Ah, Christmas in Europe! Rosy-cheeked children waiting for Santa Claus and his team of reindeer to overwhelm them with gifts. A feast of mince pies, turkey and mulled wine.
Today the only place to really experience this idyll is in your dreams. Because Christmas celebrations in Europe have become a violent, bleak, homogenized, commercial disappointment.
There are plenty of reasons for this, involving all the big issues of our times: terrorism, economics, cultural shifts, diversity and even climate change.