Best for arts and crafts: Bath

Beautiful Bath is accessible by rail and road and at Christmas, the markets make the most of the city’s walkability. Bath Abbey lights up for the festive season and it’s a good excuse to tick the Roman baths off your bucket list at the same time. Rather than the stereotypical plastic Christmas tat, Bath’s markets attract lovers of handmade jewellery, high quality arts and crafts, independent retailers and good food.

Best for food and wine buffs: Colmar, France

It’s a bit of a mission to get to Colmar – a flight to Strasbourg and a 30-minute train ride is the easiest route – but you will be rewarded with a gorgeous Alsatian experience. Colmar is picture-postcard-pretty and the Christmas market is a wonderful opportunity to try local specialities. The Gourmet Market features nine chefs cooking up a storm with delicious local ingredients, whether you’re in the mood for a start, main course or dessert. Meanwhile, the Christmas cellar events offer wine tasting experiences that you’ll never get at Wetherspoon.

Best for avoiding crowds: Wroclaw, Poland

Wroclaw is an emerging Polish city break destination and it’s a lovely option if you’re not keen on braving Christmas crowds in Krakow or Warsaw. With the Christmas markets centred around the charmingly compact Market Square, as well as locations in Salt Square, Świdnicka Street and Oławska Street, it’s easy to navigate without getting overwhelmed. Get your bearings with a free walking tour in the morning. When you’ve had your fill of markets, there are plenty of reasonably priced bars and restaurants offering respite – or you can partake in the local hobby of gnome-spotting.

Best for a bit of everything: Frankfurt

Germany is a destination for Christmas market traditionalists. If you want a total sensory overload seasonal experience, Frankfurt is the place to go. Take a deep breath, brace yourself for stalls, fairground rides and Christmas trees as far as the eye can see. As well as the traditional trinkets, there is an artists’ market for unique gifts. If you can’t look at another Christmas decoration stall or imbibe another glass of mulled wine, Frankfurt puts on plenty of cultural activities to balance out the consumerism. Seek out ecumenical carol services, a sign language choir, the ringing of 50 bells across 10 churches and historic harbourside train rides.

Best for stylish Christmas fans: Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris

Trust Paris to put on a classy, cringe-free Christmas market. The chic Marché de Noël on the Boulevard Saint-Germain features tastefully decorated chalets, gourmet food aplenty and luxury gifts. There are no elves on shelves to be seen here. How gauche! Instead, you can treat yourself and your loved ones to elegant jewellery, leather goods, scented candles and subtle glass ornaments that may actually become genuine heirlooms one day.

Best for Instagrammable moments: Brussels and Vienna

Brussels and Vienna are two cities that seem to look even prettier when the snow falls. And even if climate change keeps the snow at bay this Christmas, these markets offer social media stars plenty of opportunities to show off their most fabulous winter wear against gorgeous backdrops. In Brussels, the sound and light show at the Grand-Place and the ferris wheel are great selfie spots in between checking out the 200-strong stalls. Meanwhile, in Vienna, have your phone at the ready for the entrance via a candle-festooned archway, before going snap-happy among the seriously photogenic buildings, such as Schönbrunn Palace and St Stephen’s Cathedral.

Best for a party vibe: Glasgow

Sure, Edinburgh draws the crowds because of the photogenic castle and the charms of Prince Street, but if you want some real Scottish Christmas spirit, you can’t go past a trip to Glasgow Winterfest. Centred on George Square and St Enoch Square, the focus is on fun. Thrillseekers can try plenty of ridiculous rides, including a helter skelter and an 80m drop tower. That’s probably best done before tucking into churros, crepes, Yorkshire puddings, pancakes, mac-n-cheese, waffles, Scottish pies, mulled wine, beer, wine and spirits…

Best for wholesome family fun: Copenhagen

Even the hardest of hearts can melt at the sight of a kid enjoying Christmas. If you’re looking for a family friendly market experience, it’s hard to go past Copenhagen. Tivoli Garden, believed to be the inspiration for Disneyland, is a perennial winner with children and every year, this historic theme park takes Christmas very seriously. As well as the rides, Tivoli features Santa shows, an elf train, an elf hunt and fairground games. Adults might be pleased to know there are rock concerts, jazz performances, new music shows and plenty of bars.

Best for history buffs: Strasbourg

Strasbourg’s Christmas markets date back to 1570, making it the oldest in France and one of the oldest in Europe. As a result, they’ve had a good four centuries to get it right. You can expect all the Christmas classics – spectacular lights, a sky-high Christmas tree, carol singers galore and a market infused with the scent of spices. With 300 stalls, there’s plenty for the seasonal shopaholics, along with quaint streets for winter wandering, lashings of warming mulled wine and bredele, which are delicious little butter biscuits that are a local Christmas tradition.

