In China, children dressed as Santa Claus sing a chorus in front of a giant snow sculpture of Santa at the opening ceremony of the Ice and Snow Festival in Changchun, Jilin, northeast China. Regular snowfall in China's northern region allows annual ice festivals and tourism-related activities.

In Peru, a traffic policeman dressed like Santa Claus dances with children in a public orphanage during a Christmas show in Lima. A group of men and women officers from Peru's Phoenix traffic police have taken to the streets this week dressed as Papa

In Afghanistan, U.S. Chief Warrant Officer Gary Wallin, of Task Force Pirate, right, clad in a Santa Claus outfit, talks to an Afghan girl in Jagdalek, some 150 miles southeast of Kabul. Task Force Pirate organized a cultural exchange with Afghans on Friday and distributed gifts.

In Thailand, elephants dressed up as Santas twirl hoops with their trunks. Two-year-old Noppaklao, left, and 3-year-old Plaikaew performed Friday during a Christmas celebration for Thai schoolchildren at a school ground in Ayuthaya Province.

In Bethlehem, West Bank, a Palestinian boy waits for customers as he sells Santa Claus balloons during Christmas festivities outside the Church of the Nativity, in the background. The church is the site traditionally regarded by most Christians as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

In South Korea, letter carriers dressed as Santa Claus leave Kwang Hwa Moon post office. They delivered letters Friday in Seoul.