About: Christmas in Europe - European Christmas Traditions

AboutChristmas in Europe - European Christmas Traditions

Lots of mythology surrounds the idea of Christmas in Europe. I've heard, for example, that Italians don't really celebrate the idea of giving gifts at Christmas. Yet there I was in Tuscany in late November, trying to buy a telephone of all things, at the Ipercoop--and I couldn't get close to the electronics department for the throngs of folks buying gifts. So I thought, "what the heck, I'll buy some wine to soothe my jangled nerves" only to find out that the wine department had been replaced by mounds of cheap Christmas toys and decorations. I never did find the wine. Nor did I buy the telephone. But I'm not so inflexible as to believe that buying Christmas gifts and decorations in November has become an instant tradition in Italy. Traditions in Europe tend to have a much longer history than even the hypermarkets that promote the kind of crass commercialism that has come to define the holiday in the U.S.

Since Christmas is, first and foremost a tradition involving family and friends, what follows is a survey of the rich and varied Christmas experiences written by the About family, my friends and cohorts.