Beach Christmas
In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas comes in summer, making for a different kind of celebration than those in the North. In Sydney, Australia, this family decorates a tree with balloons on the beach.
See the World’s Most Unusual Christmas Trees
From the beach to a cave, these vintage photos reveal a rich history of celebration around the world.
The tradition of decorating a tree or tree-like structure around Christmas began in Germany and has spread around the world over the past few centuries. In many places, the look of the tree is inspired by the local culture, climate, or environment, leading to a wide variety of expressions. In this gallery we explore some of this festive creativity.
In the U.S., roughly 70 percent of people choose artificial trees, in large part because of their convenience. Still, those trees typically require petroleum to make, are rarely recycled, take up space in landfills, and must often be shipped around the world. Most are made in China, with dirty coal-fired electricity, and some contain toxic lead. (See how artificial
