Participants dressed as Santa Claus take part in the Great Edinburgh Santa Run on December 11, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Around a thousand people took part in the annual fundraising event, with all money raised being donated to the charity “When You Wish Upon a Star”. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Ryo Minemizu, one of Japan’s emerging stars in the field of marine life photography and the 2017 winner of the Nikkei National Geographic photography prize, captures the beauty and complexity of plankton that drift in our planet’s oceans and other bodies of water in meticulous detail. Here: Batesian mimicry by a Soleichthys fish larva. (Photo by Ryo Minemizu/The Guardian)

The Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way, can be seen shining above a remote village in Switzerland. The cinematic images convey the beauty of the galaxy gleaming above the picturesque Swiss mountains. Photographer Sandro Casutt took the amazing snaps in different seasons throughout the year, from his home valley of Vals, Switzerland. Here: A view of the sky from the Zervreila Mountain Lagoon in Switzerland. (Photo by Sandro Casutt/Caters News)

Dave Zdanowicz, a prominent landscape photographer from the north of England, here shares his favourite shots from this year. This series brings together photos from January to last month, displaying the fine range of English seasons he has documented. Here: Misty sunrise at Winnat's Pass, Derbyshire on August 26, 2016. (Photo by Dave Zdanowicz/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Dancers of the Czech National Ballet warm up backstage during a performance of “The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol” at the National Theatre in Prague, Czech Republic, late 16 December 2017. Peter I. Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker”, one of his most famous compositions and seasonal ballets, premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 18 December 1872, celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. (Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA/EFE)

A Thai farmer controlling a pair of buffaloes competes in the flooded field during the annual Wooden Plow Buffalo Race in Chonburi Province, southeast of Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, July 13, 2019. The farmers are celebrating the start of the sowing season by racing the buffaloes whose usual duty is to plow field. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)

A student of the "Escola de Papai Noel do Brasil" (Brazil's school of Santa Claus) wears his hat before lessons in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 27, 2015. The school, which was founded since 1993, prepare men to represent Santa Claus during the Christmas season. Lessons include singing, physical activity, how to dress and how to care for their beard. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)