Best for festive winter sun: Malaga

If you want to escape the miserable British winter, but you don’t want to miss out on the yuletide fun, you can combine sunshine and Christmas markets in Malaga. With an average top temperature of 18°C, it’s not quite bikini weather, but you probably won’t need the big coat either. Christmas markets with palm trees give a summer holiday vibe, while the stunning lights, stylish stalls and plenty of delicious food and drink options mean you can be festive without freezing your baubles off.

Best for extreme Christmassing: Prague

Good King Wenceslas set things in motion for Prague as a Christmas destination back in the 10th century when he looked out on the feast of Stephen amid snow that was apparently deep and crisp and even. While he apparently gave out alms to the poor, rather than tucking into mulled wine and gingerbread, the ensuing Christmas carol does rather inspire one to jump on a cheap flight to the Czech Republic. Prague takes this tradition seriously with the main markets in Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square, along with five smaller markets all within walking distance of the city centre. Expect to sample plenty of hearty Czech food and beer.

Best for traditions: Stockholm

Christmas is not just about endless excuses to part with your money. In Stockholm, the Christmas market vibe is definitely more subdued than many other destinations, but it’s no less special. The markets themselves are cosy, rather than ostentatious, with a focus on local artisans. But Stockholm stands out for its cultural experience. A series of performances of A Christmas Carol has become an annual tradition and the Berwaldhallen Christmas Concerts uplift the spirits with music from the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra ranging from Bach to modern favourites.

Best for romance: Bruges

Bruges is good for a romantic getaway at any time of year, but if you want to feel like you’re on the set of a cheesy Christmas rom-com, it’s pretty unbeatable. Bruges’s annual Christmas programme is known as Winter Glow, which sounds like it might go pretty well with your own afterglow if you can drag yourselves out of your hotel room. Every year, two Christmas markets are set up in the compact city square. Retailers at the Simon Stevin Square market sell short chain and craft products, rather than hard-to-recycle rubbish. For smug shopping and smug selfies, Bruges is a great choice for cute couples.

Best on a budget: Deptford Market Yard, London

If you prefer a more down-to-earth Christmas market – or the European flights and hotels are beyond your budget or your carbon footprint conscience – hotfoot it down to East London’s Deptford Market Yard. You’ll have to be quick as the markets only run from 1-2 December, but it’s a great example of a sustainable, community-based Christmas event. Along with Deptford’s regular market traders getting into festive spirit, Santa’s grotto and the arts and crafts activities are free and there will be plenty of music, carolling and street food stalls. It’s a London Christmas outing that won’t leave you out of pocket.

Read more – How to deal with Christmas

Georgia Lewis

In a career that has spanned Australia, the Middle East and the UK, Georgia has written about all sorts of things, including sex, cars, food, oil and gas, insurance, fashion, travel, workplace safety, health, religious affairs, glass and glazing… When she’s not writing words for fun and profit, she can usually be found with a glass of something French and red in her hand.

The post The ultimate Christmas market guide appeared first on Silver Magazine.

There’s only a week of November left and advent is nearly knocking on the door. In case you haven’t thought of how you’re going to countdown to the festive day, we’ve got you. 

We’ve whipped up a collection of what we think are the best advent calendars on the market so you can treat yourself (or a loved one) throughout December. 

Food & drink calendars

Hotel Chocolat Dark Advent Calendar, £11.05

Love a sweet treat? Want something indulgent for the festive season? Hotel Chocolat’s dark chocolate advent calendar ticks both those boxes.

English Tea Shop Pyramid Advent Calendar, £8.67

From Gingerbread, to Tropical Lemongrass. This calendar has a variety of tea bags for you to find your next favourite herbal tea flavour.

Whiskey Advent Calendar, £149.95

24 samples of whiskeys from across the globe, so your December evening tipples are sorted. *Obligatory drink responsibly message*

Wine advent calendar 24 days, £95

Achieve your wine-iest dreams with this advent calendar. We hope you’re not picky, because this box has Chardonnay to Malbec, and everything in-between.

Beauty Calendars

Clarins 12 Day Women’s Advent Calendar, £65

A mix of full size and sample size products from Clarins so you can feel your best, all December long.

Rituals Classic Advent Calendar, £87.90

Wrapped up in a stunning festive building box, filled with Rituals most loved and best selling products. 

Joules Starry Night 24 Days of Gifts Advent Calendar, £28

Luxurious body products and little extras, like a sleep mask, thrown in makes up this colourful advent calendar. 

Jo Malone London 25 Day Advent Calendar, £350

Gingerbread inspired and jam packed with luxurious Jo Malone products – fragrances, bath and body samples, and more.

A little something different

Yankee Candle Wreath Advent Calendar, £19.50

25 christmassy tea light candles to burn throughout the festive month. A nod to traditional pillar advent candles.

Pringle 12 Day Sockvent Calendar, £50

Pimp up your sock draw with 12 quality cotton socks in classic colours in this Pringle advent calendar. 

Artisan Coffee Bag Advent Calendar, £28.99

Perfect if you’re a coffee aficionado, or you need that boost of energy to get you through the busiest month of the year.

