GLOBETROTTERS WRITING PROMPT

December Monthly Challenge — Christmas and Other Celebrations

From December fun and other festivities around the world

December is the last month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. It is a month people either love or hate. In most parts of the world hectic Christmas preparations are taking place which come together with endless shopping sprees looking for gifts for loved ones.

The traditional Christmas has long lost its original religious meaning and commercialism has taken over. However, there are still people and places in the world where Christmas gets celebrated in a traditional way.

But even if it doesn’t, it is part of our culture that we develop, move on, and change things. My American friends love their bright, shining Christmas lights while my German neighbors are more conservative.

A fir tree that needs water to keep its needles throughout December and real candles that drip wax onto the floor are what I grew up with.

But I’ve also experienced Christmas in northern Ghana where only Muslims were surrounding me. I shared Christmas cookies with my host father and listened to Christmas songs while baking under the hot African sun.

I spent Christmas on the beach in Namibia and escaped one year into the desert. I spent Christmas day walking in the snow back home in Germany and I partied all night long in Thailand.

December is dreaded by some Christians since you’re forced to meet up with family members you managed to avoid all year while others can’t wait to see the whole family again.

Christmas is a religious celebration for Christians but is now celebrated by many other cultures as well. The tradition of gifting presents at the end of the year is also a nice thought to finish off another year, isn’t it?

We’d like to hear all of your December stories. About the Christmas markets you’ve visited, Christmas parties you’ve attended, or your very traditional Christmas at home.

But I’m not excluding people and festivities which aren’t Christian. If you have never experienced a Christmas celebration, please share your experiences of other celebrations around the world. This is what we’re looking for this month at Globetrotters.

Christmas and Other Celebrations

Please share with us your memories. We’re looking for some personal narrative beautified with your own pictures. If you’re lacking ideas, here’s some inspiration for you:

My first Christmas in Europe.

The most fascinating Christmas market I’ve ever visited.

This is how we celebrate Christmas.

Christmas season— A time I always look forward to.

I didn’t know that this is how they celebrated Christmas.

A very different Christmas.

This celebration in December was not what I had expected.

Christmas Travel Plans and Planning

Such a wonderful celebration I will never forget.

We’re looking forward to your submissions. As always, at the end of the month, the editors of Globetrotters will announce their personal winners. While we also submit our entries, we do not participate in the competition.

Please remember to follow our guidelines when submitting an article:

• The maximum article length must be 10 minutes.
• Always credit your images, even if they are your own. Please review our image policy if unsure.
• Write your article in the form title-subtitle-title image.
• Please add the tag “monthly challenge”.
• Make sure that travel is still a focus of your story.
• The challenge will run from December 1st until December 23rd. We reserve the last day of the month to post the results from the challenge.
• For more clarification on submissions, visit the Globetrotters submission guidelines.

We, the team of editors at Globetrotters (JoAnn, Adrienne, Jillian & Anne), want to thank each of you for contributing to our publication. You’ve sent so many fascinating articles on past challenges and we can’t wait for the next ones.

Thank you.

Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages has kicked off this challenge with "Christmas Looks A Little Different Everywhere We Go"

Read here the final post of our previous monthly challenge. We asked you to share your gratitude stories from travels around the world. In this article, the editors announce their personal winners: