I Quit Making Christmas Magic. Then Europe Made It for Me.
For nearly two decades, I was the CEO of Christmas Magic for four children.
I hunted gifts to delight each of my unique little squirrels. Then, I hid the presents, wrapped the presents, unearthed them on Christmas Eve, and cleaned up the mess on Christmas morning. I also did the shopping for Christmas dinner, prepped the food, and cooked most of the holiday meal—even though my husband at the time was a much better cook. All this while also working full time from home and being the primary caregiver to four kids between the ages of one and fourteen.
Eventually, the kids got older, my stepdaughters started their adult lives, and I became the person earning most of the money for our family, as well.
That was when I started to get a little irritated that I was also still running the North Pole. Solo.
I brought it up with my husband, but nothing changed.
Including the fact that there was never a wrapped present under the tree for me. Not one. Not until the last year before the divorce, when it was clear the relationship was on thin ice. But by then, it was too late.
My marriage was dead and so was my Christmas spirit. I kept forcing it for the kids, but as the years rolled on and the reality of being a single parent took its toll, the most magical time of the year became less and less magical for me.
So, in 2025, I admitted defeat. My sons were 21 and 17. I figured they could handle learning that Mrs. Claus was burnt out and soured on the trappings of the patriarchy—including holiday trappings they had grown up expecting each year.
I declared it a No-Present Christmas. No tree. No cookies. No wrapping. No decorating.
No pretending I was feeling festive when I absolutely was not.
I would plan and pay for a trip. That was it. After roughly two decades of forcing the cheer, I was outsourcing Christmas to Europe.
I expected it would be fine, and fun, because we all love to travel. And since I wasn’t working myself to the bone all holiday break, I hoped I would be able to rest before the big spring push for my job.
I never expected to be transformed.
Or to fall in love with Christmas again…
A festively decorated wooden chalet roof at the Stuttgart Christmas Market, one of Germany's oldest and most famous Christmas markets.
Stuttgart Christmas Market: The Lights Came Back On
Stuttgart was our first Christmas market stop, and my first Christmas market ever.
I went in hoping it wouldn’t be too cold on the walk to the center, that the kids would find it entertaining, and that beer wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg because—after a long flight from Cyprus—I wanted a beer.
Instead, I walked into a bustling city full of Christmas fun around every corner, kick-ass vintage shops, delicious food, and amazing hot wine I could sip while watching my sons ice skate or browse the stalls or just tease the shit out of each other (because that’s how teen boys show their love).
Slowly, I realized I was feeling a flicker of the old spirit, and I wasn’t forcing it. I wasn’t forcing anything, because I wasn’t making the fun happen. Somebody else had done all the work. I just got to show up with my boys and enjoy it.
Hmmm…I thought. Interesting. Maybe my Christmas spirit wasn’t dead, after all.
Stuttgart wasn’t my favorite market of the trip, but I’ll always love it for being the place where the twinkly lights started to come back on in my heart.
Read my full Stuttgart Christmas Market 2026 guide here.
We stayed about 36 hours in Stuttgart, which felt just right. Long enough to wander, eat, drink, skate, shop, and let the Christmas spirit smolder. Then we got on the train to Strasbourg.
Where the real transformation began…
The rotating star-lit crown of the giant German Christmas pyramid at Strasbourg's Christmas market, a 17-meter Weihnachtspyramide towering over Place Broglie.
Strasbourg Christmas Market: My Grinch Heart Grew Three Sizes
Our first introduction to Strasbourg was having our bags searched on the way into the old town, then searched again on the way back out. Past Me had booked an Airbnb farther from the train station than I realized, and we had some walking to do.
But we weren’t bothered.
The sun was shining. The city was full of half-timbered buildings, old stone, holiday decorations everywhere, little pockets of Christmas tucked into streets and squares, and the smell of yummy things around every corner. It didn’t feel like visiting a Christmas market. It felt like walking into Christmas Land, an alternate dimension where being jolly felt as natural as breathing.
As our two days there flew by, I grew increasingly festive and caught up in the spirit.
We wandered the market booths, saw the giant tree lit up, and made our way down into Petite France, where the atmosphere was so perfect we kept convincing ourselves to eat a meal, even though we’d been snacking all day.
We talked. We laughed. We explored. We took pictures and told stories about the goofy antics of Christmas past.
Then, on Christmas Eve day, we visited the fabulous Musée Historique and practiced our French in local bakeries, eating our way through town as we did a big shop to amass an absolutely glorious food stash for Christmas Day.
Christmas itself was spent cozy and full, watching movies, until we went wandering again to take pictures in our matching sweaters and eat some more. As we strolled home, the city quiet and the church bells chiming, I cried a little. A happy cry.
I’d forgotten a holiday could feel so beautiful and simple and good.
Festive lights and ornaments decorate Strasbourg's historic Grande Île, the heart of France's Capital of Christmas.
Colmar: The Perfect Christmas Market Finale
Then, on the 26th, we decided to triple down on fun by popping over to the Colmar Christmas Markets.
