Nia Lewis (’25) is a Communication major studying at the University of Aberdeen for Fall 2024.
Spending the holidays away from home can be difficult at times, but with all of the holiday cheer and festivities that happen in Scotland, it is easy for all of the holiday spirit to overpower the homesickness. The festivities start way before Christmas over here, and if you ever happen to visit Scotland, here are a few of the places I’ve visited so far to celebrate for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Princes Street Gardens Market in Edinburgh
My friends and I took a bus from Aberdeen to Edinburgh to visit the Christmas market since the area is well-known for having one of the best Christmas markets worldwide. It was freezing cold when we visited, but luckily there were many booths that sold warm refreshments and we had planned many indoor activities in addition to exploring the market. The Christmas market was similar to the markets in Philly, but on a much bigger scale. The Scottish National Gallery was also in the middle of the market, so we took some time to walk around the gallery before catching a bus back to Aberdeen. Similar to Philly’s Christmas markets, the one in Edinburgh has an ice skating rink and plenty of booths that sell various hand-crafted items. However, the one in Edinburgh included more family activities such as an igloo, a ferris wheel and a lights display.
Islander UK Purse Workshop
Before we walked around the market, my friend Mariam and I booked a purse making workshop through Islander UK. We were able to create and build our own purses and they had a great selection of tartan print designs. We both decided to make medium sized bags, and while the workshop was guided and quite straightforward, we both kept getting distracted and confused. Even though our bags were in rough shape starting out, they turned out great in the end!
Grinch Café
I also suggested that we visit the Grinch café in Primark, since it was only available for a limited time. The café setup that we initially wanted to visit was Shrek themed, but when we arrived we discovered that they rearranged everything for Christmas literally the day before we arrived. The food was…subpar, and the atmosphere was not the greatest. We left quickly after finishing our drinks.
Since it is now the peak holiday season, I am still exploring and finding new things to do for Christmas. However, if you ever decide to visit Edinburgh for the holidays, I highly recommend visiting Prince Street Gardens for the market and Islander UK to make a bag. Don’t waste your time with the Grinch café, please.
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