Christmas markets capture a kind of magic you can’t find anywhere else — equal parts tradition, community, and holiday sparkle. While the tradition began in Europe centuries ago, American cities have created their own festive versions that echo the Old World charm. But how do the “classic” European markets compare to their “new world” counterparts?

Planning a family reunion? Make it unforgettable with our 20 fun family reunion quiz questions for family history. This activity goes beyond dates and places, helping you capture stories, heirlooms, recipes, and memories from every generation. Use these engaging questions to spark conversations, uncover family legends, and strengthen connections while building a richer, more meaningful family tree together.

When I talk to people about genealogy, I often hear:“I built a tree on Ancestry.com in 20 minutes!” Hate to break it to you, but that tree was probably someone else’s work—copied, unverified, and riddled with errors. It’s like claiming you “wrote a book” when all you did was photocopy it. (Or used AI to create the whole thing and claim it as your own.) In my own family, I’ve seen at least three different women falsely named as my 3rd great-grandmother.

The pilot scheduled for that fateful flight was Lieutenant Thomas Pihl Jordan, a daring aviator who held Norwegian pilot certificate no. 27. But Jordan wasn't confident about this mission. In the days before departing Kjeller for the flight to Værnes and the major military aviation exercise, he expressed deep distrust of his assigned aircraft. He called it the "coffin" and told his friends it would "probably become his coffin in the literal sense."