodox Christmas.
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Customers buy Christmas decorations from a street stall at the farmer's market in suburban Manila. The Philippines is Asia's bastion of Roman Catholicism and celebrates the world's longest Christmas season.
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King Gaspar giving away sweets at the Three Kings Day parade in Terrassa, a town not far from Barcelona, Spain.
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How about Christmas in Queenstown, New Zealand? Take in views of Lake Wakatipu with the Remarkables mountain range in the background.
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What can be more Christmas than spending part of the holiday at Vatican City? You can see St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, pictured here.