Long before your living room's seasonal centerpiece, cultures around the world marked the darkest time of year with palms, pines, and other greenery.

This is how you do the holidays in the desert.

But did they create the famous one with a starring role in Citizen Kane?

Las patinatas—"the skating"—dates back to the 1950s.

Dive into the origins of a Swedish holiday tradition that evolved from sinister pagan lore to a celebration of light, warmth, and music.

In Mooloolaba, Australia, Saint Nick wears sunglasses.

One cunning business maneuver created a tradition and saved a franchise.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

A gift guide from the Atlas Obscura team.

A gift guide from the Atlas Obscura team.

A gift guide from the Atlas Obscura team.

A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.

A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.

Lampreia de ovos comes loaded with sugar, eggs, and the long history of glorifying a most peculiar parasite.

Cooking with evergreens has a long history.

Snapdragon is not for the faint-hearted.

The story of this saffron-hued swirl has become as twisted as its dough.

Boilo is a favorite across coal country.

Once a magical, murderous farmhand, the nisse has transformed into a beloved holiday figure.

Knock out the year with an elixir that can pacify an army.

Every winter, this former planetarium is transformed into a massive, brightly-lit Christmas ornament.

An entire home filled with over 3,000 pieces of Santa memorabilia in glass cases, walls, on Christmas trees, and even in the bathroom.

Swirling layers of white and red rock earned these mountains their festive nickname.

Every day is like Christmas on this street where the traditional Neapolitan nativity scene comes to life.

A market built atop boats is one of the few floating holiday markets in Europe.

An annual festival full of illuminated replicas of iconic landmarks from around the world.

A small museum dedicated to the whimsical tool that turns sugar cookies into works of art.

Once a giant gingerbread factory, this space now hosts exhibits and workshops on the historic treat.

Catalonia Tradition: Beating the hollow Christmas log until it defecates in your fireplace.

The villagers of the coldest inhabited place on Earth adjust to unique challenges presented by day-to-day living.