Holiday Lights and Christmas Memories That Mark the Season
It’s Christmas week, and I’m at the start of a long break from work. A pause to recharge, relax, and spend time with family. You may have noticed my blog and newsletter arrived a little later than usual. My last week of work was spent tying up loose ends, while also getting ready for a family vacation and squeezing in some holiday time with friends. It was one of those weeks where being “in the moment” mattered more than staying on schedule.
With the pace finally easing up, I found myself wanting to share something simple this week. Just a few favorite Christmas memories that still stick with me.
Christmas has always been a special time of year for me, and I’ll admit it. I want to live inside a Hallmark Christmas movie! You know the kind. Snowy small towns brought back to life with markets, pageants, and parties. Every nook and cranny that can hold a string of lights is decorated, often with several strings layered on top of each other. The cozy house or lodge at the center of the story somehow has decorations in every room, in every corner.
One recent Hallmark movie even showed a kitchen with lights strung across the counter and over the back of the oven. I remember thinking that felt like a safety hazard, but also very on brand.
Another movie I watched recently featured a family on a Christmas river cruise along the Danube River, passing through European villages, towns, and cities, including Vienna, Austria. The plot itself was easy enough to follow, but what pulled me in were the Christmas market scenes. That’s probably because I once took a river cruise on the Danube myself, several years ago, right as the markets were opening for the season.
Our trip started with a few days in Prague before we made our way down the Danube to Budapest. Along the way, we stopped in places like Strasbourg and Vienna, among many others. Every stop felt like it belonged in a Hallmark movie, only real. Cobblestone streets, glowing lights, wooden stalls, warm food, and that unmistakable feeling that the season had arrived.
Vendor making chimney cakes. Dough is rolled around a dowel and baked over a fire. When done, it’s removed from the dowel and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, often followed by filling it with chocolate!
Vendor making potato pancakes. I have always loved these! Many vendors made them fresh in the markets.
Typical toppings are applesauce and sour cream, but this vendor served up plate sized potato pancakes with sauerkraut.
There’s no shortage of food options at European markets.
What stood out to me most was the simplicity of the decorations. White lights. Bows. Baubles. Natural elements woven into everything. There were no oversized inflatable Santas or blinking displays competing for attention. Everything felt intentional and calm, and somehow more magical because of it.
When I think back on my own childhood Christmases, three decorations stand out the most.
The first was the giant pine tree in our yard. Every year, my dad would string big, multi-colored bulbs all the way around it. That tree was Christmas to me. Seeing it lit up meant the season had officially begun.
The second was a display that probably scared more than a few kids, but I loved it. A small local department store called Orlie’s decorated their front window every year with a life-sized animated Santa. He stood in the window, slowly turning left and right, his arm raised, waving to everyone who passed by. That Santa instantly flipped the switch for me. Christmas had arrived.
The third was my grandma’s Christmas tree. She decorated it with miniature candy canes, and whenever we visited, we were allowed to take one off the tree. I remember trying to sneak extras every single time. To this day, I still like to decorate my own tree with candy canes, and I smile every time I do.
Do you have any Christmas decorations or traditions from childhood that still stick with you? Something that signaled the start of the season or filled you with excitement?
If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear about your favorite Santa, tree, or holiday memory.
