Magda Piasecka 2025-11-27

Poland in December: tips for making the most of your winter in Poland

Our Partner of the Month: Macaron cookies made in Poland to order online
Order online French macarons made in Warsaw. A box of delicious sweets is a perfect gift for your family and friends (or yourself!). You can also order custom-printed macarons with a logo/design/text, a gingerbread house kit, or a macaron Christmas tree. Click here to select the best flavors and order 24-hour courier delivery.

Weather in Poland in December

In 2025, astronomical winter begins on December 21 with the winter solstice – the day with the fewest hours of sunlight in Poland all year. On a positive note, starting on December 21, the days in Poland will get longer and the nights shorter. The length of the day goes from 7 hours 42 min. on December 22 to 10 hours 50 min. at the end of February.

Winter in Poland is cold and usually snowy. To stay cozy in Poland’s cold weather, you will need a hat, coat, scarf, gloves, and winter boots. The lowest temperature is recorded in eastern and southern Poland. Remember that temperatures in Poland drop significantly at night in winter!

The weather in Poland differs during the winter. Usually, the temperature is around freezing or a few degrees below, but it can drop to -20 °C (-4 °F). In recent years, average winter temperatures have increased.

Because of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, December is a favorite month for many people in Poland. The name of the month – grudzień – comes from the Polish word gruda, meaning frozen ground. The average temperature in December in Poland drops below zero: -0,16°C / 32°F. The average rainfall level in December in Poland is 38 mm (similar to March and April). Sunset on December 1: 3.27 pm, December 31: 3.32 pm.

Read more about the weather in Poland in winter (December, January & February).

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Public holidays and dates to remember in Poland in December 2025

  • December 6

St. Nicholas’ Day (Mikołajki)
The name Mikołajki comes from Mikołaj (Polish for Nicholas), meaning little Nicholas. On the night of December 5-6, small gifts are secretly given to children while they sleep (little treats—mostly toys, but also sweets). One tradition is to hide treats in shoes. Children should clean them the night before, and the next morning (on Mikołajki day), they will find a small surprise inside their shoes. Chocolate Santas are often gifts—they can be bought in Polish stores as early as the end of November. In Polish schools, on December 6, there is a custom of exchanging small gifts between students, a secret Santa. Children decide in advance how much they will spend on a gift and draw a classmate to receive it.

  • December 21

The beginning of astronomical winter
The shortest day of the year. Click here to learn about the weather in Poland in the wintertime (December, January, and February).

  • December 24

Christmas Eve (Wigilia)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, and schools are CLOSED. Christmas Eve Dinner – kolacja wigilijna – is Poland’s most important Christmas celebration. Click here to learn more about Christmas traditions in Poland. The Christmas Eve traditions include waiting for a first star, the Christmas wafer (opłatek), 12 meat-free courses, an extra seat for an unexpected guest, hay under the tablecloth, and a special midnight mass (pasterka).

  • December 25

Christmas Day (Boże Narodzenie)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, and schools are CLOSED. People in Poland usually visit family and friends to celebrate together, go to church, sing carols (kolędy), and spend long hours at the table.

  • December 26

Second Day of Christmas (Drugi Dzień Świąt Bożego Narodzenia)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, and schools are CLOSED.

  • December 31

New Year’s Eve / St. Silvestre’s Day (Sylwester) 
It’s the start of the carnival season in Poland. People usually go out to parties and balls. Stores are typically open no longer than 5-6 pm.

Read more about public holidays and dates to remember in Poland in the wintertime.

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 Shopping Sundays in Poland in December 2025

December 7, December 14, and December 21 are shopping Sundays in Poland – stores are open. The next shopping Sunday will be on January 25, 2026.

Click here to read our post about shopping Sundays in Poland in 2026. Read our post with the list of online stores in Poland delivering groceries to your home.

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Christmas Markets in Poland

You will find detailed information about Christmas markets and indoor gift fairs in selected cities in Poland for the 2025/2026 season in our post: Christmas markets and gift fairs in Poland. Our post includes outdoor Christmas markets and indoor gift fairs in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, Gdańsk, the Katowice area, Toruń, and Szczecin.

KRAKÓW: Outdoor Christmas and New Year Market in the Old Town (November 28, 2025 – January 1, 2026)
Location: the main square of the Old Town Market Square of Kraków (Rynek Główny). Souvenirs, gifts, local crafts and food, Christmas decorations, ceramics, wood products, jewelry, toys. Our tips about visiting Kraków.

WROCŁAW: Outdoor Christmas Market (November 21, 2025 – January 7, 2026)
Locations: Market Square, Świdnicka Street, Oławska Street, Salt Square/Plac Solny. December 24: closed, December 25 – closed, December 26 – 1 pm – 9 pm, December 31 – selected shops until 5 pm, stalls with food until 2 am. January 1: closed. Christmas gifts and decorations, food, attractions for children (Fairy Tale Forest, arts and crafts workshops, painting glass balls, carousels, Santa Claus’s reindeer with Rudolph), Christmas parade, concerts. More in English, including a detailed agenda and list of attractions. Our tips about visiting Wrocław.

