Sergeant Hiram Prouty of US 175th infantry regiment, dressed as Santa Claus during the Christmas season. Fewer men at home resulted in fewer men available to dress up and play Santa Claus. Women took the role at some department stores.
US 5th armored regiment tankers gathering around a fire and opening Christmas presents, near Eupen, Belgium. "I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “White Christmas” were both written during the 1940s and quickly gained popularity with the war-weary but optimistic population.
Christmas during World War II in Italy. 
Little toddlers may be sleeping in a bunker, but Santa Claus did not forget about them. To give their Christmas tree a snow-covered effect, people mixed a box of soap powder with two cups of water and brushed the concoction on the branches of their tree. Electric bubble lights were created during the 1940s and remain popular even today.
To show their gratitude to their liberators, these Belgian children are donating their own toys for British children who are short of playthings at Christmas. In 1941, a 1.5m Christmas tree could be purchased for 75 cents, but the shortage of materials like aluminium and tin used to produce ornaments led many people to make their own ornaments at home. Magazines contained patterns for ornaments made out of non-priority war materials, like paper, string, and natural objects, such as pinecones or nuts.
The last-minute rush for Christmas greeting cards in a department store in London, December 1941. During World War II, Christmas trees were in short supply due to a lack of manpower to fell them and a shortage of means of transportation to ship the trees to market. People rushed to buy artificial trees.
Christmas dinner on board a British battleship on 29 December 1942. The ward room drinking the royal toast, seated in navy fashion. From 1939 onward, the BBC's special Christmas Day radio programming would include a speech by the King, an event which became an annual ritual and continues to this day.
Christmas during the Battle of the Bulge. 
American soldiers donate their sweet and chocolate rations to British children at Christmas. Travel during the holidays was limited for most families due to the rationing of tires and gasoline. People saved up their food ration stamps to provide extra food for a fine holiday meal.
Meanwhile, with British soldiers away in Europe, war-hit families in the United Kingdom were issued with an urgent plea to invite their US colleagues to share their Christmas celebrations. GIs proved a festive hit due to their tendency to share rare rations with their host families.