It seems every nation has it shared television habits, especially around holidays. We were a little surprised a year ago to find that it's a tradition in Italy to watch the 1983 film Trading Places on Christmas Eve. In Germany and Scandinavia, it is a tradition to watch Dinner for One on New Year's Eve. But on Christmas Eve, most of the television sets in Sweden, and many more in Denmark, Finland, and Norway, will be tuned to an annual broadcast of Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul (Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas). At least that's what it's called in Sweden. The show is 66 years old, and is an American television production.
It's the 1958 special Christmas episode of the series Walt Disney Presents called "From All of Us to All of You." This particular episode only ran occasionally afterward in the US and had not been on broadcast television since 1980. But in some countries it's become a beloved tradition to spend the afternoon of Christmas Eve with the family, watching that show. If you want to see what the fuss is all about, you can what that episode on YouTube. It's a compilation of clips from Disney's classic animated features, some cartoon shorts, and a greeting from Walt Disney. In the annual European broadcasts, a preview of an upcoming Disney project is usually included. Only a small part of the show is Christmas-related, but it's a big part of the holidays in Sweden! -via Boing Boing
