A huge Christmas tree towers over the Old Town Square in Prague.
The city’s most famous Christmas market reopened with twinkling lights and men on stilts draped in white angel costumes paraded the streets.
In Rio de Janeiro, a floating Christmas tree was inaugurated at Botafogo Cove, adding a new highlight to the city’s holiday traditions.
The structure, which rises 80 meters high, features more than 2.3 million LED lights and is installed some 100 meters from the shoreline, allowing it to be seen along roughly 700 meters of Botafogo Beach.
Later in the week, Santa Claus himself made a visit to Rio.
But instead of arriving with reindeers and sleigh, he pulled up to Copacabana beach on a jet ski.
It was part of a project to give children with a range of medical conditions a joyful day.
In the U.S., Melania Trump decorated the White House for the holidays, adopting a theme of “Home Is Where the Heart Is.”
The first lady’s decor also nodded to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and founding of the United States of America.
Just two miles away, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was lit up.
The 53-foot-tall red fir is from the Carson Ranger District in Nevada.
Dubbed Silver Belle, the tree will be on display on the West Lawn of the Capitol through the holiday season.
It has been decorated with more than 22,000 ornaments.
Hundreds of Sarajevo residents gathered on the city’s main riverside promenade this week to celebrate the opening of the Bosnian capital’s main Winter Market.
The market, featuring fun activities, food stalls and a lot of twinkling lights, will remain open for two months for the enjoyment of locals and international visitors alike.
Residents in the Bolivian capital of La Paz took to the streets to march in the city’s Christmas parade.
The event was held despite the tough economic situation in the country.
London’s Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square was lit up this week as part of a British tradition with roots in the Norwegian forest.
The tree symbolises the friendship between London and Oslo in an annual ceremony that highlights the history of the countries’ alliance.
Christmas lights were already illuminating the most fashionable shopping streets in the British capital.
From cool Carnaby Street, to luxurious Old Bond Street, the city was looking festive.
At Fortnum and Mason, a department store renowned for its gourmet food, the exterior had been decorated to look like an enormous Advent calendar.
Romanians began enjoying Christmas markets recently opened in Bucharest.
Several squares in the Romanian capital were illuminated at the start of December, with some displays switched on as early as November, including the cities of Sibiu, Cluj, Craiova and Brasov.
The festivities come amid economic problems for the country.
Romania’s government is pursuing measures to reduce the budget deficit.
It stood at over 9% in 2024 — one of the highest in the 27-nation European Union.
