Soon enough, the most magical of all seasons will descend upon Ljubljana, and with it, the spirit of giving, jovial celebration, feasting and, of course, shopping! Ah yes, the Christmas season, referred to locally as the New Year Season, is quite a complex, savory and festive mixture of old beliefs and customs (family dinners, stockings full of nuts and fruit, church blessings) and recently adopted Western customs, such as shopping fever and town events.

Most Slovene’s partake in three distinctive festivities in December: first comes Miklauž (St. Nikolas), next, according to your religious beliefs, is either Dedek Mraz (Father Christmas, a remnant of atheist Socialist times) or Božiček (Santa Claus - we all know where he comes from), and finally Novo Leto (New Year’s). The first two are predominantly child-oriented – Miklau‘ brings either candy, nuts or fruit, Dedek Mraz and Santa bring a gift or two for the kiddies, although families who celebrate Christmas tend to enjoy a Christmas feast the evening before, and may even exchange small gifts amongst all members. However, it is the New Year’s Eve celebration that steals the show of the holiday season - all families, friends, and, more recently, even acquaintances exchange gifts, toasts of champagne, laughter and good will.

If you’re new to town and feeling lonely, never fear, for the City of Ljubljana hosts a multitude of town-run events and seasonal activities that aim to satisfy your entertainment and shopping needs. By simply strolling along the Old Town’s intricately lit and classical-music-enhanced cobble-stone streets, you’ll find a multitude of time-consuming and enjoyable activities such as browsing through the arts/crafts/winter accessories/x-mas lights/ornaments along the wooden huts set up especially for this occasion, boutique window shopping for more specific needs, or sampling Slovene specialties such as heated honey schnapps (medica), or brewed wine (kuhano vino) and sausages. Heck, you can even find the odd burrito, muffin, or American style chocolate-chip cookie to suit your "exotic" foreign tastes, if you look hard enough! This year the city will allow many of the outdoor huts to remain open for a few extra days, ‘til January 5^th, so that the festive atmosphere does not come to a crashing end on January 1^st… and perhaps also to facilitate exchanging gifts or finding that medica to cure your hangover!

Additionally, local events such as the "lighting of the town tree" ceremony, the individual visits of Miklauž, Dedek Mraz and Santa, and a variety of concerts (jazz, classical and rock) are organized almost every day of the week in December (for more information, check out our web-site in December for a listing of events). Lastly, if you’re in the mood for winter sports, you can even go ice-skating for free at the annually sponsored Mobitel skating rink in Zvezda Park (Star Park, also referred to as Kongresni Trg). And if there’s snow on the ground, you can pull your bobsled along the city center streets into Tivoli park (trees along the main path leading to the villa at the top of the hill are lit in mystical blue bulbs) and go sledding down the nearby slopes. While in Tivoli, look out for the pond which is sometimes frozen over and provides another venue for skating (you will need to bring your own skates - and skate at your own risk), and the nearby ^olnarna cafe, where you warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and cake.

However, city dwellers tend to disperse to other parts of the country in order to "get away from it all". So, if you prefer to follow that old saying - when in Slovenia, do as the Slovenes do - then the following holiday destinations and activities should invariably be part of your winter fun schedule:

• Velika Planina, less than an hour’s drive from the city, offers a cozy alpine lift up the mountainside, and provides traditional rounded cottages for rent at reasonable prices.
• Kranjska Gora, beyond Bled in the far Northwesterly corner of the country, provides popular skiing facilities with both down-hill and cross-country possibilities, as well as designated sledding areas. A well-known route takes you from the resort to Planica (where the largest ski-jump ramps are located) and finally to Krnica, where another resort is located.
• Krvavec is another well-known ski area, and the closest to Ljubljana.
• Weekends at Mokrice Castle, located near the Croatian border, provides more prestigious accommodation, and there’s also the opportunity to rent horses.
• Lake Bled, fun for a day or weekend, where, whether permitting, one can practice ice-skating on one of the most picturesque lakes on the European continent.
• Pokljuka is the No. 1 location in Slovenia for cross-country skiing, and also offers a small downhill ski resort and authentically built cottages for rent.
• Smarna Gora offers a great weekend outing for families, as it is not too high a climb.
• Postojna Caves, about a 30 minute drive from Ljubljana, makes a nice day trip, and the inside temperature is always 9 degrees Celsius, often warmer than outside. Don’t miss their famous Live Christmas Crib – on Dec 22, 25, 26, 29 and Jan 1, 2003.

SHOPPING:

• Open-air markets in smaller cities and towns offer a wide variety of domestic crafts that often can not be found at the Ljubljana market.
• The SILA Bazaar (Slovene International Ladies Association), to be held on November 30th at the Lev Hotel in Ljubljana, is a marvelous shopping and social event, as women from all parts of the globe sell products which otherwise can not be found locally.
• BTC City - located in Nove Jarse – a great place to go if you’ve got shopping fever and don’t mind the crowds. While there, be sure to check out the recently opened Harvey Norman’s (see our interview with Mr. Harvey himself on our web-site), and the recently expanded City Park, which provides a typical big-city-mall atmosphere with a variety of popular restaurants on the upper level.

IN DOOR ACTIVITIES FOR THE KIDS:

• Le Clerc, located in Rudnik - a 10-minute drive from the city center, is hosting a circus/fair event.
• City Park offers a fun house.
• Tivoli Sports Center offers indoor skating and swimming.
• Sezam, a local parents’ organization, usually sets up children’s’ workshops appropriate to the season.
• Local museums generally provide children’s’ workshops during school holidays.

In short, life in Ljubljana and its surroundings during the New Year’s Season is certainly bustling and bright, and depending on your attitude, it can be fun and magical as well. So have a wonderful holiday season... and see you again next year!