With fewer than 10 days until Christmas, holiday celebrations and decorations are on display around the world. Mother Nature has contributed with snowfall from North America to the Middle East, as Santa's helpers busy themselves everywhere from small markets to massive warehouses. Today's essay is a peek at some of the scenes of the season so far.
Bethlehem
A tourist lights a candle at the Church of Nativity, revered as birthplace of Jesus, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Dec. 18.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A man uses his mobile device to take photographs of a Christmas tree in front of the landmark Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Dec. 18. Malaysia is 60 percent Muslim and Islam is the state religion. Only about nine percent of the poulation is Christian.
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Visitors pass Christmas decorations on a house in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, N.Y., on Dec. 16.
Chicago
Visitors walk through the holiday lights display,"ZooLights," at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on Dec. 17.
Chicago
A visitor reacts at the sight of an illuminated teddy bear at the holiday lights display,"ZooLights," at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on Dec. 17.
Destin, Fla.
The colorfully-decorated Buccaneer Pirate Cruise ship lights up the harbor on Dec. 15 during the 27th Annual Holiday on the Harbor Lighted Boat Parade in Destin, Fla.
Kansas City, Mo.
Christmas lights outline towers at the Country Club Plaza shopping center as the sun sets Dec. 15 in Kansas City, Mo. About 80 miles of lights with 280,000 multi-colored bulbs outline the buildings and towers in the shopping district.
Philippines
Catholics shelture under umbrellas as they attend the traditional 'Misa de Gallo' (Dawn Mass) during a downpour in front of a church in Las Pinas city, south of Manila, the Philippines, on Dec. 16. The Dawn Mass is held for nine consecutive days prior to Christmas Day.
Beirut
A Christmas tree sits at the Martyrs' Square next to Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut on Dec. 14
London
Christmas shoppers mingle on London's Carnaby Street on Dec. 14.
Portugal
People stroll below Christmas lights reflected on the ground in downtown Lisbon, Portugal, on Dec. 13.
Netherlands
The lights in the Christmas tree on the central square in Gouda are switched on during the traditional candle-evening in Gouda, Netherlands, on Dec. 13. During the event, hundreds of candles burn behind the windows of the houses and the town hall. Gouda is well-known for its candle factory.
Germany
A woman watches an illuminated rotating Ferris wheel at a Christmas market in Essen, Germany, on Dec. 13.
Dominican Republic
People gather around the lights of the 'Bright Christmas' display in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Dec. 12.
Sydney
"The Lights of Christmas" display is projected onto St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on Dec. 12. The graphics depict the story of Christmas and will run nightly until Christmas night.
Germany
The ceiling of the Marktkirche ("The Church on the Marketplace") is bathed in color for a Christmas light display on Dec. 9, 2013, in Hanover, Germany.
Colombia
A girl poses for a picture at the Christmas lights display in Medellin, Colombia, on Dec. 9.
10 Downing Street
Guests gather next to a Christmas tree outside 10 Downing Street, the office of Britain's prime minister, in central London on Dec. 9 after the holiday lights were turned on.
Beirut
Streets of the New Jdeideh neighborhood are illuminated for the holiday season in Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 9.
Quebec
A man photographs Christmas trees in front of a church in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on Dec. 8. The display contained one tree for each of the 47 victims of a train derailment carrying crude oil that burned most of the historic downtown in July.
Rome
Holiday lights birghten Via Del Corso in Rome on Dec. 8.
Poland
A 20-meter-high (65 feet) Christmas tree stands in Market Square in Wroclaw, Poland, on Dec. 8.
Tokyo
Visitors admire the "Christmas in the Sea" display in Tokyo's Shiodome on Dec. 7.
Poland
Children play in a holiday light display on Royal Treaty Street in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 7.
France
The facade of a building is lit up for The Festival Of Lights in Lyon, France, on Dec. 7. The event began as a tribute to the Virgin Mary as part of a promise made when an outbreak of plague subsided in 1643.
Poland
A child plays under lit mushrooms in the "Light Labyrinth" in the Wilanow Palace Garden in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 6. The labyrinth, made of over 150,000 colored lamps and based on themes from "Alice in Wonderland," is a winter attraction for children.
France
An installation by artist Damien Fontaine illuminates buildings during the rehearsal for the Festival of Lights in central Lyon on Dec. 5. The event began as a tribute to the Virgin Mary as part of a promise made when an outbreak of plague subsided in 1643.
Bulgaria
A couple walk through illuminated holiday decorations in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Dec. 5.
Texas
Adam Lopez passes a giant pair of illuminated boots outside the North Star Mall on Dec. 5 in San Antonio, Texas. The 40-foot tall boots are decorated with holiday lights annually.
France
Trees are bathed in red light at the Chinese Corner installation by artist Li Li during the rehearsal for the Festival of Lights in central Lyon, France, on Dec. 5.
Rockefeller Center
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit Dec. 4 in New York. Some 45,000 energy-efficient LED lights adorn the 76-foot tree.
Rockefeller Center
Angels made of wire and light frame the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree after it was lit Dec. 4 in New York City.
Israel
Israel Electric, the main supplier of electrical power in Israel, creates an interpretation of a menorah using cranes, as they try to create the world's largest menorah to celebrate Hanukkah in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv on Dec. 4. The menorah consists of nine aerial platforms: the Shamash (the "attendant" candle) crane will rise to a height of 28 meters (92 feet) and the other eight cranes will stretch their arms to a height of 22 meters (72 feet). The Hanukkah holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C. victory over the Hellenist Syrians when Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.
France
People walk by a giant Christmas ball displayed in Nice, southeastern France, on Dec. 4.
Paris
A visitor passes by an artistic Christmas tree created by French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier on display during the exhibition 'Les Sapins de Noel des Createurs' (The Designers Christmas Trees) at the Hotel de Rothschild, in Paris on Dec. 3. Every year, renowned personalities from the world of fashion, design or architecture, offer their vision of a Christmas tree for a charity auction.
U.S. Capitol
The National Christmas tress stands lit near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 3.
Prague
Tourists visit the Christmas market in Prague's Old Town Square on Dec. 3.
Paris
People walk near a Christmas tree in front of the Vendome Column as part of holiday season decorations at Place Vendome in Paris on Dec. 2.
Prague
A Christmas tree stands at the Christmas market in Prague's Old Town Square on Dec. 2. Christmas markets, traditionally selling mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, hot mead, and Christmas tree decorations, opened across the Czech Republic during the first Advent weekend.
Nashville
Santa Claus attends the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree on Dec. 2 in Nashville.
Jerusalem
An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays and lights candles on the fifth night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the festival of light, at the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Sheaarim on Dec. 1 in Jerusalem. Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BC following the victory of the Jewish Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire when there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day, but miraculously, the oil burned for eight days.
Bethlehem
A man holds a child in front of a Christmas tree that was lit during a ceremony outside the Church of Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Dec. 1.
Berlin
A Santa Claus lights up Berlin's Kurfuerstendamm, the main shoping boulevard, on Dec. 1.
Berlin
A woman takes a picture of herself in front of holiday decorations in Berlin on Dec. 1.
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