BERLIN - Through billowing clouds of smoke, three “angels”, each holding a candle, walk towards me. Behind them stands a fairytale castle trimmed in twinkling lights. It’s a surreal moment that’s enhanced by the sound of children’s laughter and magical music.

“Heavens,” exclaims a travelling companion as the “angels” (three young women dressed in costume) approach. “They sure keep the Christmas spirit alive here.”

Unlike North Americans, Europeans have not allowed commercialism to hijack Christmas. In fact, the ancient traditions of the festive season are embraced and celebrated all over Europe at Christmas Markets that appear in the weeks leading up to the Big Day.

Most major cities in Europe feature Christmas Markets. Some are small neighbourhood affairs, while others are far more elaborate, like Berlin’s Charlottenburg Castle Christmas Market where the “angels” are now inviting me to have my picture taken with them.

Left: Snow angels greet market goers in Berlin. Right: Lots of traditional goodies are on sale as well.

Charlottenburg Castle is without a doubt Berlin’s most spectacular Christmas Market and it’s been operating since 2007, running for 35 days leading up to December 25.

A festive mood hangs over the grounds when I arrive — the market is set up at the castle’s regal entrance, in front of the huge black wrought-iron gates that protect it — and the air is accented with the scents of German holiday treats like weisswurst, a sausage made of veal and bacon flavoured with parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger and cardamom.

It’s not recommended for people on diets to visit Europe at this time of year.

My guide dares me to try other festive food — the schäufele (a smoked ham) is delicious and goes very well with kartoffelsalat, a lovely potato salad. I wash it all down with feuerzangenbowle, a traditional German drink infused with a sugar cube, rum and mulled wine.

I still have room for dessert, so I stop at one of the market’s 150 stalls where a vendor is selling lebkuchen and spekulatius cookies and raisin-filled bread called stollen, which only appears during the Christmas season, apparently.

Many of the Charlottenburg vendors display delicately-made Christmas crafts and decorations — techniques used to make them have been passed down from generation to generation — and roving minstrels entertain the throngs, many of whom are holding glasses of glühwein, a traditional drink prepared with red wine.

Now that I’m in the Christmas spirit, I decide to visit some of Berlin’s other Christmas Markets, like:

• Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market: It’s held in one of the city’s most beautiful squares and attracts jazz bands, gospel singers, choirs, artists and acrobats.

• Potsdamer Platz Christmas Market: It’s held in the “modern” part of Berlin near the city’s famous Sony Entertainment Centre. There are lots of lights, music, crafts and food to be enjoyed here.

• Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Christmas Market: It’s held near the Kurfürstendamm and features more than 170 craft booths set up around a 20-metre-high Christmas tree.

• Spandau Old Town Market: This is Berlin’s biggest Christmas Market and attracts a lot of locals. The air is punched with the sweet aromas of roasted almonds, hot cocoa and mulled wine.

• The Spandau Christmas Market: More than 250 vendors gather here each Christmas and Berlin’s youth are attracted to this location by the annual rock concerts.

My guide tells me there are at least a half dozen more Christmas Markets in Berlin that she recommends I visit (the city actually hosts 54 during the festive season) but alas, my train to Vienna is about to leave so I’ll have to experience those on another visit.