Flickr: rcavagnari
This holiday season, as we gather with friends and family, let's also come together for a broader goal. We need to come #Together4Zero and make sure that 2015 is the year that sets the world on the path to ending extreme poverty.
In my hometown of Santa Barbara, CA, we have a special tradition. Every Christmas afternoon, friends and families fill the beaches for leisurely walks, snapping photos and determined to wear their wintery best despite the warm temperatures.
This came as quite the shock to my Managing Editor, Brandon. Hailing from the North East of the US, Brandon has come to expect freezing temperatures and snow covered trees. For this reason, he thought it might be fun to share photos of “unexpected Christmases,” to demonstrate that not all Christmases resemble what we see in the movies (which all seem to be in snowy, cold-weather climates! grrr).
For those of us who have lived in warmer climates, this is hardly revolutionary (sorry, Brandon.)
But, he does make a good point: in today’s globalized world, Christmas, like many traditions, can be found in the least expected places. It’s celebrated in non-Christian countries, it’s celebrated in refugee camps, it’s even been celebrated during war times literally mid-battle. While it’s not always celebrated with the same traditions, universally it’s a time for friends and families to put aside their differences and come together.
With that in mind, here are 12 striking photos of Christmas celebrations that don’t resemble the movie standard snow white Christmas, starting with my fave.
1. Santa Barbara, CA
Flickr: Damian Gadal
Casual Christmas tree on the pier. We could do worse.
2. Kauai, Hawaii
Flickr: Greg Bishop
In Kawaii, Santa wears boardshorts and arrives by canoe.
3. Hanoi, Vietnam
Flickr: Benjamin Vander Steen
Despite being a primarily Buddhist country, Christmas in Vietnam is widely celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.
4. Darfur, Sudan
Flickr: UN Photo / UN Photo/Olivier
I love this one. In this photo, South Sudanese Christians celebrate mass in North Darfur back in 2010, just after many in their community had left the region due to conflict.
5. Palm Beach, Florida
Flickr: Kim Seng
There’s something about the symmetry of Christmas lights on palm trees…
6. Jerusalem Old City Walls, Israel
Flickr: Dafna Tal for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism
Don’t forget your SPF, Santa!
7. Bethlehem, Palestine
Flickr: Beautiful Faces of Palestine
In this photo, Coptic Christian refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia make a pilgrimage to Bethlehem to visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity.
8. Cathedral of Lima, Peru
Flickr: Rainbowasi
Proof that Christmas trees come in all different shapes and sizes.
9. 5th Marines Christmas Party, Vietnam, 25 December 1967
Flickr: USMC Archives
Christmas being celebrated mid-war, imagine that.
10. Disneyland, Los Angeles
Flickr: Tom Bricker
If you haven’t experienced Christmas at Disneyland, you’re seriously missing out.
11. Champs Elysees, Paris, France
Flickr: Trey Ratcliff
Only the French could make scraggly trees look that chic with Christmas lights.
12. Austin, Texas
Flickr: Trey Ratcliff
Lastly, this photo of a cafe in Austin proves that Christmas cheer can brighten up even the gloomiest of days.
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Where will you be celebrating the holidays this year? Let us know in the comments. Together we can start the conversation of how to come #Together4Zero and finally bring an end to extreme poverty.
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