Every culture has its own traditions and beliefs. There are parts of Europe that believe gifts come straight from the stars and other places believe that angels bring gifts to the children. Even before the birth of Christ, people decorated with evergreens to show that they were waiting for spring to return.
Although Christmas is celebrated in so many different ways all over the world, there are, of course, some places that do not celebrate it at all. This would include countries where there are very small percentages of Christians, and in many of the Muslim and Communist countries. Some places offer Christmas celebrations only for tourists who will be visiting over the holiday season.
So how do various countries celebrate?
In Mexico, people take the journey of Joseph and Mary to the manger in which Jesus was born. This is all a re-enactment, of course. There is a huge festival called Las Posadas that lasts for nine days in Mexico.
The Yule season in Iceland is much the same as we celebrate it in America. Residents decorate the house and a tree and give gifts. Instead of the traditional Christmas ham, turkey, or goose, however, people in Iceland will more likely be finding mutton on the table. Iceland has more than a dozen different Santa's!
The Santa-like character in Russia is a woman! Babouschka roams the countryside looking for the Christ Child and drops off gifts for the children while doing her search. Because the major church in Russia is the Eastern Orthodox Church, Christmas is celebrated in early January instead of late December. There are church services with lots of singing, and a huge and festive (but meatless) meal is served.
The Christmas season starts on the 6th of December in Germany. Many German children put a shoe by the fireplace in hopes that they will find candy in the shoe and not twigs. The Christmas Eve traditional meal will most likely include pork or some kind of sausages, and Christmas Eve is the first time that the children see the decorated tree. The Christmas story is read from the Bible and gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve as well.
When Christmas comes to a place in the opposite hemisphere from the United States, such as Australia, it is not unusual to find people having a Christmas picnic on the beach. Santa Claus doesn't arrive in his sleigh pulled by reindeer in Australia, he often arrives on the continent by boat, or sometimes he even surfs in. Christmas dinner in Australia is ham or turkey and ends with Mince Pie or Plum Pudding.