Living that Holiday Life in Lisbon
First and foremost, Europe has great Christmas markets. I mean, it's still very clearly the same capitalism dressed in red and green tinsel that we have with the Christmas shopping madness in the States during the holidays but somehow it feels purer and less commercial. They are outdoors, the weather can be nice or frigid or even snow-filled, there is mulled wine, hot chocolate, coffee, apple cider, baked goods, piping hot foods, candy, and chocolate at every turn. There are trinkets and handmade goods and wood-carved reindeer. There is just pleasantness that comes with the Christmas markets in Europe that mask the commercialism of the holiday in a way that makes it feel all warm and fuzzy. The markets feel like a place where you would find Santa strolling around for fun. Christmas weighed on my mind frequently whilst we were in Portugal. We arrived in Lisbon after several of my fellow remotes and I had just celebrated Thanksgiving in Budapest. I wrote about my thoughts on cele