Show christmas comes but once a year Almost AnyTime I 1 merry christmas is whatever you make it whenever you make it from december 5 when saint nicholas arrives for dutch children to the aleutian islanders christmas on january 7 someone is celebrating this festive day most of the time holland chooses december 5 as the eve of the festival day which the church has set SHETLAND 00 aside in saint nicholas ISLANDS 0 honor in hungary santa claus pays his first GREAT visit several weeks ahead of the yuletide N leaving boxes of candy in preparation for liis his second secand visit most of the unusual usual celebrations however come after december 25 indeed fall after new years day remote shetland islanders north of scotland celebrate january 5 still clinging to the old julian calendar and refusing to accept that of P pope ape gregory which most of the world has used for two centuries january 5 is also christmas day in at least one part of the united states proper isolated and windswept rodanthe island off north carolina the custom apparently a holdover from old christmas the twelfth night or epiphany the occasion finds all residents hanging their stockings and await ing santa claus in alaska where midsummer mid summer de livery of christmas presents makes them suitable either for last christmas or the coming one part of the residents celebrate on ie december cember 25 and the t e rest january 7 the latter date is s observed chiefly by aleutian islanders islan ers which is populated by natives who ho were interbred interbreed inter bred with russians hundreds of years ago they use the russian calendar which has not been changed to conform w with I 1 th that used by the rest a of f the w world orld by this calendar new yea years rs is celebrated january 14 |