Belgian Christmas

I thought North Americans went all out for Christmas? Wow, I was wrong. I don't know how the rest of Europe is, but Belgians definitely do Christmas right. All around the same time, Christmas exploded all over the city. The Plaisirs d'Hiver Christmas market and all of it's amazing-ness opened, vin chaud started being served all over the city including sandwich carts, I think every light post or tree even in the dingier neighbourhoods (like ours...) is decked with lights, and the grocery stores are jam packed with people while the cashiers give out speculoos cookies with every purchase. As Tom pointed out, Christmas is also much less commercial here than it is in North America. Granted we do not have a TV, but the only ads we have seen are advertising espresso and coffee makers and cars. You don't see ads, promotions, and movies everywhere telling you to drink eggnog (with rum), make (or buy) shortbread cookies, gingerbread houses, and all kinds of Christmas baking, to (first buy then) put up lights on your house, and (again buy then decorated) to have the fanciest most elegant Christmas tree on the block. You have wonderful non-pressuring Christmas spirit with Christmas trees in every square, lights and decorations in the streets, and vin chaud by the bucket. All that's missing for the Christmas feeling to be complete is for the snow to come back (and me to finish my essays...or start them).