In many places around the world, it is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Santas are making appearances from Beijing to Beirut, and the traditions of the season can be seen all over – the trees, the lights, the shoppers, the devout and more.

A man dressed as Santa Claus holds a flare as he wakeboards on a small lake in Hamburg, Germany on December 5, 2010. (REUTERS/Christian Charisius).
Donald Boyce, dressed as Santa Claus, does a “shaka” as he shares a wave with a surfer while riding in an outrigger canoe off Waikiki beach in Honolulu, Hawaii in this still image taken from video December 11, 2010. (REUTERS/Outrigger Hotel).

Fireworks explode over a floating Christmas tree as it is lighted for the holiday season in Lagoa neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana).

found on boston.com