I knew I had to do something when my seven-year-old, Kyle, wrote his list for Santa in June. "But, Ma," he said, "Christmas is less than six months away." Even in our family, which celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas, the holiday season had essentially become one long countdown to December 25.

Maybe, I thought, we could broaden our horizons (and take the burden off Santa) by exploring how other cultures celebrate Christmas and other winter holidays, too. Before long, we'd put a multicultural twist on our decorating routine, stringing bright Mexican banners along with our tinsel, lighting the house with Philippine-style lanterns and sprucing up our Christmas candles with German angels. Kyle still loves Santa, but now he also knows how many shopping days till Posadas.

Jodi Picoult is a regular contributor to FAMILYFUN