What Strabourgian marketing genius came up with the idea to call his city the
“Capital of Christmas”? I mean, brilliant! The Post runs a
basic travel piece on Strasbourg
written by Robert V. Camuto, that discusses the old traditions and what’s what during the holiday months in this
fine little French city. BTW: I am posting this link because I have been thinking about an interesting place to go for
the holidays, and while there are other locales that would probably be more exciting (i.e. Moab, Utah) there was
something about the “Capital of Christmas” idea that got me all warm and fuzzy, longing for egg nog and fat men in
tight suits….which, some to think of it, I could probably find right here in Greenwich Village if I were so, shall we
say, inclined. Which I’m not.
Anyway, more about Strasbourg. The city is nestled west of the Rhine River bordering Germany and east of the Vosges
Mountains. The Christmas “industry” dates all the way back to 1570, when this marketing genius I mention, who
would probably be a Wal-Mart executive today, turned the whole Christmas concept into an industry. There is
gingerbread, arts and crafts and apparently casks of vin chaud (hot wine), bursting at the staves.