BOBUX CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

It’s that time of the year where the magic of Christmas makes everyone a little merrier. It might however surprise you that no two countries celebrate the holiday period in the same way. We’ve put together the different Christmas traditions celebrated around the world, by some of the people behind the Bobux brand. From little elves making their way onto shelves in Australia to kids in Germany waking up to small surprises in their toddler shoes on St Nicholas Day - you’ll discover just how different some global traditions are. You might even feel a little inspired to deviate from your usual Christmas traditions.

	Janine Bucci | Australia & New Zealand Wholesale Team Leader | Melbourne, Australia Throughout Australia, Elf on the Shelf is the biggest rage in the toddler and kids market around Christmas time. Every Australian parent knows about this little elf who checks up on the kids daily to make sure they’re behaving and will report to Santa in the North Pole accordingly. Elf on the Shelf is celebrated annually in Janine’s family with their very own Christmas elf, Sparkles. It’s not uncommon for Janine’s kids to wake up in the morning to find Sparkles has moved about in the night, finding himself doing all sorts of silly things (similar to this one pictured below).
Claus Hilarius Nielsen | Head of Sales | Jyllinge, Denmark For Claus and his family, Christmas in Denmark is celebrated a little bit differently. Christmas afternoon traditionally starts off with hot mulled wine and sweet apple slices, subsequently followed by a large Christmas dinner; feasting on roast pork and duck. Once the food has had time to settle, it’s time to turn on the Christmas tree lights and pull apart the stacks of presents piled underneath. Gift giving is followed by a joyous dance around the tree singing to a selection of Christmas carols (a few too many according to Claus’ kids).
	Kim Swead | PR | London, United Kingdom Over in the U.K, Kim and her family observe ‘Chrismukkah’ – being Jewish they celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas (best of both worlds). Chanukah usually falls a week or two before Christmas which involves indulging in scrummy donuts and greasy latkes and her kids open a present every day for eight days. Come Christmas, it’s a delicious family dinner where everyone pitches in making a dish or two - Kim’s is always the pavlova and roast potatoes - and then afterwards the family is forced into playing a funny game such as ‘Say it Don’t Spray it’,  where everyone gets the chance to make a bit of a fool of themselves.

Merret Thomsen | Sales & Customer Service | Hamburg, Germany 

Though they have similar outfits, Nikolaus is not to be confused with Santa Claus, who Germans call the Weihnachtsmann. They are two different people. And in some regions in Germany it's not Nikolaus, but Krampus, who comes on the 6th December and brings presents and candy to little kids.  

On the 5th December in Hamburg, Germany, Merret’s kids can be found lovingly cleaning their toddler shoes (mostly their Bobux toddler boots in hope of more presents) and will place them at their front door. A plate of cookies is also left for Nikolaus as a thank you. The morning of St Nicholas Day, Merret’s children cannot wait to get out of bed and see what goodies Nikolaus might have left behind. The kids will wake to find their toddler boots creatively decorated with Christmas tree branches and traditionally there will be nuts and mandarins scattered about. But what the kids are really interested in is the little presents and candy, of course.