Merry Christmas! We wanted to share an activity you can do with your family today, with a minimum of preparation and materials you probably already have: nativity shadow puppets.

This Advent season, we have traveled the world and learned about the unique traditions that are part of Christmas in other people's homes. But every single one started somewhere – maybe hundreds of years ago – before becoming a part of an entire country's tradition. They all started as part of somebody's family story.

While we are on the fourth week of Advent, this is only the third stop on our journey, as last week’s all-music service(!) was a spectacular replacement for the stamp on our Christmas passport. This week, we travel to Ukraine, where spider webs are not something to be brushed away, but a treasure to delight in.

As we continue our trip around the world to explore the Christmas traditions of different countries, we stop in Iceland just in time for a visit from the Yule Lads.

Today is the official start of our trip around the world to explore the Christmas traditions of different countries. It's also the day of the annual inauguration, in Sweden, of the Gävle Goat! In honor of this unique tradition, that's where we'll start our journey.