Christmas

Christmas is a primarily Christian holiday celebrated on the 25 December in most countries (including the United Kingdom). The most famous tradition of Christmas is that Santa Claus flies around the world to deliver presents to all the good children of the world. Students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry go on a few weeks' holidays for the Christmas season. It is not known what religious connotations the holiday has to the Wizarding world.

Hogwarts celebrations
For Christmas at Hogwarts, the Great Hall is decorated with twelve towering Christmas trees, festoons of holly, mistletoe, and other Christmas oriented accents. In addition this, the school has been known to be decorated with real live fairies which fly around the trees, everlasting icicles which are applied to the banisters of the Grand Staircase, and warm, dry snow which falls from the Enchanted Ceiling of the Great Hall. Also, the suits of armour around Hogwarts have been known to be charmed to sing carols.

Christmas holidays
The students can choose to stay at Hogwarts Castle or return home for the holidays, which begin shortly before Christmas Day and end sometime after New Year's Day. A Professor generally goes among the students making a list of those who want to stay for the winter holidays. A notable occasion upon which a majority of students stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas was in 1994, when Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament and the Yule Ball held on Christmas Day. On Harry Potter's first Christmas at Hogwarts, it had been by far the best Christmas he had ever had.

Christmas presents
These are the presents that some people were known to have received:

1991

 * Harry Potter - a roughly cut wooden flute from Hagrid, a fifty-pence piece from the Dursleys, an emerald green jumper and a box of homemade fudge from Mrs. Weasley, a box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione, and his father's Invisibility cloak from Albus Dumbledore (anonymously)
 * Ron Weasley - a maroon jumper from his mother, a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from Hermione
 * Fred Weasley - a blue jumper with a yellow "F" on the front from his mother
 * George Weasley - a blue jumper with a yellow "G" on the front from his mother
 * Percy Weasley - a jumper with a "P" on the front from his mother

1992

 * Harry Potter - a toothpick from the Dursleys, a tin of treacle fudge from Hagrid, Flying with the Cannons from Ron, a luxury eagle-feather quill from Hermione, and a jumper and a plum cake from Mrs. Weasley

1993

 * Harry Potter - a scarlet jumper with the Gryffindor lion on the front, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle from Mrs. Weasley, and a Firebolt from Sirius Black (anonymously)
 * Ron Weasley - another maroon jumper and a pair of maroon socks from his mother,

1994

 * Harry Potter - a red left sock with broomstick pattern and green right sock with Snitch pattern from Dobby, a single tissue from the Dursleys, Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland from Hermione, a bag of Dungbombs from Ron, a magical penknife from Sirius Black, a large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Whizbees from Hagrid, and a green jumper with a dragon on the front and several mince pies from Mrs. Weasley
 * Ron Weasley - a Chudley Cannons hat from Harry, a pair of violet socks and a jumper from his mother (both of which were given to Dobby)
 * Dobby - an old pair of mustard yellow socks from Harry Potter, a pair of violet socks and a jumper from Ron Weasley

1995

 * Christmas_1992.jpg Potter - a homework planner from Hermione, Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts from Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, a furry brown wallet with fangs from Hagrid, a small working model of a Firebolt from Nymphadora Tonks, a large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from Ron, a jumper and some mince pies from Mrs. Weasley, and a painting of himself from Dobby
 * Ron Weasley - a Broom Compass from Harry, and a homework planner from Hermione
 * Hermione Granger - New Theory of Numerology from Harry, and an "unusual" perfume from Ron
 * Percy Weasley - a jumper from his mother (which he sent back, unopened)
 * Kreacher - a patchwork quilt from Hermione

1996

 * Harry Potter - a jumper with a Golden Snitch on the front from Mrs. Weasley, a large box of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products from Fred and George, and a package of maggots from Kreacher
 * Ron Weasley - a Sweetheart necklace from Lavender Brown
 * Molly Weasley - a midnight blue witch's hat and a golden necklace from Fred and George

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)