The festive atmosphere is fueled by stall after stall of ornaments and Christmas decorations; laughter; voices in German, English, and many other languages; the smells of warm food cooking; and the chill in the air.

For lovers of Christmas (or shopping), this is a must-do activity. You will be overwhelmed with the choices and find many excuses to spend money. It likely will not be as interesting to those of you who do not celebrate Christmas, or who do not revel in the pageantry of the holiday. Only a few of the stalls sell items that are not holiday-related, and after awhile, it may look like they are all selling exactly the same things. Regardless of your views on the holiday, this market is worth a visit, even if only to view a slice of the culture and life of the city.

Be aware that the market is frequented by locals and tourists alike (probably more of the latter), so it does get crowded and noisy. You should also be aware that the Christmas markets close (as do many other establishments) between 1 and 2pm on Christmas Eve so folks can get home to celebrate the holiday with family.

As the holiday season nears, you will find a list of Advent markets on the site of the Austrian Tourist Board at www.austria-tourism.at.

The first ones I noticed (and bought) were blown glass with hand painting. They come in many shapes and designs. My favorites are heart shaped with white painting that makes it look like they are wrapped in lace, very unusual. They also had an excellent selection of straw ornaments and my absolute favorite a straw tree topper.

I picked up an unusual wooden advent wreath with little wooden candles and a Christmas fair booth with little gingerbread men.The saleswomen were very friendly and spoke good English, they were very accomadating about wrapping everything so that it would survive the trip back to the states.(everything got home unbroken). They also filled out a tax refund form for me so I could get my tax back.

There were several shops on this street that seemed to specialize in Christmas ornaments but after my stop here I had everything I needed. The straw ornaments make good practical gifts for everyone back home as they are light and easy to carry.