Santa costumes around the world - in pictures

Christians get into the seasonal spirit by dressing up as Santa Claus

Thai nurses adjust the outfits of newborns dressed in Santa Claus costumes to celebrate the Christmas season at Paolo Memorial Hospital Chokchai 4 in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA

People walk past a large inflatable Santa Claus outside a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. EPA

Street vendor Tendai Murape puts seasonal decoration on small artificial Christmas trees, at an intersection in Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe. EPA

A man dressed as Santa Claus takes a ride in a tram in Brussels. The Christmas season brings some unusual sights to public transport. AP Photo

Syrians dressed in Santa Claus costumes take part in street celebrations held in the mostly Christian-populated Bab Touma neighborhood in the Olld City of Damascus, Syria. EPA

Shoppers are seen during the Christmas trade period in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. EPA

A US flag stands on top of a Christmas tree near a tent of migrants at the Barretal shelter for Central Americans who arrived in caravans over the past two months and hope to enter the US, in Tijuana, Mexico. AP Photo

People pose for photographs inside a video kaleidoscope at Harbour City shopping mall, operated by Wharf Holdings Ltd., in Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg

Passers-by, Christmas shoppers and tourists walk by and look at shop windows of the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, France. EPA

A view of Plaza San Francisco (San Francisco Square) during Christmas season in La Paz, Bolivia. REUTERS

Ecuadorean Carlos Yanez waves as he drives a public transport bus dressed up as Santa Claus in Quito. AFP

Several Santa Claus figures and lots of presents are on board a 'gamela', a traditional Galician fishing boat during preparations for Christmas, off Cambados' coast, Galicia, northwestern Spain. EPA

People skate on an outdoor ice rink during the Christmas market in Zagreb, Croatia. EPA

Girls wearing Santa costumes wave from a bus on a street in Karachi, as part of the Christmas celebrations. AFP

A cyclist drives past a giant Christmas ball decoration on a street in Taipei City, Taiwan. EPA

People walk past a Christmas tree in central Sofia, Bulgaria. REUTERS

A man wears a Santa costume in a street in Tehran, Iran. EPA

People visit a Christmas market in the Gendarmenmarkt ahead of the holiday season in Berlin. AFP

A woman walks by Christmas decorations at Eminonu Bazaar in Istanbul. AFP

The Christmas tree is displayed on St Peter's Square in The Vatican. AFP

People walk past an installation for the new year on Red Square decorated for Christmas and New Year celebrations with the Spasskaya Tower in the background in Moscow, Russia. AP Photo

A person dressed as Santa Claus distributes sweets to inmates during Christmas celebrations inside Kot Bhalwal jail, on the outskirts of Jammu, India. REUTERS

People dressed in Santa Claus costumes attend a parade under winter illuminations at Marunouchi business district in Tokyo. AFP

People enjoy a market as Christmas decorations illuminate the main boulevard in downtown Tirana, Albania. EPA

A couple kiss behind a Christmas-themed light display at along the Chongye stream in central Seoul. AFP

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