Holiday Series 2019 - «Christmas Bazaar»

In Greece, the month of December tends to be a bit chilly but more sunny than snowy (with the exception of the mountains) so it doesn’t have the natural “Christmassy” vibe of Europe’s many snow-covered cities. If you’re in a milder climate (like Athens) you might find it difficult to get your Christmas hat on even if all the shop-vitrines are decorated, clove and cinnamon smell is in the air and Christmas music is playing non-stop everywhere.

So, if you find yourself struggling to get into the Christmas spirit, you only have to gather some friends and/or family and visit a Christmas Market aka. a Christmas Bazaar.

There’s no better way to start on the holiday cheer than strolling through a Christmas market at 6 o'clock in the afternoon with all the festive lights on, browsing through all the stations where you can buy hot cocoa, mulled wine, gifts, decorations, all things Christmas.

Usually there is also a Santa’s House for the kids to visit Santa himself, workshops for anybody that wants to be Santa’s helper for a while, even ice skating ring and other venues for holiday activities.

While it's important to have fun at these bazaars, it's also important not to forget about charity bazaars.. They’re smaller and mostly organized by schools and depend on the volunteer work of teachers, the students themselves and their parents. My older daughter’s former school (it’s her former school, because she graduated) organizes the “Othisi” Christmas bazaar every first Saturday of December.

This year’s pioneering theme emphasizes the arts, creativity and social contribution. Its particularity is that many of the products that will be offered were created by the students themselves!

There will be opportunities for creative activities with the Magic Post of Santa Claus and the Christmas Card Making Workshop.

Also, everybody can attend a festive theatrical performance based on JRP Tolkien's "Letters From Santa Claus" and experience an incredible adventure in the Escape Room created by the students themselves. “Adoption Day” is about kids having the chance to learn the importance and meaning of adopting forsaken puppies. This segment is done in collaboration with animal organizations.

At the same time, all guests will enjoy sweet and savory delights from the Brunch House, fresh beer and street food, as well as select wines and festive cocktails. The event will be accompanied by Christmas choirs and live music!

In addition, there will be an opportunity to register for Volunteer Bone Marrow Donors from the organization ORAMA ELPIDAS. Proceeds will go to support the Association for Children with Cancer, ELPIDA. You can learn more about the Bazaar here: Othisi Christmas Bazaar

This event is open to everybody and its philanthropic nature makes it an important occasion for everybody to attend and support it in any way they can.

Thank you for your time and I hope this blog post helped you a little to find the Christmas spirit! Here you can read about the time I participated in the Othisi Christmas Bazaar myself. Below you’ll find the blog posts in the Christmas 2018 series.

Your very own fairy,

Tünde - Nefeli

Holiday Series «Christmas 2018»