Santa Claus, Christmas trees, gift giving, spending time with friends and family – these are the hallmarks of Christmas the world over. Having grown up in Sydney Australia, for me it is also about long hot summer days, the beach, backyard cricket matches and finding somewhere to keep cool. As a child, I sang songs about reindeer pulling a slay through the snow and about frosty the snowman, but no matter how much I dreamt of a white Christmas there was no chance that I’d ever see snow or a Christmas like that depicted on all the cards and festive kid's cartoons.
Flash forward a few decades and I've been fortunate enough to have spent the last few Christmas’ in Europe with my wife and kids exploring some of the continent’s most beautiful cities, and finally, I got to see the Christmas of my childhood dreams.
Europe becomes a completely different world during the festive season, where the aroma of glühwein and roasted chestnuts fills the air, and picturesque old town centres transform into living Christmas postcards full of decorations and market stalls.
Prague has one of Europe’s most beautifully preserved ‘old towns’, and it’s a joy to visit at any time of the year, but between late November and early January, when the town square hosts the City’s traditional Christmas Market it is truly a sight to behold. If like me, you grew up in the southern hemisphere, or you just want to recapture that the magical feeling of Christmas from your childhood I highly recommend spending a night or two in December wondering around and exploring this magical city.
