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Holiday celebrations around the world People around the world celebrate in a variety of colorful, playful and profound ways.
Dec. 26, 2011
Tourists take pictures in front of a snow sculpture ahead of the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival will be officially launched Jan. 5.
Sheng Li
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Reuters
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Dec. 25, 2011
A woman films a Christmas tree with her mobile phone in the Plateau district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Sia Kambou
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AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 25, 2011
A horse carriage carrying tourists travels past ice sculptures as lights are tested for the 13th Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China.
Sheng Li
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Reuters
Dec. 26, 2011
A swimmer jumps with a mop into the icy water of the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China.
Sheng Li
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Reuters
Dec. 25, 2011
A Christmas tree stands on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
Rob Griffith
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AP
Dec. 25, 2011
A competitor dressed up as Santa Claus jumps into the sea during the 102nd Barcelona Traditional Christmas Swimming Cup at the Old Harbour of Barcelona. The competition is organized by the Barcelona Swimming Club. It was launched in 1908 and has been suspended only three times -- in 1936, 1937 and 1938, because of the Spanish Civil War.
David Ramos
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Getty Images
Dec. 24, 2011
Cayla Skeete, 8, reacts to getting icing on her finger as she and her aunt, Brittany Sawyers, decorate a gingerbread house at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort in Oxon Hill, Md. Gingerbread houses and men can be decorated daily until Jan. 8 in the lower atrium of the hotel.
Mark Gail
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The Washington Post
Dec. 24, 2011
Cayla Skeete tries to decide where to place another piece of candy as she decorates a gingerbread house at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort in Oxon Hill, Md.
Mark Gail
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The Washington Post
Dec. 25, 2011
A Christian devotee prays at the St. Mary's Garrison church in Jammu, India. Christmas Day is observed as a national holiday in India, marked by millions of all religions.
Channi Anand
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AP
Dec. 25, 2011
A devotee holds melting candles as he stands for a prayer at the Infant Jesus Shrine in Bangalore, India.
Aijaz Rahi
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AP
Dec. 25, 2011
A member of a Christian sect prays with her children at the beach in Lagos, Nigeria, where they live and worship in makeshift tents.
Akintunde Akinleye
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Reuters
Dec. 24, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Christmas Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Andrew Medichini
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Christmas Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
Andrew Medichini
/
AP
Dec. 24, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI lights a candle at his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Andrew Medichini
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AP
Dec. 25, 2011
A man sells balloons outside Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi.
Manish Swarup
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AP
Dec. 25, 2011
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, greets well-wishers after leaving a Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the royal estate at Sandringham, Norfolk, in eastern England. Queen Elizabeth's 90-year-old husband spent Christmas Day in a hospital bed after successful surgery to clear a blocked heart artery, missing the royal family's celebrations at Sandringham.
Suzanne Plunkett
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Reuters
Dec. 25, 2011
Dogs wear festive collars outside Sandringham Church before the traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham in eastern England.
Chris Jackson
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Getty Images
Dec. 25, 2011
Members of the clergy pray in the Grotto, where Christians believe Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Ammar Awad
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Reuters
Dec. 24, 2011
Iraqi Christians gather around a fire as they celebrate Christmas in a church in Hamdaniya, east of Mosul.
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Reuters
Dec. 25, 2011
A boy wearing a Santa hat holds up a Christmas decoration he is selling as Christians gather to celebrate Christmas at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi.
Daniel Berehulak
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Getty Images
Dec. 24, 2011
Sister Inez Marie of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration sits with her dogs inside a replica of Assisi's Portiuncula Chapel at the District's Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America. More than 800 candles were lit at the Franciscan Monastery as part of the holiday tradition.
Tracy A. Woodward
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The Washington Post
Dec. 24, 2011
Ruben Torres, standing in as Santa Claus, joins fishermen on a Christmas Eve ritual trip along the coast of Valparaiso, Chile, about 75 miles northwest of Santiago. Every year, local fishermen organize a Santa Claus boat trip as people wait on the shore to receive their Christmas presents and well-wishes.
Eliseo Fernandez
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REUTERS
Dec. 24, 2011
Santa Claus (the only name he wishes to go by) takes to the water on skis. Crowds bundle up to watch the Grinch, Santa and their pals take to the water on skis and personal watercraft to entertain folks on Christmas eve at National Harbor, in Fort Washington, Md.
Jahi Chikwendiu
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WASHINGTON POST
Dec. 24, 2011
Grinch at the annual water skiing event. This is the 26th anniversary of the Skiing Santa event.