By that point, we were no longer easing into the spirit. We were soaking in it, Dear Reader, and quite happy to be doing so.
Colmar was the perfect finale. It took everything Strasbourg did beautifully and made it even more playful, tiny, precious, and slightly unhinged.
We rode mechanical horses, took ridiculous pictures in the Christmas photo huts, and went up on the Ferris wheel. And because we’d done Christmas Day quietly in Strasbourg, Colmar felt like one last glorious burst of silliness before the trip ended.
It was crowded, yes. And by early evening, I was very ready to get back on the train. But that was part of why it worked so well as a day trip. We didn’t need to conquer Colmar. We just enjoyed playing there for a while.
By the time we left, the season felt complete.
Christmas hadn’t just come back.
It had come back louder, goofier, and considerably better fed.
Steal This Christmas Market Itinerary
If I were planning this exact trip again, I’d do almost the same thing.
Grab your copy of my 7 day Christmas Market Itinerary below!
Living my best "unhinged Christmas joy" life on a mechanical horse in Colmar.
Stuttgart to Strasbourg: The Ultimate Christmas Market Itinerary
The Shape of This Trip
7 nights, 3 cities, all connected by train — no car required!
Book in Advance
- Book all trains at least a month out. They fill quickly this time of year.
- Book restaurants in Strasbourg well in advance, especially for Christmas Day. Few places are open, and the ones that are fill fast.
- Book your Colmar train tickets in advance. They can also sell out quickly around Christmas.
- Book your Colmar meal ahead of time. Tables are competitive, and there are far fewer dining options once the crowds arrive.
December 20: Arrive in Stuttgart
Check in and head straight into the Christmas market in the late afternoon.
That gives you daylight, dusk, and the full evening lights without needing to rush.
Eat at the market, wander the decorated stalls, drink something hot, and let Stuttgart do its State Fair Christmas thing.
The Stuttgart Christmas Market runs through December 23 in 2026.
Stay: 2 nights in Stuttgart
December 21: Stuttgart by Day
Use the day to see more of the market and break things up with a museum, the city library, lunch, or shopping.
For us, about 36 hours in Stuttgart felt right.
[Read my full Stuttgart Christmas Market guide here.]
December 22: Stuttgart Morning → Strasbourg
Enjoy one last morning in Stuttgart, then take the train to Strasbourg, arriving in the afternoon or evening.
If you're staying in Strasbourg, double-check how far your accommodation is from the train station — it's easy to end up farther out than you expect, especially with luggage.
December 22–27: Strasbourg
This is where I'd really slow down.
With five nights here, you have room to actually live in the city instead of racing through it.
Spend one day wandering the major market areas, seeing the Cathedral, Place Kléber, and Petite France, eating and drinking your way through the city, and letting yourself get delightfully sidetracked.
Use another day for more browsing, a museum, bakeries, restaurants, and provisioning if you'll be there over Christmas Day.
Strasbourg is not a place I'd try to "do" in six hours. It's much better when you stop treating it like an assignment.
Stay: 5 nights in Strasbourg
[Read my full Strasbourg Christmas Market guide here.]
December 25: Stay Put
This was one of the best decisions of the entire trip.
The markets are closed, the city gets quiet, and you get a completely different Strasbourg.
Stay in pajamas. Watch movies. Eat the food you bought the day before.
Go out for a walk and take ridiculous family photos.
Do less. Snuggle more.
December 26: Day Trip to Colmar
Take the train from Strasbourg to Colmar and spend a long afternoon into early evening there.
That's enough time to wander the markets, ride the Ferris wheel, eat, take photos, and see the town lit up after dark.
Colmar is especially useful for this itinerary because several of its markets continue after Christmas, with multiple 2026 markets running through December 29 and the Gourmet Market — Colmar's food-and-wine-focused extension of the main market — running through January 3.
[Read my full Colmar Christmas Market guide here.]
December 27: Depart for Vienna (or wherever you’ve chosen for the New Year)
Head back to the Strasbourg train station and start the next leg of the trip.
The Short Version
| City | Nights | Dates | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stuttgart | 2 nights | Dec 20–22 | Lively, quirky, easy Christmas market fun |
| Strasbourg | 5 nights | Dec 22–27 | Best overall and the most immersive |
| Colmar | Day trip | Dec 26 | The adorable, slightly unhinged finale |
I didn't buy a single present this year. Didn't wrap, didn't hide, didn't referee one fight over who got the good stocking stuffers. I bought train tickets and hot wine and let two nearly-grown boys eat their body weight in pretzels, pastries, and grilled sausage, and somewhere between Stuttgart and Colmar, the holiday I'd been white-knuckling through for years turned into one I actually wanted.
I'm not saying skip Christmas at home or presents forever.
I'm saying, if it’s giving you a bad case of Mama Burnout, consider giving yourself a beautiful European Christmas break.
You deserve it.
Next up: where we're headed in 2027 for New Year’s Eve and beyond!
