Here's what Christmas looked like around the world - in pictures

From the UK to India and Haiti to Japan, there were a lot of different ways December 25 was celebrated

Passerby takes pictures of the Angel of the North statue adorned with Santa Claus' hat in Gateshead, Britain. Reuters

Indian children dressed as Santa Claus perform during a Christmas function at the Shri Ram Ashram public school in Amritsar. AFP

An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume with its mahout presents toys and gifts to school children during Christmas celebrations in Ayutthaya. AFP

A Haitian man in a Santa Claus costume participates in a Christmas Parade (Parad Nwel in Haitian creole) on the streets of the commune of Petion Ville, in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. AFP

A diver dressed as Santa Claus swims with fish and a whale shark in an aquarium at the Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama during a promotional Christmas show. AFP

Winter swimming enthusiasts wearing Santa hats swim at a partly frozen lake at temperatures of minus 21 degrees Celsius (-6 F) in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province. AFP

Volunteers clad in Santa Claus costumes perform as they gather to deliver gifts for the poor in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Monday. AP

A Vietnamese woman carries her child dressed in Santa Claus costume as they walk past the late 19th-century St. Joseph's cathedral in the old quarters of Hanoi during Christmas Eve. AFP

A Santa Claus on his slay precedes the convoy of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, passing near the controversial Israeli separation barrier, as he arrives in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. AFP

A man dressed as Santa Claus holds a flare as he sits on a boat during a Christmas eve celebrations in Imperia, Italy. AP

The Waterskiing Santa makes his annual Christmas Eve appearance along the waterfront in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. Reuters

A firefighter dressed as Santa Claus stands by bicycles during the annual gift-giving event organised by the Fire Department, in which they hand out items donated throughout the year to children in need, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Reuters

A man dressed as Santa poses next to a Christmas tree on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. December is one of the hottest months of the year across Australia, with Christmas Day traditionally involving a trip to the beach and celebrations outdoors. Getty

Canadians Eileen Browner and her husband, Canadian Royal Navy Petty Officer Robert Browner were two of the more than 1,500 volunteers that answered phone calls from children all over the world, at the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center at Peterson Air Force Base. AP

The National

From Santa Claus on the beaches of Sydney, Australia to the lit up cathedrals in the old quarters of Vietnam, here's a look at how Christmas was celebrated around the world this year.

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Updated: December 26, 2018, 11:33 AM