Jahi Chikwendiu
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WASHINGTON POST
Dec. 23, 2011
A Syrian man dressed as Santa plays with orphans during a Christmas celebration at the Mar Takla monastery in the Christian village of Maalula. Unrest in Syria has prompted Christian neighborhoods to cancel most celebrations this year and only observe Christmas Mass.
JOSEPH EID
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
Artists dressed as Santa Claus create a religious sand sculpture on a beach about 40 miles from the eastern city of Bhubaneswar, India. Christmas is observed as a national holiday in India.
Biswaranjan Rout
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
Artists dressed as Santa stand by their sand sculpture of Santa Claus as part of Christmas celebrations on a beach in Puri, India.
STRINGER/INDIA
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REUTERS
Dec. 25, 2011
A child looks at an idol of baby Jesus in a church in Jammu, India. Christmas Day is observed as a national holiday in India.
Channi Anand
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AP
Dec. 25, 2011
Pakistani Christians attend Christmas prayers at the St. Peter's church in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The newly built St. Peter's Church, which can accommodate up to 5,000 worshipers, is Pakistan's biggest church. It opened to public with the Christmas midnight Mass.
ASIF HASSAN
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 23, 2011
Window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and a reindeer clean a window during an event to celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday season at a shopping mall in Tokyo.
Toru Hanai
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REUTERS
Dec. 25, 2011
Vivian Vasso and Ben Cheathan stroll hand in hand from the water at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Christmas Day. Bondi Beach is a popular place for tourists on Christmas Day.
Don Arnold
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GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
Winter swimmers wearing Santa Claus costumes play soccer on a frozen lake ahead of Christmas in Shenyang, Liaoning province.
SHENG LI
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REUTERS
Dec. 24, 2011
Two Chinese boys wait to perform Christmas songs for customers at a shopping center on Christmas Eve in Beijing, China. Though Christmas is not officially celebrated in China, the holiday is becoming increasingly popular as Chinese adopt more Western ideas and festivals.
Feng Li
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GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
Chinese children sing Christmas songs for customers at a shopping center on Christmas Eve in Beijing, China.
Feng Li
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GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
Chinese children sing Christmas songs for customers at a shopping center on Christmas Eve in Beijing, China.
Feng Li
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GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
People walk through a tunnel of lights set up near a Christmas tree and other trees decorated for the holiday in Tokyo.
Itsuo Inouye
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AP
Dec. 9, 2011
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II stands in the 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace in London after recording her Christmas Day television broadcast to the Commonwealth.
JOHN STILLWELL
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
Christian faithful gather in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican after the annual unveiling of the Nativity scene. Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Christmas Eve Mass, heralding two weeks of public appearances.
Andrew Medichini
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI lights a candle in his private window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Christmas Eve.
ANDREAS SOLARO
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 22, 2011
Christian faithful pray in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Every year pilgrims travel at Christmas to the church, where a gold star embedded in the floor marks the spot where tradition says Jesus was born.
Uriel Sinai
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GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
People take part during the of unveiling ceremony of the Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Christmas Eve.
ANDREAS SOLARO
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
A young girl places a candle at the Sacred Hearts Cathedral on Christmas Eve in New Delhi.
Gurinder Osan
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
A Christian pilgrim waits in line to go inside the Grotto at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve.
Bernat Armangue
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
A Franciscan monk attends Christmas celebrations at the Church of Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Bernat Armangue
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
An American chaplain serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force prays during a Christmas Eve ceremony in a church at the ISAF's headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Musadeq Sadeq
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AP
Dec. 24, 2011
Indonesian Christians hold candles during a Christmas Eve Mass at the Bethany Church in Surabaya, in East Java province.
JUNI KRISWANTO
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
Pakistani Christians gather at an illuminated display of Nativity scenes set up for Christmas Eve celebrations in a Christian neighborhood in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Anjum Naveed
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AP
Dec. 23, 2011
Supporters Laurent Gbagbo decorate a Christmas tree during a support rally in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, where the former Ivory Coast president is being detained.
ANOEK DE GROOT
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
A Christian pilgrim from Nigeria dressed as Santa Claus visits the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve.
MARCO LONGARI
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AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Dec. 24, 2011
A person dressed as Santa Claus rings a bell during Christmas celebrations near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
AMMAR AWAD
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REUTERS
Dec. 24, 2011
A group of girls gather to celebrate Christmas Eve on an illuminated street in Kolkata, India.
