spirited

It's possible that nothing will put you in the holiday spirit faster than a Bavarian Christmas market and a cup of hot mulled wine (most especially when it's below freezing outside - even better when it's actually snowing...)

But how about these challengers?

Wandering the streets, listening to live music in Mozart's hometown of Salzburg, Austria.

Shopping for medieval accoutrements...

And cheering on a life-sized marionette battle

in the Castle on the hill... 

where there is a gorgeous view of the Danube.

Now, if castles are your thing, then visiting the one Disney "borrowed" from Neuschwanstein might do the trick...

Or the "other one down the hill"...

Or perhaps a room of solid gold?  On the second floor of Augsburg, Germany's city hall.

Where you can pop in to defrost from the merry scene below...

Or perhaps a Christmas story told through marionettes in windows around the city?  

Augsburg has a real performance aspect to its market, celebrating the fact that they claim that this is the oldest Christmas market in Europe...

You could take a stroll by the river Inn, and check out the painted ladies of Innsbruck, Austria...

Where you can count down the days with the city advent calendar...

If lights excite you..., perhaps make a stop in Vienna, Austria...

Where each of the streets is uniquely electrified.

In Bratislava, Slovakia you can ice skate in the old town...

Or listen to a Croatian children's choir nestled by city hall...

In Budapest, Hungary you can sample Transylvanian soup...

Sample other, even more adventurous "holiday?" culinary fare...

Or opt for the extremely addictive (and probably safer) grilled sweet cakes...

Peer at Pest through the royal walls in Buda...

And sip a tiny coffee, while your freeze your butsky off overlooking the neverending Danube...

In Zagreb, Croatia a night stroll in old town reveals a picturesque village...

Where the shopping area is as bustling as any of the larger cities...

Although, their outdoor seating does not look quite as welcoming...

Perhaps you'd like to see the snow from a distance?  How about a view from the tower in the castle on top of Ljubljana, Slovenia?

Where you can also level the playing field by practicing the Dance of Death...

If religion is what moves you, there are mystical scenes a plenty...

Augsburg

And stained glass that will inspire spontaneous caroling...

Augsburg

Or at least a hallelujah or two...

Vienna

And finally, don't forget to pick up a chocolate santa...  or reindeer...

While you nosh, you can say a holiday prayer to the gastronomical gods...