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A year full of upheaval and difficulties is coming to an end. As usual, Christmas is approaching, and everyone is eagerly anticipating the holiday season. This year, perhaps the annual Christmas celebrations in many countries are a little different, such as Santa Claus "riding" a fire truck or thousands of people wearing masks running long-distance races.
Whether familiar or unfamiliar, Christmas still brings a lively and exciting atmosphere, and is a wonderful opportunity to bring people closer together after the long 12 months of social distancing.
Athletes participate in the 10km Christmas race in Caracas, Venezuela - Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP
Young people, among more than a thousand participants of all ages, dressed up as Santa Claus in the 2021 Piraeus Christmas Race in Piraeus, Greece - Photo: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock
Athletes participate in the annual Christmas race on the streets of Madrid, the capital of Spain - Photo: Paul White/AP
Also in Madrid, people participated in a fundraising campaign to help the victims of the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands - Photo: Juan Medina/Reuters
A Santa Claus paraglides over the Mediterranean island of Ajaccio in the Mediterranean Sea - Photo: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP/Getty Images
Athletes in Christmas costumes participate in a 5km run along the beach in Weymouth, UK - Photo: Graham Hunt/Alamy Live News
The Chase the Pudding Race, held in Weymouth, UK, raises funds for young people who want to participate in water sports.
Participants' task is to chase after Mr. and Mrs. Pudding - Photo: Ben Birchal/PA
Christian worshippers dressed as Santa Claus surround a Nativity scene during a parade in Lahore, Pakistan - Photo: KM Chaudary/AP
Santa Claus visits people living in the coastal rainforest to give gifts to children in the Amazon River basin in Careiro de Varzea, Brazil - Photo: Edmar Barros/AP
A boat decorated with tinsel leads a fleet of boats along the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy - Photo: Andrea Merola/EPA
Another fleet of boats crosses under the Rialto Bridge - Photo: Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Getty Images
A diver dressed as Santa Claus at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico - Photo: Francisco Guasco/EPA
A man dressed as Santa Claus poses with a swimmer during the annual Christmas pool party at the Promenade des Anglais, along the coastline in Nice, France. - Photo: Eric Gaillard/Reuters
Santa Claus is getting dressed up in the fire station locker room before beginning his visit to children in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (USA) - Photo: Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock
This year, he temporarily put away his sleigh and reindeer, and instead stood on a fire truck to comply with social distancing measures. - Photo: ZUMA Press Inc/Alamy Live News/Alamy Live News
