Christmas is a Christian holiday that observes the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian saint? And have you heard about the modern-day Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas?
Christmas trees and Santa Clauses decorate the entrance to the beach Dec. 20, 2021, in Haffkrug, northern Germany.Â
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Decked in a Santa outfit and holiday lights, a child bolts from the starting line of the annual Christmas run Dec. 6 in Vilnius, Lithuania.Â
Katherine McPhee and David Foster perform Nov. 30, 2022, during the 90th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in New York.Â
A Nativity scene is illuminated by a Christmas tree Dec. 1, 2024, on Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem, Pa., known as "Christmas City, USA."
People walk past a Christmas illumination display Dec. 25, 2021, at a shopping mall in Yokohama, near Tokyo.Â
Photos show a world aglow with holiday lights
FILE - The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree stands illuminated after the 93rd annual tree lighting ceremony in New York, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Herbum, a grass tuft with stems that stretch skyward, is on display as part of the Chicago Botanic Garden's Lightscape holiday event in Glencoe, Ill., Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
FILE - Lego portraits of both President George Washington and President Donald Trump decorate the Green Room as part of the White Christmas theme "Home is Where the Heart Is," during a press preview in Washington, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
FILE - People listen to a concert amid a rainfall during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Syntagma Square, in Athens, Greece, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - Holiday lights adorn a roadway at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort on light-up night in Farmington, Pa., Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - People gather for a concert during a tree lighting event at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli, File)
FILE - People walk along Kabatas ferry terminal decorated with lights for the holidays, in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
FILE - In a timed exposure, vehicles pass a pair of cowboys boots standing 40 feet tall and 30 feet long, decorated with lights for the holidays, in San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
FILE - People walk across a bridge decorated with strands of holiday lights at a Christmas fair in Bucharest, Romania, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
FILE - A performer attends a light show at Ala-Too Square decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin, File)
FILE - A woman poses for a selfie inside a giant Christmas ornament illuminated with holiday lights in Dakar, Senegal, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu, File)
FILE - A boy runs toward a model train illuminated with holiday lights in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)
FILE - Media art illuminates the facade of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of the 14th-century Gyeongbok Palace, during Seoul Winter Festa in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
FILE - A menorah is lit to celebrate Hanukkah in Trafalgar Square, London, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - A person walks past a display of holiday lights on a building at a park in Lenexa, Kan., Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - People watch a multimedia light show cast on the facade of the General Staff Building, as part of the Country of Light festival at Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)
FILE - Gabriel Taylor, center, sprays other children with bubbles at Sundance Square after a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
FILE - Holiday lights are reflected in a rain-soaked plaza in Makati, Philippines, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
FILE - In this timed exposure a man is silhouetted against holiday lights as he walks by in Lenexa, Kan., Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - The Eiffel Tower is framed by Christmas tree decorations that adorn the Les Galeries Lafayette department store rooftop in Paris, Dec. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
FILE - Lights illuminate the Christmas market at the Gendarmenmarkt square in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - A home is decked out in holiday lights and Christmas decorations in Strongsville, Ohio, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
FILE - People visit the holiday lights display at the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens in Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
FILE - A man playfully tosses a child in the air as visitors walk through the Winter Cathedral light display at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Lightscape holiday event in Glencoe, Ill., Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)
FILE - Visitors look at the installations on display along the Christmas light trail at Kew Gardens in London, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
FILE - An illuminated giant frame is set up at the Christmas market for visitors to make souvenir photos of themselves, in Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
FILE - A child rides on a merry-go-round at a Christmas fair in Bucharest, Romania, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)
