In Lativa 'Christmas' is know as the Mid Winter Festival.
Much more to my liking.
Unlike the UK, the decorations weren't sickening, tacky, or crass.
There wasn't the feeling that some gross light sequence had been hung up, out of place, down the centre of an unwilling street.
The town appeared to be blanketed in beauty, it seemed so natural for it to look so stunning.
There was far more thought put into how the decorations would slot into their surroundings, the creativity expressed in their design was so refreshing, so special.
These snowman figures were one of my favourite - there was a line of around six of them, on a row of trees at the outskirts of this green. The bodies were attached near the top of the cone, so they bobbed and boogied in the breeze.
It really was a winter wonderland, I felt like I was wondering through a fairytale the whole time I was there.
'Christmas' markets were still open in the centre of the Old Town, the buildings themselves were pretty to begin with. Imagine how my New Years felt, stood in the centre of all this, watching the town's firework display, with a surprisingly-nice bottle of cheap Russian champagne.
Perfection? Certainly my most memorable NYE yet.
