Skip to main content

10 Fun Swiss Christmas Activities

Are you going to be in Switzerland for the holiday season and want to make the most of your Swiss Christmas experience? Swiss Christmas traditions are certainly fun and you shouldn't hesitate to join the celebration!

10 Fun Swiss Christmas Activities

Here are a few suggestions for fun things to do in Switzerland during the Christmas season:
  1. Cookie baking afternoon: enjoy an afternoon of baking with your friends. Try yourself at some traditional Swiss cookies like Brunsli, Zimststern, Chräbbeli or Spitzbuben.
  2. Grittibänz baking: create your own Grittibänz - a traditional man-shaped roll (you can find a recipe here.)
  3. Ice skating: there are ice skating rinks in almost every larger town in Switzerland. Have a glass of hot punch and skate a few rounds with friends.
  4. Visit a Christmas market: plenty of smaller and bigger Christmas markets will captivate you. Choose one that is close to you from this list.
  5. Glühwein: make your own batch of hot Glühwein and enjoy a nice evening at home.
  6. Candle dipping: it's a thing in Switzerland and you can find an opportunity at most Christmas markets!
  7. Make your own wrapping paper: nothing beats a nicely wrapped gift. Get creative! Some suggestions can be found here.
  8. Samichlausschwimmen in Zurich: yes, the Swiss go swimming in the lake even in winter. If you want to join the fun sign up here.
  9. Outdoor christmas: have your own outdoor Christmas and go decorate a tree in the forest. Be careful with candles though!
  10. Make an Adventskranz or Christmas Calendar: create your own advent wreath or Christmas calendar to count the time until Christmas eve

Swiss Christmas





© 2013 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Schätzli, Schnüggel and Müüsli - Terms of Endearment in Swiss German

Kiss -  Oliver Haja  / pixelio.de If you've ever been invited to the home of a Swiss couple, you are probably familiar with the most popular Swiss German term of endearment "Schätzli" ('little treasure') or one of it's many varieties like e.g. "Schatz" or "Schätzeli" . Obviously, this is not the only pet name used by Swiss couples (or parents for that matter). Like many other languages, Swiss German offers a wide variety of words and phrases that you can use to address your loved one. Swiss German Terms of Endearment What most of these pet names have in common is the ending "-li" which basically turns the thing or person a word refers to into something small or cute. For example "Haus" means house and "Hüüs li " means small house. Plus, this ending "-li" can also be added to first names as a means of endearment, e.g. Benjamin li , Esther li or Fabienne li . I tried to come up with a colle

How to Say 'I Love You' in Swiss German

To be completely honest, I'm not very fond of hallmark holidays and Valentine's Day is probably the mothership of them all. In my home there will be no cheesy cards or flowers on that day and, personally, I'm happy about it. However, I know that there are many people who like to celebrate Valentine's Day and take it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to their loves. Even in Switzerland, there are plenty of people celebrating it nowadays. If you're short on ideas for this years Valentine's Day in Switzerland you might find some inspiration here: Valentine's Day in Switzerland . If you're already set and have the perfect date ready, how about surprising your loved one with a few romantic Swiss German phrases? You should know that the expression "I love you" has only recently made its way into Swiss German from the High German "Ich liebe dich". Swiss people used to simply say "I like you" or "I like

Panache, a Swiss Mixed Beer

Next to our daily coffee fix , we Swiss really enjoy our ' Feierabendbier '. This literally means 'quitting time beer' and refers to a beer drunk in the after-work hours. Maybe we're not quite like the Irish who are said to go straight to the pub after work but many of us still like to enjoy a good cold beer when we get home. Much like with coffee , where people usually like it either strong or not, there are Swiss people who don't like their beers to be strong. Especially so after a long day of work. This is when we usually opt for a typical Swiss mixed beer called ' Panache '. Panache Beer - KFM  / pixelio.de Mixed beers or beer drinks are a great alternative to 'real' beers. I'm not talking about pre-mixed beer that is sold in supermarkets. Those suck! Good mixed beer is made on the spot with beer and a soft drink, syrup, liquor or other interesting ingredients. The most famous of all Swiss mixed beers is the Panache, pronounce