Bikas Das
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AP
Dec. 23, 2011
Mike Hettmann of Green Bay, Wis., and his daughters Allison, 5, Audrey, 6, and Samantha, 4, wait for mommy to finish some last-minute Christmas shopping at the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, Wis.
Dan Powers
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AP
Dec. 21, 2011
Rabbi Michael Fienberg lights a Hanukkah candle at a service at Judson Memorial Church on National Homeless Persons Memorial Day in New York City. The annual interfaith service is organized by the homeless advocacy group Picture the Homeless, a grass-roots organization founded and led by homeless people.
Spencer Platt
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Getty Images
Dec. 21, 2011
Laser beams creating the image of a large Hanukkah menorah are projected on the Hiriya landfill, a former waste disposal site, now called the Ariel Sharon Park, near Tel Aviv, on the second eve of Hanukkah.
Ariel Schalit
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AP
Dec. 20, 2011
Members of the local Jewish community and their children dance on the first day of Hanukkah at Nyugati square in Budapest.
Attila Kisbenedek
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AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 10, 2011
Jimmy Flynn clicks his heels as he crosses the line at the first Santa Sightings 5K Fun Run in New Bedford, Mass. More than 1,600 runners paid at least $30 to dress at least partially like Santa and take to the streets in the charity fundraiser. Similar Santa runs have been held around the world.
Peter Pereira
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New Bedford Standard-Times via AP
Dec. 3, 2011
Wesley Jones, 3, reacts as a holiday parade comes down the street in downtown Hillsborough, N.C. Wesley watched the parade with his mother, Corly, left; father, Nick; sister, Eden; and brothers, Calvin, right, and Oliver.
Christine T. Nguyen
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The Herald-Sun via AP
Dec. 10, 2011
A staff member helps Caryl Schiff pose with an assault rifle as she and her husband, Milton, partake in the "Santa and Machine Guns" photo event at the Scottsdale Gun Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Nick Oza
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The Arizona Republic via AP
Dec. 2, 2011
Even the fish get into the holiday spirit as a worker dressed as Santa greets spectators during an aquarium show in Bangkok.
Apichart Weerawong
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AP
Dec. 9, 2011
Scores of police officers get married in Bogota, Colombia. Every year before Christmas, the department hosts a mass wedding for its officers. This year, 97 officers took part in the event.
Fernando Vergara
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AP
Dec. 10, 2011
Libby, a miniature horse, gets a pat during the 20th annual La Porte County Small Animal Shelter's Pet Photos With Santa event in La Porte, Ind. Pet owners paid $10 per photo at the fundraiser for the shelter.
Bob Wellinski
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La Porte Herald Argus via AP
Dec. 6, 2011
Now where did we stock the figgy pudding? Employees work in a massive distribution center in Waltham Abbey, United Kingdom. J Sainsbury, the U.K.'s third-largest supermarket company, said it plans to avoid additional discounts in the lead-up to Christmas in anticipation of a flurry of spending in the final week before the holiday.
Simon Dawson
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Bloomberg
Dec. 6, 2011
Charles Sammut places figurines of cherub angels on a giant crib being set up at the annual Maltese Crib and Christmas Art Exhibition in Valletta, Malta. The crib, which spans 16 feet, includes several figurines that date back to the 18th century, event organizers say.
Darrin Zammit Lupi
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Reuters
Dec. 8, 2011
Stockers pack boxes of chocolates at the See's Candies packing facility in South San Francisco, Calif. While Lucy and Ethel might not have gotten hired there, the company did plan to add 5,500 workers to get it through the busy holiday season.
Ken James
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Bloomberg News
Dec. 3, 2011
Steve Stickley, of Stephens City, Va., gets a nose nuzzle from a puppy during an open house at the Esther L. Boyd Animal Shelter in Winchester, Va.
Jeff Taylor
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The Winchester Star via AP
Nov. 30, 2011
Napa Valley gets festive: The Sutter Home Inn is decorated with lights in St. Helena, Calif.
Eric Risberg
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
The Far Niente winery glows with holiday lights and a moon above in Oakville, Calif.
Eric Risberg
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AP
Dec. 4, 2011
Patrick Sell, a volunteer for the CHIP toy drive at the John Force Holiday Car Show in Yorba Linda, Calif., piles up the toys donated as admission to the show. Organizers were expecting more than 10,000 toys.
Mindy Schauer
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AP
Dec. 7, 2011
A colorful parade marks the arrival of Christmas in Medellin on Dec. 7, the day Colombians celebrate as the first day of the holiday season.
