The Polish people are intensely traditional in their holiday celebrations and this is exemplified at Christmas time. Stories and songs are sung around a Christmas tree decorated with nuts, apples, colored paper and straw ornaments. Gifts lay wrapped beneath its boughs. Friends and family come to visit and partake in Wiglia, the traditional Christmas dinner, where often a place is left empty at the table for the Christ Child. But most important to Poles, is the true meaning of Christmas and the creche set in one of the most cherished Christmas decorations that is displayed in homes. The Santa of Poland, wearing a warm fur lined cape keeps the cold Polish winters out and goes from home to home delivering the crèche as the true symbol of Christmas, Christ's birth.
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