Winter Wonderlands

A dear friend recently opined that when you live in L.A., you know the holidays are coming when Target changes over its shelves from Halloween candy to Christmas decorations, and I couldn't agree more. Don't get me wrong, I love finding all the newest shapes of Reese’s peanut butter cups as much as anyone else. But if you ever find yourself mumbling "need a little Christmas, right this very moment" with a little less cheer than you'd like to admit, maybe it's time to think of Europe as a winter destination rather than waiting for summer. 

With fewer crowds and (typically) cheaper flights, winter travel in Europe also means not having to search for hotels with air-conditioning and strolling up to a neighborhood bistro without a reservation. And no matter what your family celebrates, Christmas markets everywhere offer regional food specialties, truly local crafts and old world charm that anyone can fall in love with. I can practically smell the roasted chestnuts and mulled cider wafting through the crisp evening air.

The Streizelmarkt in Dresden, Germany is widely considered the first genuine Christmas market, opening in 1434 for one day on Christmas Eve. It now attracts more than 2.5 million visitors each year, but stays true to its traditions, featuring handmade wooden toys, boughs of fragrant pine on every wooden stall and stollen, the traditional Christmas bread also known as streizel. 

Typically held in a city's town square, the markets began by selling only meat and evolved to include seasonal treats and singing and dancing. Only local tradesmen were permitted to sell their crafts at the markets, helping to preserve the distinctive regional character still seen today. Modern Christmas markets now feature carnival rides, visits from Père Noël, skating rinks, reindeer rides and brass bands -- evidence, I'd say, that embracing new traditions isn't such a bad thing.

Christmas markets begin as early as mid-November and continue through early January. Go in November and get your holiday shopping done without ever having to fight for a parking spot. Go over the holidays and get out of making that roast you make every year. Go after the holidays and make the magic last as long as you possibly can. Who knew there were so many ways to make Europe AND the holidays even better?

Mall Santas, yards strewn with inflatable Yodas and fake snow spewing at outdoor shopping centers are traditions I would never pooh-pooh. Both because they are every bit markers of excitement and childlike wonder, and also because they are distinctly ours. But if we travel to broaden our horizons, why not see the holidays in a new way, too? Maybe embracing new traditions really isn't such a bad thing.