I Went to Christkindlesmarkts in Europe, and Now I Can't Imagine the Holidays Without Them

Adventure, surprise, the best blood sausage --and shopping. Oh, Christmastime! It's that same tinsel-topped routine every year: Get out the old ornaments, chomp the tree-shaped sugar cookies, hear Mariah Carey belt the song for six weeks straight. Stateside, the traditions -- particularly the shopping ones -- run like clockwork, from the moment Thanksgiving's last turkey is tucked into the oven and until next year's fireworks explode. There's a place, though, where family gifts are less Amazon-o...