Christmas Market Decorations ()
While visiting Christmas markets around Europe, it is fun to find local traditional holiday decorations. Ornaments are a highlight and come in many iterations, from beautiful blown glass to hand-felted wool, but you can stretch your decorating talents beyond the tree. Try some of these iconic trimmings to bring your travels home this holiday season.
England
In England, bringing greenery indoors is an essential mark of a well-decorated wintertime home. You can shop for beautiful handmade wreaths made with traditional holly, ivy, evergreen branches and pinecones. Another old-fashioned decoration you may find at the market is the kissing bough, a series of decorated hoops crossed to create a ball-shaped hanging. Most are made with greenery and ribbons, but fruit-covered boughs were popular in the Georgian period and have seen a comeback. If the large spheres aren’t to your taste, it’s always popular to hang a small bunch of fresh-cut mistletoe.
Wondering what to eat at a British Pub?
Kissing Bough ()
France
France is known for its country linens and white lace perfect for a beautifully set holiday dinner table. At the local Christmas markets, look for tablecloths, napkins and runners in white and solid colors with holiday-themed cutout edging. Popular lace edges feature Christmas trees, snowflakes and the Alsatian stork. While in Alsace, look for locally made kelsch textiles. Created by weaving together linen and cotton which is dyed with woad or cochineal, the blue and red plaid patterns can be used all year. Can’t make it to the market? You can shop two floors of holiday items any time of year at Un Noël en Alsace in Strasbourg.
French rustic tablecloth (schab - Adobe Stock)
Germany
The Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas pyramid) will be a common site at markets across Germany. These multi-tiered wooden towers derive from the same heritage that brought us the evergreen Christmas tree lit with candles, though the wooden iteration comes from the Ore Mountains of Saxony. They make a beautiful centerpiece for seasonal candlelit evenings. For more seasonal lighting, find an intricate wooden candle arch called a Schwibbogen perfect for your window. Today, most arches are battery-lit for safety near curtains, however the themes often still include a nod to their origins in German mining villages.
Witches, dwarves and kings of the Harz Mountains.
German Christmas pyramid (Jakob - Adobe Stock)
Italy
In Italy, a family’s Presepe, or Nativity scene, is given pride of place in the home during the Christmas season. Ornate and complex, these scenes go well beyond the holy family, often representing an entire village and the humbleness of daily life into which Jesus was born. Markets are a wonderful place to find a new piece to your growing Presepe. You may even find La Befana, an older witchy-looking lady with a broom who brings treats to good children on the eve of January 6th. Decorated brooms are also popular representations of La Befana for those interested in embracing this Italian legend.
Italian Presepe, Nativity scene (DinoPh - Adobe Stock)
Poland
Bring some Polish pottery home from the holiday market with winter-themed ceramics like Sw. Mikolaj (Saint Nicholas) with his bag, tall, serene angles and colorful Christmas trees. Many of these pieces are candleholders with spaces for the firelight to twinkle through. If you are looking to invest in a festive table, you can shop for a special holiday set of dishware. Many of the traditional Polish pottery designs have distinct winter versions with evergreen trees, holly branches, snowflakes or moose entwined with the pattern.
Find out where to shop for Polish Pottery any time of year.
Polish ceramic Christmas trees (MARIUSZ PRUSACZYK - Adobe Stock)
