Christmas Markets and snow

I've been in  Strasbourg for two years now and this is the first time I've seen the Christmas market in the snow- it was worth the wait. The snow brings out the magic in any city. So when the city is already beautiful, as is the case for Strasbourg, things just get a bit too magical- you wonder what fairy story you've fallen into. The odour of mulled wine fills the air, sugary treats attract your attention from afar, and the white-encrusted buildings look even more edible than usual.
Yes, it's the Christmas Market again, and this year the snow has come early. It has it's good side, the city is very pretty, but the problem is that the magic doesn't last. Once Christmas is over and the market is gone, he snow melts, taking the magic with it, and leaving behind puddles of frozen deception for unsuspecting walkers or or cyclists to slip and break limbs on. But for now Strasbourg is a frozen wonderland, and I find mysekf expecting to stumble over magical pixies around every corner.
At the weekend my friend and I trundled off to Colmar, Strasbourg's little sister city. Its also very pretty, and doesn't have all the annoying modern buildings that keep you from getting lost in the magic. In fact all the buildings are bent over on some kind of crazy angle, and the snow looks like it's going to bring them crashing down at any moment. If it wasn't so damn cold it would be perfect! But I suppose you can't have everything- unless you live in Dubai because they have ski fields in the desert. But they don't have Christmas, being a Muslim country, so you still don't get everything.