Mulled wine

"First we meet, then we market," is the motto of the Meet Market, which returns for its annual Christmas extravaganza at Technopolis (athens-technopolis.gr) in Gazi.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit as Bulgaria's cities gear up for a dazzling array of Christmas markets. From Sofia to Plovdiv to Ruse, these bustling markets promise delightful treats, heartwarming activities, and festive shopping opportunities for everyone.

St Paul's Anglican Church is holding its popular annual sing-along Christmas service from 8 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, December 16. There will be carols and songs for all the family, as well as mulled wine and stollen (there is a small charge for this).

In cooperation with the Thessaloniki Municipality, the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry is holding a Christmas bazaar inspired by German holiday traditions on Saturday, December 15. There will be snacks (with plenty of sausages), mulled wine and traditional German music, along with a Weihnachtsmarkt. The event is open to the public from noon to 9 p.m.

German authorities came under fire Dec. 22 after it emerged that the prime suspect in Berlin's deadly truck attack, a rejected Tunisian asylum seeker, was known as a potentially dangerous jihadist, AFP reported.

ACS Athens is hosting its annual holiday bazaar at its Halandri premises on Saturday, December 3. Running from noon to 6 p.m., the event features a holiday marketplace with vendor booths, photo opportunities with Santa, home-baked treats, food and beverages.

December in the northern hemisphere is the darkest of all months. As midwinter advent solstice days get shorter, nights get longer and colder. All one needs is the warmth of the glow of a fire. As each night gets darker, we need another candle to lift our spirits, another log in the fire to warm our hearts. 

From herring to reindeer meat to ‘glögg,' a trip to Stockholm just before Christmas offers the palate something different from the usual Turkish fare This week I went with a friend of mine, Dani, to Stockholm. He is a Swedish-Turkish citizen but had never seen his motherland. His grandmother moved to Turkey when she was a young woman to marry a Turkish man.