The Most Fun Christmas Around the World Unit

Every year I like to add in a homeschool Christmas lesson for geography.  I’ve tried to do a Christmas Around the World unit each year focusing on a different country.  I told my kids yesterday, “This year for our Christmas Around the World, we’re going to study Mexico.”  They all responded with, “We study Christmas Around the World?”  When I started talking about the activities they remembered, but I think they were too busy focusing on the cookies we were about to eat to remember anything.*

Christmas in Europe

So far I’ve mostly concentrated on countries our family has some connection to.  Jeff’s family is primarily from Germany, with some English thrown in, and my family is from Sweden.

• Christmas in Sweden, elementary– with a focus primarily on Saint Lucia and the Tomten
• Christmas in Sweden, preschool– with a bit more focus on the Christmas cat, the pictures are horrible, the ideas are not
• Christmas in Iceland, preschool–
• Christmas in Germany, preschool– gingerbread, lots of gingerbread
• Christmas in Italy, elementary– with yummy cookies
• Christmas in Russia, elementary– more yummy cookies

More Christmas in Europe from other people:

• Christmas in Scotland
• Christmas in Russia– I almost bought Russian nesting dolls when preparing our Advent calendar this year.
• Christmas in Italy– I want to do this country soon
• Christmas in France– I’m hungry after reading this post
• Christmas in Poland
• Christmas in Spain

Christmas in the Americas

Christmas in Hawaii- this is slightly different from the rest of the United States, but I only had two books: The Hawaii Snowman, and The Night Before Christmas in Hawaii, I’d like to add some activities, but they’re just not coming yet, but here’s a fun Christmas in Hawaii from someone else

Christmas in Mexico– This is coming Monday, but I love their tradition of Las Posadas

I’m also planning on throwing in a Christmas in Colonial America at some point soon, because I found the most awesome Christmas in Williamsburg* book.

More Christmas in the Americas from other people

• Christmas in Canada
• Christmas in Jamaica

Christmas in Africa

I have nothing, absolutely nothing myself, I am ashamed, but thankfully others do…..

Christmas in Africa by others

• Christmas in Kenya
• Christmas in South Africa

Christmas in Asia

You’ll notice these last two are bare of my posts, that’s because I haven’t found any really good books for them.  I’ve found some great Christmas Around the World that gives you an activity for the country, but nothing that gives you more beyond a paragraph on the country and then a fun craft.  I want my kids to get more than that, so I’ve been sharing Christmas Around the World posts from others to get you some better ideas.

Christmas in Asia from others

• Christmas in China
• Christmas in Georgia– I will confess when I read this title I thought, Georgia, US
• Christmas in the Philippines

Looking back on this, I better step it up, and see what my library has for another country because my rate is pathetic…..  I’m off to get my kids to pick some more countries…..

*The cookies are going to make a hilarious story for my Christmas in Mexico post.  That is a story for another day though.

Also, originally I was going to write about my Spain books, but I have apparently deleted that post, and I just don’t have the mental fortitude to rewrite it completely right this moment.