Just Spices Large Calendar, £99.99

With 24 quality spices and a recipe book to guide you on what to cook with them, your December meals will be flavoursome as ever. 

Lana Hall

Lana can usually be found spinning her collection of records, or writing odd poems in her phone notes. Her mixer of choice is a ginger beer, and you’ll never find her away from the sea for more than a few weeks.

The post Christmas advent calendar roundup appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Many of us love a traditional British Christmas, but there are different Christmas traditions around the world. Non-Christian countries spend their day very differently for example. And how about swapping your turkey for some shrimps on the barbie?!

Japan’s KFC craze

And at the other side of the world, Japan doesn’t celebrate Christmas as a national Holiday, they do have their own traditions. In 1974 KFC started a marketing campaign called ‘Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!’ or ‘Kentucky for Christmas!’ This suggested that rather than sitting down with the family for turkey, families head out to their local KFC. The tradition has stuck in Japan and has gained major yuletide popularity. Each year an estimated 3.6 million Japanese families celebrate with chicken. Orders for the day have to be made months in advance, and people queue for hours on the day!

Christmas in the sun?!

If you’re looking for very different Christmas traditions around the world, then look no further than down-under! We’re used to Christmas being in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but countries in the Southern Hemisphere have 25 December in the middle of their summer. Australia has their own very different, summery-Christmas traditions. Aussies gather on the beach to cool off and swim, where you might find surfers dressed us as Father Christmas. Christmas trees are in the sand and decorated for the holidays. And dinner is normally cooked on the barbecue. Their neighbours New Zealand have their own version of a Christmas tree, called a Pohutukawa. It’s a coastal tree that blooms a bright-red colour in December, providing shade in the hot time of year while they sing carols in both English and Maori.

Having a Russian Christmas

A lot of Russians are part of the Russian Orthodox Church which adheres to the Julian calendar. They have some very different traditions of their own and Christmas is widely celebrated on January 7th. Through the twentieth century, Russia was a Communist and atheist country, and was banned from publicly celebrating Christmas. Because there wasn’t much religious observance of Christmas, it faded out of fashion for most Russians, but since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Christmas has started gaining popularity again.

Russians now have a few of their own Christmas traditions. Covering their floors and tables in hay to represent baby Jesus’s manger, or fasting, which is broken by the appearance of the first star on Christmas Eve is a couple of traditions. Unlike Father Christmas, the Russian version Ded Moroz is tall and thin, and accompanied by Snegurochka, a snow maiden believed to be his granddaughter. They get around on a troika, led by three horses.

Gifting in Papua New Guinea

Here they enjoy the festivities, and they have a few very traditional gifts, often made from bark cloth. By beating the inner bark of certain trees and bushes until soft, this non-woven textile made. The bark is then covered in banana leaves and left to re-grow. It is produced by the Maisin women of Collingwood Bay in the far south. And originally, the cloth was traditionally used for ceremonial purposes. Still a traditional Papua New Guinea material, it’s now, however, used to make clothes and decorative homeware. This area is also the birthplace of some of the most flavourful cocoa beans in the world, which make perfect chocolate gifts.

Very different Scandinavian Christmas traditions

Denmark

While the UK we traditionally celebrate Christmas on December 25th, the Danish celebrate Christmas on December 24th. This includes Christmas dinner in the evening, traditional dancing around the Christmas tree while holding hands and singing songs, followed by presents, often late into the night. Many believe the American ‘elf on the shelf’ is based on the group of Nisse, naughty elves who assist Julemanden, Denmark’s Father Christmas meaning ‘The Christmas Man’.

Sweden

Christmas starts pretty early in Sweden, with ‘Forsta Advent’, or the first Sunday of the Advent begins the December 1st. Unlike most advent calendars around the world, one unique part of the Advent is the regular celebration every Sunday where they light a candle on their Advent candle. This means, four candles lit over the Advent total, and the occasion usually includes some delicious lussebullar (a saffron bun). No jokes about the Two Ronnies, please.

Norway

Decorating the house and the tree comes a lot earlier for most countries, but traditionally in Norway the family come together to clean and decorate the house on December 23rd. They celebrate ‘Lille Julaften’ or Little Christmas Eve. Decorating their homes with gingerbread houses is another tradtion, but only to be eaten at the end of Christmas. And much like the Danish, on Christmas Eve, after their traditional meal families will hold hands and dance around the Christmas tree while singing carols.

No matter how you’re celebrating Christmas this year, and wherever you are in the world, we hope you have fun and enjoy the festivities, even if you don’t like some of your own traditions…turkey, we’re looking at you. And hey, maybe you could try something different and make your own traditions… become inspired! Let us know in the comments if you create something different or tried a new Christmas tradition from around the world!

Lili Lowe

Lili works across all the channels; writing articles, taking photographs, creating content, and designing eye-capturing imagery. She’s an animal-lover who cries just seeing a picture of a baby sloth.

The post Different Christmas traditions around the world appeared first on Silver Magazine.