Spot-on: Time-honored Christmas tree lighting tradition celebrated at car-hop eatery

The French enjoy their lavish holiday meal on Dec. 24, says Francois Payard, the renowned pastry chef who grew up in Nice and now lives in New York.

Locals sit down for dinner around 8 p.m., he says, and savor a first course of seafood. That usually means a lobster thermidor — a baked dish of the cooked crustacean mixed with mustard, egg yolks and brandy — or a shrimp scampi.

Similar to France, Italians celebrate Christmas with their biggest spread on the eve of the big day. Luca Finardi, the general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Milan, says that locals usually attend midnight Mass and enjoy a sumptuous meal before heading to church.

Smoked salmon with buttered crostini or a smoked salted cod is the precursor to the main meal. Italians from coastal areas such as the Amalfi Coast may start with a crudo such as sea bass with herbs and sea salt, says Finardi.

The Brits don't typically indulge in their big holiday meal on Christmas Eve. "The 24th is for cooking with our families and going to the local pub for a pint," says Nicola Butler, the owner of the London-based luxury travel company NoteWorthy, of Christmas in nonpandemic times.

The real festivities start on Christmas morning with a glass of champagne and a breakfast of smoked salmon and mince pieces, she says. Later that day, after the Queen's annual Christmas speech is aired, it's time for dinner.

Maria Loi, the celebrity Greek chef, says that the country's holiday celebrations begin on Christmas Eve around 7 p.m.

"Families sit around the fireplace and eat a special wheat bread that we make only at Christmas," she says. "Some households also eat pork sausages. It's the only [occasion] Greeks eat pork because the meat is not common in our cuisine."

Mexicans get the Christmas festivities going on Dec. 24, according to Pablo Carmona and Josh Kremer, co-owners of Paradero Hotels, which is opening a location in Todos Santos, on the country's west coast.

"Families start by breaking a pinata that's filled with all sorts of locally made candies in chili and tamarind flavors," says Kremer. Dinner follows usually somewhere between 7 and 10 p.m.

Many Costa Ricans celebrate Christmas with a middle-of-the-night extravaganza, says Leo Ghitis, owner of Nayara Hotels, in the country's northern highlands. "We go to midnight Mass and come home and have a huge meal at 2 a.m.," he says.

Homemade tamales, filled with either chicken or pork or vegetables and cheese, kick off the spread. Then it's onto arroz con pollo, Costa Rica's national rice dish that's made with green beans, peas, carrots, saffron, cilantro and a chopped up whole chicken.

Christmas Day is the big food celebration for Bahamians, says Vonya Ifill, the director of talent and culture at Rosewood Baha Mar. Locals have a big dinner that includes turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, peas and rice made with coconut milk and potato salad.

"We have this feast in the evening and then at midnight go off and celebrate Boxing Day with a Junkanoo Festival," she says. "After dancing and parading around all evening and into the early morning hours, we end the festivities with a boiled fish or fish stew."