( Tribune Media Services ) -- Like a German child 's fantasy , Nurnberg 's fairy-godmother-like teenage angel stretched out her arms and said , `` If you 're very , very gentle , you can touch my wings . '' I stayed seated while little Bavarian preschoolers mobbed the stage to touch their Christkind . In southern Germany , a lovely angel named the Christkind charms wonderstruck children . Bavaria and Tirol -- two traditional regions of Germany and Austria -- are great for Christmas traditions . While most travelers visit for the Christmas markets , that 's just the start of the holiday charm . Germany 's grandest Christmas market , in Nurnberg , comes complete with an angelic Christkind dressed in gold , played by a real-life teenage girl . How does a female Christkind fit in the Christmas story ? Five hundred years ago , Martin Luther -- the church reformer who hailed from these parts -- wanted to shift the focus from St. Nicholas back to the Christ child . But as Germans had a hard time getting their mind around baby Jesus giving gifts , the Christmas gift-giver gradually morphed into a sweet girl who was still called the Christ child ( or Christkind ) . I was in Nurnberg producing a TV program about traditional European Christmas celebrations . I had arranged an interview with the Christkind . Chosen every other year in a contest , she 's like a rock star ... complete with bodyguard , publicist and entourage . We had been filming a montage of mistletoe kisses in action . After the interview , I pulled out the mistletoe and asked if I could give her a little kiss . Her bodyguard explained she could kiss my cheek ... but I could n't kiss hers . Each culture has a mythic gift-giver that parents use to encourage kids to be nice , not naughty . In Switzerland children enjoy an annual visit from a dynamic Christmas duo : Samichlaus -- Swiss-German for `` St. Nick '' -- and the black-clad henchman Schmutzli , his sidekick . We filmed Swiss children promising they were nice and not naughty , singing Samichlaus a carol , and eagerly digging into his big burlap bag to get their goodies . While much of Europe is down on the commercialism of the holiday season ( I even found some towns that had proclaimed `` Santa-free '' zones ) , much of Europe is also so secular that you hardly see any Christmas festivities . Austria , however , celebrates with sacred and traditional gusto . Visiting a Tirolean farming family , I enjoyed dashing through the fields in a two-horse open sleigh . Then , at the door of their gingerbread-cute yet massive home , the entire clan greeted us with a Christmas yodel . Inside their time-warp home , grandma made cookies , an old Hapsburg grandpa played the zither , and Mom lit the advent wreath while teaching her child the significance of each candle . Dad blessed the house from the attic to the barn by spreading incense smoke and sprinkling holy water . The parents decorated the tree in secret , placed the gifts , and lit the real candles . They rang a bell , and the kids tumbled into the room filled with joy . My time in Austria had its musical ups and downs . In Salzburg , my film crew and I hiked to the abbey where Maria of `` The Sound of Music '' caused her fellow sisters to sing , `` How do you solve a problem like Maria ? '' The sisters had agreed to let us be present at their holy Mass . Our soundman carefully set up the microphone stand to the side of the altar , facing the choir of nuns ( as I sat in the back happily humming `` Climb Every Mountain '' ) . Suddenly , the old but very spry Mother Superior dashed across the altar , evicting the soundman , who had to drag all his gear out of that holy zone . We heard the music , but could n't record it . Thankfully , the next morning -- Christmas morning -- we were given a royal perch in the Salzburg cathedral . As the cameras rolled , a huge orchestra and choir filled the place with a glorious , powerful Diabelli Mass . Austria is the home of `` Silent Night . '' In Oberndorf -- the town just outside of Salzburg where the song originated -- I hoped to catch a performance of `` Stille Nacht '' for viewers . On Christmas Eve , we scrambled to record at several spots where events were to take place . But it was basically a muddy , touristy mess , with underwhelming music and not a hint of the magic we had naively hoped for . I managed to persuade a couple of musicians to perform a private little concert in the town 's church for us . After a day of frustration , we filmed `` Silent Night '' as it was first played -- with two guitars and two singers . Today , this heavenly song can be heard from small-town street corners in America to magnificent cathedrals in Europe . However and wherever you celebrate this year , I hope you too have a peaceful holiday -- as the song says -- both calm and bright . Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio . E-mail him at rick @ ricksteves.com , or write to him c/o P.O . Box 2009 , Edmonds , Wash. 98020 . COPYRIGHT 2007 RICK STEVES , DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES , INC. E-mail to a friend .
Rick Steves produces 30 guidebooks on European travel . Since 1973 he 's spent 120 days a year in Europe . He has traveled to over 50 countries, and his guides have been published by Lonely Planet, Frommer's, Rough Guides, Fodor's and others. Through the Back Door , conducts European tours .