If you yearn for a change from Hawai'i's flawless but predictable clime, consider celebrating the coming holiday season in Europe, where many of our beloved American traditions originated. Savor the yuletide spirit in the uncrowded cities and quaint villages of off-season Europe. Crisp air, whirling snowflakes, and pungent scents of pine trees and fresh-baked gingerbread will set the scene. Then throw in enchanting Christmas markets, candlelight processions, choruses of carolers and brilliant cultural events to make your winter excursion unforgettable.

Unlike our American holiday season, which in its religious context is celebrated primarily on Dec. 25, European observances and festivals begin as early as November and continue through Jan. 6, Twelfth Night. As each country has its own distinctive traditions, the following capsules may help you to choose one that fulfills your notion of a storybook Christmas season celebration.

Germany: home of the evergreen Christmas tree, the flaming yule log, toothsome gingerbread and many of our best-loved carols; remains today one of the most festive places to celebrate the season; begins four weeks before Christmas during Advent with wreaths of ribbons and candles decorating each home; famous Christmas fairs — offering toys, decorations and delicacies and dating back nearly 600 years — open early December in Nuremberg, Munich and other towns; feast of St. Nicholas with treats for children on Dec. 6; most colorful processions and rituals take place in Catholic Bavaria, particularly Christmas Eve; stuffed goose and stollen cake on Christmas Day; fireworks displays for New Year's Eve; lantern parades and singing on Jan. 6, when Christmas trees are taken down.

Britain: cradle of the boar's head tradition, Christmas cards, stockings by the fireplace, Father Christmas and more of our carols; old-fashioned festivities at English country houses, with snooker competitions, treasure hunts, fancy-dress balls, Dec. 26th Boxing Day events, chestnut roasts, river sculling and other genteel pursuits; stuffed goose, plum pudding and mince pie on Christmas Day; the Queen's Christmas Speech on TV; village fairs, holiday pantomimes and religious observances; gala celebrations for New Year's Eve, followed by huge sales at Harrod's and other fine department stores.

Italy: birthplace of the Christmas creche; elaborate displays of nativity scenes throughout the country, particularly notable in Rome, Naples and Assisi; season heralded by pageantry of traditional opening in early December of Rome's Christmas market; costumed ceremonies around shrines and torchlight parades in villages; Christmas Eve supper celebrated with pasta, fish and eel dishes; midnight mass by the pope at the Vatican, attended by the full College of Cardinals and the diplomatic corps; presents exchanged on Epiphany, Jan. 6, last day of Christmas celebrations.

Austria: home of "Silent Night" and the picture-perfect Christmas of your imagination — blankets of snow, traditional music, memorable feasts, blazing fires and charming celebrations; famous Christkindlmarkt opens mid-November in Vienna and early December in Salzburg; strolling Advent carolers; wreathes with candles lit in windows; trees decorated Christmas Eve, followed by a festive meal and exchange of gifts before attending midnight mass; another joyous mass on Christmas Day and then a stuffed goose dinner; most romantic New Year's Eve in Vienna at the Imperial Ball in the Hofburg Palace — dine beneath crystal chandeliers, waltz to the music of Strauss and applaud the Vienna State Opera; at Stephanplatz, the Times Square of Vienna, church bells peal at the stroke of midnight; season closes Jan. 6, with celebration of the Three Wise Men's journey.

Other appealing destinations for your Christmas break include France, where the Festival of Christmas Lights and Spectacles takes place Dec. 15 through Jan. 31 in Paris and where the most picturesque village pageants, nativity pantomimes and Christmas Eve masses can be found in Provence at Pérouges and Beaune; Switzerland, where pageants and festivals begin in early December with Klausjagen, the appearance of Santa Claus amidst elaborate processions, and culminate in distinctive New Year's Eve ceremonies in each canton; Holland or Belgium, where the season opens with celebrations of St. Nicholas Day and continues throughout December with pageants and fairytale illuminations; or try the snow-blanketed countries of Scandinavia.

The opportunities to experience a traditional European holiday season are limited only by your budget and imagination. You can opt for a true Victorian Christmas, hosted by titled English folk at their country estates. What about a Lord Byron-style pilgrimage to Rome, with Christmas Eve mass celebrated by the pope? Consider an Austrian sojourn in charming Salzberg for the fabulous market and postcard-pretty scenery and then a farewell fling in Vienna on New Year's Eve at the glittering Imperial Ball.

If you'd like to trade in surf for snow during the holidays, ask your travel agent to book now for lower winter airfares to the Continent and for irresistible specialty packages that will include all the trimmings of an old-fashioned European Christmas.

Irene Croft Jr. of Kailua, Kona, is a travel writer and 40-year veteran globetrotter. Her column is published in this section every other week.