Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best Christmas photographs from South Africa and around the world.
Members of the clergy pray inside the Grotto, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, ahead of Christmas celebrations on December 24, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)A motorcycle enthusiast wearing Christmas-themed accessories prepares to attend a parade on the busiest streets of the city ahead of Christmas in Bangalore, India, 21 December 2025. Although Christians comprise just about 2.3 percent of India’s population, Christmas is widely celebrated across the country, both as a religious festival and a secular occasion. Picture: EPA/JAGADEESH NVA woman looks on at the Phoenix Mall of Asia decorated with lighting ahead of Christmas festival in Bengaluru on December 23, 2025. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP)The Durban Botanic Gardens Trail of Lights, now in its ninth year, returns as South Africa’s largest festive event. From 5 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, the gardens will be illuminated nightly from 18:00 to 22:00 welcoming hundreds of local and international holiday makers. This year’s event features an extended route, new themed displays, festive characters, glittering tunnels, and magical activations, transforming the gardens into a seasonal wonderland for local and international visitors. Picture: Rajesh JantilalLatin Patriarch of Jerusalem Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa hugs a man dressed up as Santa Claus as he is welcomed by pilgrims, tourists and Palestinians upon arrival to lead the Christmas Mass in the Church of the Nativity in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, on December 24, 2025. Palestinian Scouts marched under a clear blue sky in Bethlehem on December 24, 2025, as the Palestinian city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza to celebrate its first festive Christmas in more than two years. Throughout the Gaza war that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, a sombre tone marked Chistmases in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)Young ballet students warm up with stretching exercises before taking the stage during Project Elimu’s annual Christmas ballet performance in the Kibera informal settlement of Nairobi, on December 23, 2025. At Project Elimu’s Kibera Ballet School in Nairobi, young dancers engage with classical ballet as part of a community-led arts programme that fosters discipline, creativity and confidence. Founded by Kenyan dancer Mike Wamaya, the free classes form part of a wider initiative supporting artistic expression, learning and personal growth. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP)A young girl posts a letter to the North Pole at Santa Land in Fourways Mall, Johannesburg, 19 December 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The CitizenThe Durban Botanic Gardens Trail of Lights, now in its ninth year, returns as South Africa’s largest festive event. From 5 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, the gardens will be illuminated nightly from 18:00 to 22:00 welcoming hundreds of local and international holiday makers. This year’s event features an extended route, new themed displays, festive characters, glittering tunnels, and magical activations, transforming the gardens into a seasonal wonderland for local and international visitors. Picture: Rajesh JantilalA Ukrainian soldier holds the Ukrainian traditional ‘Didukh’ Christmas decoration as he takes part in a Christmas Eve procession in Lviv on December 24, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Didukh is a decoration made of bunches of wheat, symbolising sacrifice and literally meaning the ‘spirit of grandfather’. (Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN / AFP)A woman take photos of Christmas decorations during the Pingtung Christmas Festival in Pingtung on December 22, 2025. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP)Amile Thingolwethu Mncube after her face is painted at the ELF Sparkle Station in Santa Land in Fourways Mall, Johannesburg, 19 December 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The CitizenCommunity Christmas lights display along Moray Drive in Bryanston, Johannesburg, 15 December 2025, led for years by resident Danielle Goff (Mrs Claus) by transforming the street into a festive wonderland with twinkling lights, themed decorations. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The CitizenChristmas decorations at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, 13 December 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The CitizenA man dressed as the Grinch interacts with children in the street in the Bryanston neighbourhood, near Johannesburg, on December 23, 2025, ahead of Christmas Day. (Photo by Wikus de Wet / AFP)South Korean volunteers dressed as Santa Claus throw Santa hats during a ceremony before the delivery of Christmas gifts for the underprivileged at Songpa District Office in Seoul on December 23, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)A swimmer dressed as a rocker dives into Lake Geneva during the 87th “Coupe de Noel” (Christmas Cup) swimming race in Geneva on December 20, 2025. More than 4,200 participants took part in the traditional two-day event, a 120m-long swim off Geneva’s banks into the 8.9 degrees Celsius water. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)Dozens of people visit shopping areas such as Galeries Lafayette to finalize last-minute details before Christmas in Paris, France, 24 December 2025. Picture: EPA/Teresa SuarezVolunteers in Santa Claus costumes pack bread at a branch of the National Red Cross, on Christmas Eve, in Anyang, near Seoul, South Korea, on 24 December 2025, to deliver them to impoverished households. Picture: EPA/YONHAPA woman poses for a photo under Christmas-themed decorations displayed ahead of the Christmas celebrations at the Imaara mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on 18 December 2025, as the city prepares for the holiday season. Christmas is celebrated on 25 December in Kenya and around the world to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Pictures: EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU
