We arrived in Madrid on December 8, a Sunday night during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception long weekend, which is a huge holiday in Spain. As our taxi drove us from the airport to our hotel, the boulevards were lit up with Christmas lights:
When we opened up the balcony doors of our room at the Hotel Europa (a super nice, well-located hotel) that overlooked the Puerta del Sol, we were greeted with this sight:
The Puerta del Sol is Madrid’s equivalent to New York’s Time Square in many ways, including hosting the New Year’s Eve countdown on the former Post Office’s carillon where the bells toll for the traditional eating of Twelve Grapes at each stroke of midnight. Though it wasn’t New Year’s while we were there, the citizens of Madrid celebrated well into the early morning hours. The crowds surged around the huge Christmas “tree” at the center of the square, as seen in these additional photos and video:
Puerta del Sol wasn’t the only site for a large tree. The nearby Plaza Mayor also featured a sparkly version:
Madrid had more than trees lit up for the season, of course. Here are several pictures of the brightly lit streets:
It wasn’t just street lighting that had Christmas in the Madrid air. At the Royal Palace, a gigantic Nativity village was on display. Not only was it big, the individual elements were extremely detailed. Check out the butcher and his meaty offerings in these photos:
The Christmas shopping season can be so tiring. Exhaustion hit the costumed characters at the Puerta del Sol, seen here taking a break. A group of friends also took a break from shopping by going out to lunch together:
Seasonal highlights extended into the shop windows as well, with this holiday fashion catching our eye:
There’s more of Madrid to share from our trip, coming up in our next post.
Halfway There Travelers 
This Christmas light pictures are fantastic!
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Wow! I think I’d really enjoy Madrid! Christmas especially!!
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