THEY HAVE A BUDDHIST MONK CALLED HOTEI-OSHO WHO ACTS LIKE SANTA CLAUS. HE BRINGS PRESENTS TO EACH HOUSE AND LEAVES THEM FOR THE CHILDREN. SOME THINK HE HAS EYES IN THE BACK OF HIS HEAD, SO CHILDREN TRY TO BEHAVE LIKE HE IS NEARBY. AMONG THE CHRISTIAN JAPANESE CHRISTMAS IS NOT A DAY FOR THE FAMILY. THEY DO NOT HAVE TURKEY OR PLUM PUDDING, RATHER THAN THAT THE DAY IS SPENT DOING NICE THINGS FOR OTHERS ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE SICK IN HOSPITALS.

The Christmas season in Italy goes for three weeks, starting 8 days before Christmas known as the Novena.

In Peru nativity scenes with Retablos inside are very popular. When priests were first taken to traveling they would carry small altars around with them for festival days. These gradually developed into portable boxes with saints above the altar and scenes from everyday life below it. Now the retablos depict Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, with local people crowding around.