POZNAŃ: Outdoor Christmas Market – Betlejem Poznańskie (November 15, 2025 – January 6, 2026)
Locations: Plac Wolności (November 21 – January 6), Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie – (November 15 – December 21), Old Market Square (November 22 – January 6). Poznań Ice Festival: December 12-14. Fair of Christmas gifts, food, artistic performances, a Santa grotto, workshops for children and youth, and charity events. Website in English. Our tips about visiting Poznań.

Photo source: Betlejem Poznańskie

GDAŃSK: Outdoor Christmas Market (November 21 – December 23, 2025)
Location: Targ Węglowy / Coal Market. Fair of Christmas gifts, crafts, decorations, food, a carousel, Santa, and Snow Queen. More in English. Facebook. Instagram. Our tips about visiting Gdańsk.

  • You will find detailed information about Christmas markets and winter fairs in selected cities in Poland in the 2025/2026 season in our post: Christmas markets and fairs in Poland. Our post includes over 50 events – outdoor Christmas markets and indoor fairs in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, Gdańsk, the Katowice area, Toruń, and Szczecin.

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Where to buy a Christmas tree in Poland, and the most popular real Christmas trees you can buy in Poland

In December, you can buy a Christmas tree in Poland on a street corner – pop-up tree lots appear overnight on street corners or in front of shops. There’s no standard pricing, so if you like, you can bargain a bit about the price;)

Major supermarkets and home improvement stores in Poland typically set up their live Christmas trees in the garden section or the parking lot. You can also buy a tree from your local garden center.

They will cut the stem of the tree you pick, net it, and help you secure it to the top of your car if needed. You can buy a cut tree, a potted tree (grown in a field, dug up, and placed in a pot), or if you know that the Christmas tree will later go to your garden, you can buy a “rooted” tree (choinka ukorzeniona) – a pot grown tree (which has been planted in a container as a seedling).

In major cities in Poland, you can buy real Christmas trees online. Type in Google: “choinka dostawa do domu” and the name of your city.

A glossary of terms applicable when buying a Christmas tree: choinka – a Christmas tree, w doniczce – potted, obsadzanie – putting a real Christmas tree in the stand, stojak – stand, lampki – lights, bombki – Christmas baubles.

The most popular real Christmas trees you can buy in Poland include: the Norway Spruce (świerk pospolity), the Blue Spruce or Colorado Spruce (świerk srebrny or świerk kłujący), the Caucasian Fir or Nordmann Fir (jodła kaukaska).

The Norway Spruce (świerk pospolity) is the only species of spruce that grows naturally in Poland and is the traditional Christmas tree (although the no-needle-drop fir has recently overtaken it). Spruce is resistant to low temperatures, making it the most common coniferous tree in Poland, apart from Scots pine. It’s a quick-growing species, so spruce is usually a bit cheaper than fir. It has a rich green color and a stronger festive aroma than fir. When placed in a room, Norway spruce gives off a wonderful fragrance that many people associate with forests and Christmas. If you value the tree’s fragrance, go for the Norway Spruce. Compared to the Caucasian Fir, the spruce sheds its needles more quickly, so it’s essential to keep the tree well-watered daily and to keep it away from radiators and other heat sources.

The Blue Spruce or Colorado Spruce (świerk srebrny or świerk kłujący) is a silver variety of spruce. Due to its easy cultivation in Poland, its availability, and its dense needles, it is a species often chosen for Christmas trees.

The Caucasian Fir or Nordmann Fir (jodła kaukaska) is an increasingly popular Christmas tree in Poland – it’s a low-maintenance tree (the best option for those who want to put up their Christmas tree as soon as possible and not wait until the last minute to start decorating). Unlike spruce trees, the fir Christmas tree does not drop needles (unlike spruce trees) but dries them over time and keeps them long after Christmas. You don’t need to worry about vacuuming during the holidays;) Its needles are soft and rounded, so the fir is generally more child and pet-friendly. It is usually more expensive than spruce and has no fragrance. Last but not least, the Caucasian Fir has a broad base to accommodate lots of presents…;)

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Winter illuminations and light displays in Poland

During the wintertime, many parks in Poland transform after dark into a magical world of lights, allowing you to spend time outdoors walking through a winter festive landscape. We take you to magical places across Poland where you can escape everyday life and enjoy winter in Poland.

You will find detailed information about illumination festivals in Poland in the 2025/2026 season in our post: Festivals of lights, illuminations, and Christmas displays across Poland (including Kraków, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, Katowice, Lublin, Wałbrzych, Bydgoszcz).

