“Christmas magic is silent. You don’t hear it, you feel it. You know it. You believe it.”
– Kevin Alan Milne
Okay, can we all just agree that Christmas is the best time of year? The coziest, the most magical, the prettiest? It’s the one time of year I look forward to year-round. Ask anyone who knows me, I’m always counting down for Christmas. Especially in the midst of summer when all I wish for is a sprinkling of fresh snow.
Thankfully, I’m not the only one in my family who is Christmas crazy. My mum is too, and we have made it our mission to keep our annual German Christmas markets family trips alive and thriving. Usually, we go for a day to Flensburg or an overnight stay somewhere close to the Jutland border such as Kiel or Hamburg, but this year, we went a bit further afield and spent two nights in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein’s second-largest city and self-proclaimed ‘Christmas City of the North’. I can vouch for that. Lübeck is nothing short of magical at Christmas time.
I had visited Lübeck once before, in the summer of 2020, and I remember thinking to myself how cozy the city must be at Christmas time. I remember trying to convince my family to go there for our annual Christmas markets trip, but it wasn’t until this year that I had them convinced. After all, it was the perfect place to meet in the middle, as they travelled down from East Jutland and I went down from Lolland where I lived until a week ago.
We stayed in a guesthouse outside the city centre and drove in twice to explore the many Christmas markets in town, first in daylight and then after nightfall.
With themed Christmas markets around almost every corner, and a vast array of stalls with everything you can imagine of crafts, Christmas foods and hot drinks, Lübeck was indeed a great choice for our annual trip. And with glistening snow on trees and roofs, it just couldn’t get anymore magical.
The first market we visited was the Traditional Christmas Market on Lübeck’s quaint main square, deep in the UNESCO-inscribed late medieval city centre. This market dates back at least 374 years as it was first mentioned in 1648, but it could be centuries older. This was also my favourite market as it offered the most diverse options whether that be crafts, food or drinks, and I quickly found what I was after: liquorice and chocolate burned almonds. My favourite Christmas snack!
At the Historical Christmas Market, we took a journey back in time to the Middle Ages where merchants bear historical clothing and demonstrate ancient skills in the crafts that they sell. We also paid a quick visit to the Fairytale Forest, a children’s market where a quaint Christmas train is the main draw. But the children were asleep by the time we got there, so we continued further into Lübeck’s late medieval centre and down to the historic Hospital of the Holy Spirit from 1286 which hosted an indoor craft’s market until December 4th – a little detail I had managed to overlook when doing my research. But instead, we took a look around the Maritime Christmas Market nearby. This fishermen’s-favourite market may be small, but it can be seen all over town because of its ferris wheel, towering above all else in its vicinity. Unfortunately, no one wanted to join me on a ride above Lübeck…
In the dark evening, after we had enjoyed a delicious Chinese buffet and relaxed at the guesthouse for a while, we set off again for a walk around town. We first ended up at the Harbour Glow market at Drehbrückenplatz, a very small Christmas market which seemed to cater mostly to locals rather than visitors. We then headed towards the historic city centre again.
As we trotted along the Trave river, I couldn’t help but notice the eerie dark silhouettes of Lübeck’s seven church spires. Because of the ongoing energy crisis, the German government has decided not to illuminate any official buildings, and it sure does make a huge difference, especially for a city like Lübeck which is famous for its skyline full of late medieval spires.
We were surprised to see how many people were now enjoying the cozy atmosphere at the Traditional and Historical Christmas Markets; it seemed that the whole town had come together in these small spaces to celebrate the most joyous time of the year.
Today is Christmas Eve, and it’s been long since I’ve been this excited for a Christmas celebration. The whole family is gathering tonight, and that includes my 3,5-year-old niece and 1,5-year old nephew. I can’t wait to see their excited faces. Christmas is just more magical with children around.
I wish you all a joyful and festive time with your loved ones. Merry Christmas! 🤎
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