Doing the holidays in Brussels

’Tis the season again. Some people enjoy being “festive”; for others it’s a chore. But under threat of being caricatured as an Ebenezer Scrooge, all of us – even we who subscribe to none of the three mainsprings of the tradition (Christianity, Nordic paganism and Coca-Cola commercialism) – are obliged to make some token gesture or other toward “the holidays”.

Displaying a Christmas tree is a good start. The easiest option of getting one is to visit one of Belgium’s corporate home-and-garden chains, where you’ll find trees of various sizes, styles and grades of biological verity. There is at least one Brico in every district of Brussels. Casa also has nine shops in the capital. Both have user-friendly websites with home delivery options, if you don’t have wheels.

Since the concept is a Scandinavian import, you might also go straight to the source. Ikea sells its tree, codenamed Nordmann, for the very American price of €19.99 Ikea Family card-holders receive a €15 (not a paltry €14.99) gift card if you bring the tree back for recycling in January.

Or you can go local and support a good cause. Woluwe non-profits Silex and Ricochet organize an annual Christmas tree sale (ongoing until 22 December) with proceeds going to programmes that benefit the community’s disabled.

After you deck the halls, you’ll want to deck yourself out in holiday threads for friends’ and neighbours’ holiday parties. You’ve got options: the standard Santa Claus suit, elf costume, Frosty the Snowman get-up, Rudolf the Reindeer pelt or any number of “sexy” variants thereof. Provocateurs, you might opt to guise up rather as Dr Seuss’ Grinch.

All these and more can be found in the centre of Brussels, around the Bourse metro station. The neighbourhood is home to not one but three dedicated, year-round costume emporia: Picard Megafun party store (Rue du Marché au Charbon 43), Palais des Cotillons (Rue du Lombard 66) and Hair Club (Boulevard Anspach 153).

From there, you’re only a few steps away from Brussels’ Winter Wonders, which stretches from the Grand Place to the Marché aux Poissons. Walk the circuit with its sprawling Christmas market, ice rink, merry-go-rounds, Ferris wheel and open-air installation Iceberg and you might find the last crucial ingredient of the “holiday spirit”: inspiration.