Dec. 24 in photos

A couple watches illuminations on Christmas Eve in Tokyo, Japan. Israel's President Shimon Peres lights candles for the Jewish holiday of Hannukah during a visit to the southern Israeli city of Sderot. And members of a winter swimmers association bathe in the four degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit 39) water of the Baltic Sea at the beach of Warnemuende, northern Germany. View a slideshow of these images and more.

Section:Gallery

Wed., Dec. 24, 2008

Bulgarian Carol-singers perform a traditional Christmas dance and sing as they are reflected at a glass in the town of Varna east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. During the Christmas holidays Carol-singers visit with joy the houses at the Balkan country as people give them gifts as ring-shaped buns, coins, meat, beans. It is believed that more of gifts, the richer the harvest will be in the upcoming year.

Petar Petrov Ap
A Chinese girl dressed as an angel wears a Hello Kitty image embroidered on her flock during a Christmas mass at the Southern Cathedral, the oldest Catholic church in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008.

Ng Guan Ap
The 22 meter high statue, Hammering Man, dressed in Santa Claus outfits, stands over a street, to celebrate a Christmas in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. The statue was made by U.S. artist Jonathan Borofsky of Boston, Massachusetts. Christmas is one of the biggest holidays to celebrate in South Korea.

Lee Jin-Man Ap
U.S. Postal Service mail carrier Erin Mohan takes his sack full of candy canes out of his mail van before he begins delivering mail Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008 in Winona, Minn. After four Christmases of dressing as Santa, Mohan has learned to carry the treats to give to children and adults alike who greet him at their door.

Katie Derus Ap
A man dressed as Santa greets a trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008 in New York. Wall Street rose modestly in light holiday trading Wednesday after the government released downbeat, but unsurprising, readings on U.S. joblessness and consumer spending.

Mary Altaffer Ap
Visitors look at a 25 feet (950 centimeters) high Santa Claus sand sculpture created by Sudarshan Pattnaik at a beach in Puri, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) away from Bhubaneswar, India, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008.

Biswaranjan Rout Ap
A man dressed as Santa Claus distributes gifts to children at a Christian school in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. The man, one of the school's teachers, handed out presents to schoolchildren the day before Christmas.

Hadi Mizban Ap
A Turkish man walks by a Christmas installation in central Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. Even in predominantly Muslim Turkey, Christmas has evolved as a prime time shopping season as Turks joyfully celebrate New Year's Eve with special dinners and exchange gifts with their loved ones.

Murad Sezer Ap
People walk around a Nativity scene, center below the obelisk, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI is gearing up for his Christmas celebrations with Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican's Christmas festivities began several hours earlier Wednesday with the unveiling of the larger-than-life Nativity scene next to the Vatican's largest-ever Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square.

Alessandra Tarantino Ap
Israel's President Shimon Peres lights candles for the Jewish holiday of Hannukah during a visit to the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip bombarded southern Israel with mortars and rockets early Wednesday, burdening diplomatic efforts to revive a truce that expired over the weekend.

Sebastian Scheiner Ap
Members of a winter swimmers association bathe in the four degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit 39) water of the Baltic Sea at the beach of Warnemuende, northern Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. The swimmers traditionally meet on Christmas Eve to swim in the cold water.

Frank Hormann Ap