The document summarizes Christmas holiday traditions in Greece. Families decorate trees and homes, sing carols, and attend church on Christmas Eve and Day. They gather for meals and spend time together playing games. On New Year's Eve, children sing carols while mothers make vasilopita cake with a coin inside for good luck. After the new year begins, families celebrate with food, fun, gifts from Santa, and time together before returning to school routines.

1. Christmas Holiday Our Christmas holiday begin on 23th December and we return back to school on 8th January. On holiday we get rest from the routine of school life and it’s a good way for the family to gather all together and have a great time!

2. Traditions of Christmas Usually the families decorate the Christmas tree before Christmas comes. Some people usually decorate a small ship only with Christmas lights.

3. On 24th December in the morning the kids go out to sing Christmas Carols! In the evening the mother and her children bake cookies, melomakarona and sugar buns (kourabiedes).

4. On Christmas day we go to the church and after that the whole family gathers to eat. We don’t have specific foods for the Christmas day and we don’t cook all the same. At night we go out with friends to have fun. Some teenagers prefer to go to bouzoukia, and some others go clubbing.

5. Christmas Carols Καλήνεσπέραν άρχοντεςαν είναι ορισμός σας (δις)Χριστού τη Θεία γέννησηνα πω στ' αρχοντικό σας (δις) Χριστός γεννάται σήμερονεν Βηθλεεμ τη πόλειοι ουρανοί αγάλλονταιχαίρε η φύσης όλη Εν τω σπηλαίω τίκτεταιεν φάτνη των αλόγωνο βασιλεύς των ουρανώνκαι ποιητής των όλων Εκ της Περσίας έρχονταιτρεις μάγοι με τα δώραάστρο λαμπρό τους οδηγειχωρίς να λείψει ώρα

6. Our life in Christmas holiday Between Christmas and New Year Eve we have lots of fun. Every night we go out with friends and hung out with them. There are times that we are all the family together and play cards or tavli (backgammon). Sometimes we play board games and we go to the cinema.

7. New Year Eve At the New Year Eve children go out to sing carols and mothers make the vasilopita for the dinner at night. Αρχιμηνιά κι Αρχιχρονιάψηλή μου δεντρολιβανιάκι αρχή, κι αρχή καλός μας χρόνοςεκκλησιά - εκκλησιά με τ' άγιο θρόνος.Αρχή που βγήκε ο ΧριστόςΆγιος και Πνευματικός,στη γη - στη γη να περπατήσεικαι να μας - και να μας καλοκαρδίσει.

8. Vasilopita’s story Vasilopita( Santa’s cake) comes from Kapadokia. Once upon a time there was a tough king there and he wanted to steal the fortune from the habitants. A man, Santa Vasileios (Santa Claus) wanted to resist. He talked to the people and they gather their jewels to a box. The next day , when the king went to take the treasure something unexpected happened. A man showed up and saved the people from the heartless king. People felt grateful for this. However, Aghios Vasileios didn’t know how to return the right jewelries to the right person. So he thought to bake little cakes and put in them some jewels. He gave them to the people and a miracle happened: the people found into the cake the jewels that they gave.

9. Since then and until now every family makes a cake and puts a coin inside. At the night of New Year Eve we eat all together and a few minutes before the year change, we cut this cake and all the members take a piece. The person who finds the coin is considered to be lucky for the whole year. So, everybody wants to find the coin!  

10. New Year! After we cut and eat the cake and the year change we go out and have fun! Some people go to bars, some other to bouzoukia and clubs! The families which have young kids stay at home and wait Santa Claus. Santa Claus goes to every house to leave the gifts after midnight. The morning of New Year the children find the gifts under the tree and open it!

11. When the 1st January comes to an end , we feel a little bit sad because we must study and prepare for school. We return to our real life and back to the program.  The holiday pass very quickly and we don’t want to start school again!. Although the days of relaxing come to an end, we always have a great time and lots of fun!