When I first found out about the lack of snow that Tubingen gets every year, I was wondering how Christmas could possibly feel right with me being 5,000 miles away from my family in a place with gray skies, green grass and no snow. 

Despite the high temperatures and my own lack of Christmas spirit, I made my way through the Christmas markets of Baden-Wurttemberg, proving myself wrong with each stop.

Walking the rows of the Stuttgart Christmas market, any concerns of Christmas not feeling like Christmas quickly diminished as I saw the many stands selling anything from traditional wreaths and handcrafted nutcrackers to kitchenware and microwaveable stuffed animals. 

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought that my last trip to a Christmas market was on a high school field trip to Chicago, where I had my first taste of Kase Spatzle and got the tiniest glimpse of what Christmas in Germany looks like; and tiny it was. 

Even small Tubingen’s Christmas market seems to go on forever, and there is no shortage of markets in any city or village you visit. 

Though I haven’t yet experienced a German Christmas, it’s evident from the holiday spirit displayed everywhere in the country, from special Christmas selections at the grocery store to miles-long Christmas markets, that the holidays in Germany are quite a magical experience. 

Though there aren’t as many huge light displays and inflatable yard decorations, Christmas spirit can be seen around every corner in the decorated trees, lebkuchen treats and much more. 

I thought that being away from home for the holidays would fill Christmas with less joy than usual, but it’s evident while I’m eating one of my many favorite German Christmas treats and listening to all of my favorite Christmas tunes, that there is no lack of Christmas joy when I’m able to spend the season immersing myself in this beautiful culture. 

— Shannon Rabotski is a 2016 graduate of Monroe High School and is a junior at Drake University. She is spending the year studying abroad in Tubingen, Germany. She can be reached at shannon.rabotski@drake.edu.