Twinkling holiday lights spread cheer around the world

Visitors view a light show at an amusement park on Dec. 20.

Motorists pass the traditional holiday light display at the City/County building on Dec. 23.

A girl walks in front of a Christmas tree at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Yangon on Dec. 23.  

A woman stands outside a house lit up by Christmas lights in Manila on Dec. 22.

A man prepares a Christmas tree in a Christian neighborhood on Dec. 24.

St. Thomas church is illuminated ahead of Christmas in Bhopal on Dec. 23. 

Visitors admire a Christmas tree in the main square of Nagyvarad on Dec. 12.

A light layer of snow covers the Place Kleber square in downtown Strasbourg on Dec. 3.

Holiday lights reflect in the waters off Nubble Light, silhouetting a photographer on Dec. 11 in York. The beacon on top of the lighthouse has been helping mariners navigate the coastal waters of southern Maine since 1879.

Visitors walk in front of an illuminated replica of The Kremlin and St. Basil Cathedral outside a shopping mall on Nov. 24.

Chase McCann, 7, and his brother Blake, 5, get a close look at the musical Christmas tree in Central Park in Johnstown on Dec. 8.

Visitors pass holiday lights in Cali on Dec. 11.

The Christmas market fills the square in front of the famous Gothic cathedral in Cologne on Nov. 28.

Visitors hold up their phones to take pictures as the Christmas lights are turned on in downtown Malaga on Nov. 24.

The Lilly House at Newfields is illuminated as part of the Winterlights holiday light display on the museum's grounds on Nov. 16. The display on the lawn of the home is synchronized to music from the Nutcracker.

Fireworks explode as the Christmas tree is lit in front of Muhammad al-Amin Mosque at Martyr's Square on Dec. 10.

Holiday lights illuminate the Graben, a shopping street, on Nov. 25.

Skaters circle a Christmas tree at Szent Istvan square in downtown Budapest on Nov. 24.

Children ride a merry-go-round as the Christmas market opens in Magdeburg on Nov. 27.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree stands lit on Nov. 29. The 75-foot tall Norway spruce is covered with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights and will remain lit until Jan. 7.

From backyard giant to Midtown jewel: Journey of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree

People admire a Christmas tree at a residential complex on Dec. 8.

Tate Britain's Christmas art commission, Home for Christmas by Alan Kane, is illuminated on the front of the gallery on Dec. 1.

A carousel spins on Alexanderplatz on Nov. 28.

Candles are carried by choir members during the annual "darkness to light" advent procession on Dec. 1 in Salisbury.

The service, which begins with the medieval cathedral in total darkness and silence before the Advent Candle is lit at the West End, is one of the most popular of the liturgical year.

The interior of Salisbury Cathedral is illuminated by trails of candles carried by choir members during the annual "darkness to light" advent procession.

Two young visitors from Mozambique and Ireland take a selfie in front of a giant Christmas tree at the annual Christmas market at Alexanderplatz on Nov. 28.

A couple sit inside a Christmas-themed light sculpture at the Gardens by the Bay on Dec. 1.

Visitors walk in front of the illuminated Christmas tree in in Kaunas on Dec. 7.

Visitors peruse the stands at the Christmas Market in Heidelberg on Nov. 28.

A man walks past Christmas decorations in Maghdouche village near Sidon on Dec. 5.

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