Albeiro Lopera
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Reuters
Dec. 6, 2011
A car transporting an illuminated Christmas tree and people dressed as Father Frost (the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus) drives along a road in the suburbs of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
Ilya Naymushin
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Reuters
A train, ornaments and other holiday trimmings decorate the plants at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington.
U.S. Botanic Garden
A replica of the Capitol is part of the display at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington.
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U.S. Botanic Garden
Dec. 6, 2011
The official state spruce referred to as a "holiday tree" by Gov. Lincoln Chafee is lit up in the rotunda of the statehouse in Providence, R.I. Some in attendance hold signs and sing Christmas carols in protest of the governor's decision to call it a "holiday" tree rather than a "Christmas" tree.
Elise Amendola
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AP
Dec. 6, 2011
Andrea Lin, right and Nancy Wang, center, play holiday songs with the Hershey High School Band at tree-lighting ceremony in the capitol rotunda in Harrisburg, Pa.
Bradley C. Bower
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AP
Nov. 27, 2011
People wearing Santa Claus costumes wave to the crowd before the start of the soccer match between AC Milan and Chievo at the San Siro stadium in Milan.
Alessandro Garofalo
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Reuters
Nov. 24, 2011
Spectators wave and aim their cameras at Santa Claus as he rolls down Seventh Avenue during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
John Minchillo
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AP
Nov. 29, 2011
Steve Green strings hundreds of colored lights on a Christmas tree inside the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison. Donated by the state's Department of Natural Resources and obtained from the Brule River State Forest, the 36-foot balsam fir will adorn the building's rotunda through the New Year holiday.
John Hart
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
People turn out for the 79th annual lighting ceremony in New York of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
Henny Ray Abrams
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
Neil Diamond performs at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in New York.
Charles Sykes
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
The 74-foot-tall Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is lit using 30,000 energy efficient LED lights during the 79th annual lighting ceremony in New York.
Charles Sykes
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
Katharine McPhee performs at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in New York.
Charles Sykes
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AP
Nov. 30, 2011
The Radio City Rockettes perform before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit in New York.
Stan Honda
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AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 1, 2011
A woman takes picture in front of a Christmas tree during a lighting ceremony in downtown Sofia, Bulgaria.
Stoyan Nenov
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Reuters
Dec. 1, 2011
Environmentalist Noli Llavan, 24, puts up a "Christmas tree" made of confiscated chain saws along a main street in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, west of Manila. The local government is campaigning to end illegal logging and mining in the western island province of Palawan, one of the Philippines' last frontiers for forest reserve.
Romeo Ranoco
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Reuters
Dec. 1, 2011
One of 80 cooks helps to measures the world's longest Christmas cake, a 1,068-meter-long vanilla-flavored log with a bitter chocolate cover, at a hotel in Shanghai.
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AP
Dec. 1, 2011
The huge cake achieved a new Guinness World Record during a charity event in Shanghai aimed to raise funds for children with cancer.
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AP
Dec. 1, 2011
Fireworks light up the night sky near a giant Christmas tree display along a bay walk in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, west of Manila.
Romeo Ranoco
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Reuters
Nov. 30, 2011
Birds take to the air as a helicopter flies over the Swiss Parliament building transporting the annual Christmas tree for the federal square in Bern.
Pascal Lauener
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Reuters
Nov. 24, 2011
Workers put a huge inflatable Santa Claus figure in place on top of a shopping center near a highway between Darmstadt and Frankfurt in Germany.
Kai Pfaffenbach
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Reuters
Nov. 26, 2011
A man dressed up as a zombie Santa Claus takes part in a "Zombie Walk" at the Revolution Monument in Mexico City. About 9,600 people took part in the event in an attempt to set a new Guinness record.
Alfredo Estrella
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AFP/Getty Images
Nov. 27, 2011
Santa Claus trainees learn how to speak and walk like a real Santa in preparation for Christmas Day at the "Santa Claus academy" in Tokyo.
Yoshikazu Tsuno
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AFP/Getty Images
Nov. 19, 2011
A white whale wears a Santa Claus hat during a show at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium and amusement park complex in Yokohama, near Tokyo.
Itsuo Inouye
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AP
Nov. 29, 2011
Druid Garth Reynolds blesses this year's crop of mistletoe and holly at the annual Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Auction in Tenbury Wells, England. Druids blessed the crop before buyers put their bids in for the festive plants.
Christopher Furlong
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Getty Images
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