Holiday Cookies of Different Cultures

All around the world, Christmas is a time for giving. While Santa Claus, also referred to as Papi Noel, Father Christmas, and Grandfather Frost, packs his sleigh with gifts for children everywhere, they’re preparing their own sweet gifts for him.

It is a common tradition across the United States for children celebrating Christmas to prepare different types of Christmas cookies for Santa to enjoy with a glass of milk. Countries may celebrate differently, but they all have in common the tradition of preparing and enjoying treats from their culture - many of which come from recipes that go back for generations.

The first place in the world to welcome Christmas Day and Santa, Kiritimati, is also known as Christmas Island. There, children will share their abundant coconut crop by making sweet and chewy coconut macaroons for Santa to enjoy.

In New Zealand, children will also take Santa’s Reindeer into account by making sure to leave hay and carrots for them, as well as leaving crunchy Anzac biscuits and milk for Santa. 

In other countries where the temperature might be warmer during Christmas in the summer, such as Australia, children leave Santa a cool glass of milk or beer and make crispy, fruit-filled desserts called “White Christmas.”

On Christmas Eve in Sri Lanka, the children come home from midnight mass and hang their stockings on the tree. The children then leave Naththal Seeya (Christmas Grandfather) kokis, which is a lacey fried cookie along with the country’s famous Ceylon tea.

Children in Puerto Rico will leave straw-filled shoe boxes beneath their beds for the camels of the Wise Men. The Wise Men, who bring the children gifts, are left mantecadito, a cherry-studded shortbread cookie.

In Mexico, just after midnight, the children get to break open a large pinata filled with toys and candy. After the children go to sleep, Santa arrives to find nutty, sugar-coated Mexican wedding cookies paired with a cup of sweet, spicy Mexican hot chocolate.

After large fireworks displays in Argentina, Papa Noel will arrive to find shoes filled with straw or barley for his camels in addition to mantecados de nis, a crumbly cookie with a hint of licorice flavor, and sidra, a sparkling cider.

Norway and Denmark are both countries that serve variations of rice pudding for Julenissen (Christmas Elf) and Julemanden (Christmas Man). In Norway, the children will sing before receiving gifts and then thank Julenissen with some riskrem, a sweet rice pudding that is served with cherry sauce. Children in Denmark thank Julemanden with risalamande (rice pudding).

At the site of the first Christmas in Bethlehem, many people from around the world visit during the special holiday. In Bethlehem Santa brings gifts to children in homes with a cross painted on the door and the children will leave out ma’amoul, a cookie stuffed with dates or honey and nuts.

All across America, children will anxiously wait for Santa, anticipating that he’ll arrive at the plate of cookies and a glass of milk that they’d left for him. Children might choose to give him a decorated sugar cookie, a gingerbread man, or even a classic American chocolate chip cookie.

The holidays are a very special time for children everywhere and the traditions and recipes from all over the world make it that much more special.