Here in the United States, the holiday season is a time for gifts and gathering with family and friends, steaming mugs of hot cocoa on cold nights, visits from Santa, and dazzling light displays. Many of these American traditions are actually derived from other cultural celebrations of the season around the world; the Christmas tree, for example, comes from the German tannenbaum , and Santa Claus himself is a mash-up of the Dutch Sinterklaas and the German St. Nicholas. These original traditions survive to this day and continue to be practiced in their countries of origin. At Place2Place, our international partners and consultants are sharing a glimpse into just a few of these joyous cultural traditions where they live. We reached out to a few of them to see how they celebrate the holiday season, so join us by the fire as we take you on a tour of  winter festivities around the world. Mexico In Mexico, the Christmas celebration starts on Las Posadas, or December 16th. “