Christmas is coming  
 

and the goose is getting fat... but it’s not just the goose that is getting bigger, it’s the whole festive season!

   The Dutch version officially gets under way first 
with the arrival of  St Nicholas,  
and throughout Europe festive cheer 
continues into the new year,  when,  
in Spain on the 5^th of January they 
celebrate the Festival of the Three Kings.

      Netherlands

            In Holland,  St Nicholas can be seen everywhere until his birthday on  5^th December. Dressed in red and riding a white horse he attracts crowds and causes traffic jams and is generally  to be found on thrones in department stores and supermarkets.

However if you prefer more traditional shopping  then you can visit the Christmas Market at Valkenberg which is held in a candle-lit  marl stone cave,  or the one at Middachten that’s set in  an ancient castle.                                                 
The Netherlands Board of Tourism  on 0891 717 777

      Germany

            In Germany where many of the Advent markets date back to medieval times, food and drink are part of the experience. You can enjoy roasted chestnuts with grilled sausages and delicious gingerbread or stollen cake, washed down with glühwein or punch.      
Brochures from  German National Tourist Office on 
020 7493 0080. - 

       Finland 

In Finland with it’s well established Christmas breaks, Santa has moved to a new headquarters called Arctic Wonderland.  You can get  behind the reindeer and  drive a sledge,  Not only will you begin to appreciate Santa’s viewpoint, but you’ll get a Reindeer Driving License  It’s the kind of place where you suspend disbelief. When the plane lands at Kajaani, in a winter landscape that is covered with Christmas trees you are welcomed by a group of elves.

      For a list of tour operators contact the 
        Finnish Tourist Board on   020 7930 5871.

  Sweden

For the Swedes, Christmas provides a welcome period of warmth and festivity in the middle of winter. Celebration of Christmas begins on the first day of Advent (3 December), when shop-windows and homes are beautifully decorated with Christmas trees and flowers. It is also the beginning of the ‘glögg’ party season, where guests are served traditional Swedish ‘glögg’, a hot spicy wine with raisins and almonds.

 Santa Lucia – the festival of light

13th December sees the highlight of the Christmas celebrations, when visitors can witness the most enchanting and traditional of all the Swedish festivals - St. Lucia, or The Festival of Light.  Across the country, a young girl is selected to represent St Lucia and lead a procession of ‘maids’ - singing the magical St. Lucia song and carrying candles to banish the winter darkness.  St. Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden, but the best place to witness the spectacle is in Stockholm - where the main procession will make its way through the city to the open air museum at Skansen on 2 December and choirs will perform in many of the city’s churches.

 Liseberg Christmas Market is open on selected days from 16^th November to 23^rd December. To find out more, visit www.liseberg.se. 

UK tour operators offering packages to Gothenburg include: Bridge Travel: 01992 456 300; Norvista: 020 7409 7334; Travelscene and Scantours: 020 7839 2927.

 Traditional ‘Julbord’ in the Archipelago

Visitors can take the boat out through the icy waters of the archipelago to the magical island of Grinda, where they can enjoy a traditional Swedish Smörgåsbord at Grinda Wärdshus, a beautiful turn of the century Art Nouveau Inn with open fires and a warm, cosy bar. 

Christmas Fair in the Old Town      

Every year, the Stockholm Society hosts a Christmas fair in Stortorget, the main square of the Old Town. Visitors can wander around the 16^th century houses, shop for traditional Swedish handicrafts and enjoy a warming hot chocolate in one of the many old cafés. The fair runs every day from 1 December until 23 December between 11am and 6 pm.

 Utö Christmas Fair - 25th Year

The archipelago island of Utö is celebrating its 25^th Christmas fair with a magnificent spread of traditional Swedish arts and crafts, fish, bread and candy – all made locally. The days will be filled with pony rides, a festive lottery and of course visits from Father Christmas.  The market will run on 1 & 2,  8 & 9 and 15 & 16  December between 10 am and 4 pm.

 U nited Kingdom

 London  is always popular and the Christmas lights in Oxford Street  twinkle from the 6^th of December until the first week of the new year.  Magic view from upstairs in a big red bus, take one past the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.              

      There are accommodation prices to suit most pockets,  ranging from a bargain two night half board stay at the YHA’s City of London Hostel  to Christmas in ‘old-world elegance’ in the heart of Mayfair at Claridge’s.              
(Tel: 0207 1629 8860. ) They have a well orginised four day Christmas programme  that includes a complimentary chauffeur-driven car to help with the shopping.

  You can check up on  London attractions by phoning the Christmas Events recording on 0891 505 455 (premium rate,)  

Another tip:  To see the wonder of Christmas reflected in Children’s eyes, visit Hamlin’s Toy Store in Lower Regent Street, you’ll find five floors of happiness.

       En-route to London a side trip to Lincoln will enable you to enjoy the Lincoln Christmas Market (5^th-8^th December.) It’s held in front of the Castle and you can wander round some 200 stalls  while the air is filled with the sounds of choirs, bands, handbell ringers, carol singers, cathedral bells and a barrel organ, (happily, not all at the same time.)

    In the United States you can find “Christmas Town” it’s in North Carolina and has   375 trees are adorned with 365,000 red and green lights (I wonder if they unscrew a thousand lamps each leap year?)

  USA

        In New York, in Lower Manhattan at the South Street Seaport you can  visit to the Chorus Tree.  It’s well decorated with lights and  a full-sized choir!. From now until the first of January there are performances by the St Cecilia Chorus. Santa Claus is also at the Seaport.  He has a real beard and a robust belly                 

      The Chorus Tree at South Street Seaport is one of the city's most popular. During the holidays, the Seaport is bustling with holiday festivities and the Chorus Tree is at the center of the activity. 

      The beautifully decorated Chorus Tree with thousands of white lights stands over 50 feet tall and will feature the St. Cecilia Chorus. 

This annual tradition has drawn millions of visitors worldwide to the historic financial district over the past 15 years. There will be six performances per weekend beginning Friday, November 23rd and will continue through Tuesday, January 1, 2002. Performance times: Fridays at 6:00pm & 7:00pm Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm & 4pm.  http://www.newyorkled.com/moreNYseasonal01_quicklist.htm#southstreet

You could put a visit to Disney World in the Christmas stocking. At EPCOT at Orlando in  Florida they feature “Holiday’s around the World” with traditional story tellers  from 11 nations,. There’s also a dazzling display of 30,000 lights , a candlelight ceremony and a laser and fireworks extravaganza. 

If you want to add ‘White Christmas,’ well amid the heat of Florida that too is possible. At Blizzard Beach the Disney Imagineers  have constructed  water slides and ‘snow’ capped mountains.  You can really enjoy splashing out on a winter holiday in the sun.