Christmas, or Xmas for non-believers, used to be a quiet period in Edinburgh. It's less so now, although (Hogmanay night aside) it's still not quite as mad as the hurlyburly of the Edinburgh Festival.

"Edinburgh's Capital Christmas" is a program of Xmas events that was first launched in 1999 to complement the extensive millennium Hogmanay celebrations. Together they're known as Edinburgh's Winter Festivals.

Smell the glühwein

The "traditional" German Market is popular - last year it attracted more than 250,000 visitors - with its steaming mulled wine (more than 15,000 mugs of which were drunk last year), bratwurst, cheeses, roasted chestnuts, and other hearty food served off wooden chalet stalls.

You wont miss the brightly lit giant Christmas tree from Norway which is erected at the top of the Mound, and George Street and Princes Street are decked with fairie lights and yuletide decorations.

The switch-on of the Christmas lights is watched by several thousand people at the end of November. In 2007, a large crowd braved their gusty night air for an aerial performance in Leith of the popular Christmas poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’.

Winter Wonderland

You can get your skates on at the temporary ice-rink in Princes Street Gardens and there's rides on the Edinburgh Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel that rises and falls beside the Scott Monument.

A programme of popular storytelling events are held in Hata Kata tents tents from Lapland.

The ‘Great Scottish Santa Fun Run’ attracted a record 2,257 registered runners and raised more than £38,000 for the ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ charity.

The 33 metre high Edinburgh Wheel does over 2 million rotations during the festive period.

Meanwhile, in West Princes Street Gardens will be home to 10 live reindeer from 15 December to 23 December. You can post your letters in his special letterbox at Santa’s Reindeer Garden.

Organisers

In 2007, Edinburgh's Winter Festivals selected County Durham, Ireland based event production company She's Gott It! to produce the Winter Festivals programme. Previously it was run by Pete Irvine's Unique Events.

Carbon footprint

There are over 200,000 individual bulbs that light up Edinburgh’s Christmas, with over 10 kilometres of cabling.

Weather

To some extent the weather dictates. If we're lucky the city is crispy chilled and dry. But it can be dreich, windy and wet.

Further info

For more info on Edinburgh's Christmas go here.