This is an oldie but goodie. When I was stationed in Europe with the US Army as a soldier, then an Army civilian, I really enjoyed the Christmas Markets held in almost every city and small town. On bitter cold nights you could mingle with large holiday crowds shopping outdoors for local crafts and munching on grilled sausages and sipping on the hot glühwein.
The glühwein cups were metal or mostly ceramic and you paid a deposit for keeping the cup as a memento or you could return it later for your deposit money back. Glühwein literally translates to “glow-wine” because of how you feel after you’ve been drinking tiny mugs outside in December.
Most markets were in the central courtyards, while some where spread throughout the city. The markets usually ran from late November until a few days before Christmas. Each vendor was normally situated in rows of wooden huts side by side. I miss that European tradition. A few of my old hardcopy photos though my wife and I went to many different Christmas markets in both small and large towns.
First two above are from Vienna, Austria which had a large Christmas Tree in the central plaza lit up with red hearts, and the next two are from Heidelberg where I was stationed twice.
The next two above are from Augsburg, and Mannheim; the one below and the title image above are from Thüringer Germany known for its special sausage.
Last two are from Landshut and Munich, Germany. 