KRAKÓW: Garden of Lights – “Pinocchio”

The Garden of Lights features this season’s “Pinocchio” (a new theme this year; in previous seasons, it featured The Smurfs, Peter Pan, and Snow White). In addition to almost 30 light installations, all the light figures are surrounded by multimedia illuminations – a combination of sound, image, and music. Other attractions include a multimedia light tunnel, Christmas tree light shows, mappings, and a light maze. All attractions are spread over 6 hectares!

Photo source: Ogród Świateł w Krakowie

POZNAŃ area: Winter illuminations and Christmas attractions in Deli Park

Deli Park is a park with mini landmarks, giant insects, and a mini zoo located 18 km from the city of Poznań. During Christmas and the wintertime, festive illuminations are installed there. You can walk among the illuminated and decorated with colorful lamps, the alleys of the park, and various types of light illuminations such as a globe, a giant Christmas ball, illuminated light tunnels, a traditional Christmas nativity scene with live animals, and Christmas decorations. There is also a Santa’s Grotto, his sleigh with reindeer, at Santa’s desk, and children can sign up for the Book of Good Children.

Photo source: Deli Park

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Things you can’t miss in Poland in December

Hide the candy in the shoe of the person you live with

On December 6, St. Nicholas’ Day (Mikołajki) is celebrated in Poland. The name Mikołajki comes from Mikołaj (Polish for Nicholas), meaning little Nicholas. On the night of December 5-6, small gifts are secretly given to children while they are sleeping (little treats – toys, but most of all sweets). One tradition is to hide treats in shoes. Children should clean them the night before, and the next morning (on Mikołajki day), they will find a small surprise inside their shoes. Chocolate Santas are often such a gift – they can be bought in Polish stores at the end of November.

In Polish schools, on December 6, there is a custom of exchanging small gifts between students – a secret Santa. Children decide in advance how much they will spend on a gift and draw a classmate to receive it.

Prepare an extra place setting at your festive table

One of the most outstanding Polish Christmas traditions is to prepare an extra seat at the table. One place more than the number of people gathered is placed on the festive table (including a plate and cutlery). According to tradition, an additional seat at the Christmas Eve table is reserved for an unexpected guest. The unannounced guest is symbolic – someone in need, poor, lost, lonely, or without family. This tradition reminds us to think of others, especially those in need. And to help others during the holidays, but not only.

In this way, we can also express the memory of our loved ones who have passed away. The empty plate can also symbolize someone in our family or among our friends with whom we cannot meet this year…

Find out more about Christmas traditions and celebrations in Poland.

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Accept the 12-course dinner challenge!

The tradition in Poland requires the Christmas Eve dinner (on December 24) to include twelve courses (yes, TWELVE!!!). The host of the Christmas Eve dinner may be held accountable by children for this tradition;) This is where creative accounting comes in handy – 12 dishes may include bread, side dishes, or desserts.

Everyone who associates Polish cuisine with meat dishes will be pleasantly surprised – all dishes served on Christmas Eve must be meat-free.

Typically, the dinner includes carp fish (karp), beetroot soup (barszcz czerwony), mushroom soup (zupa grzybowa) or fish soup (zupa rybna), dumplings with mushroom or cabbage filling (pierogi), cooked cabbage with mushrooms (kapusta z grzybami), herring salad (sałatka śledziowa), and cooked vegetable salad with mayonnaise dressing (sałatka jarzynowa).

Desserts are included in 12 courses: noodles with poppy seeds, honey, nuts, and dry fruits (kluski z makiem, makiełki), a dry fruit compote (kompot z suszu), poppy seeds cake (makowiec), gingerbread cookies (pierniczki), cheesecake (sernik), kutia – made with wheat or barley grain, ground poppy seeds, and honey.

Find out more about Christmas traditions and celebrations in Poland.

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Best indoor playgrounds and soft play centers in Poland

There are times of the year in Poland when many families head indoors for some shelter, and somewhere the children can burn off some of their endless energy:) Our Readers list top soft spots in Poland where adults can chill out while children have fun and tire themselves out.

Read more in our post: Indoor play spaces for children in Poland, recommended by our readers.

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Stores offering grocery home delivery in Poland

To meet the needs of our readers, we have compiled a list of online stores that deliver groceries in major cities across Poland. We hope our list of shops will make your daily life easier.

In the post on our website, you will find organic food stores and regular stores, by city:

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Subscribe to our monthly English newsletters to explore and learn about Poland. Once a month, you will receive a Newsletter: ‘Explore Poland with Kids‘. You will find there family-friendly destinations in Poland – beautiful places in Poland worth visiting with children – from city break destinations to hiking in the mountains (lots of practical tips!); things you can’t miss in Poland in a given month; dates to remember, holidays, observances in Poland in a given month so you can mark your calendars accordingly:

Click on the photos below to read other posts:

Unexpected Places to Experience a Winter Wonderland in Poland

WInter in Poland

Christmas traditions and celebrations in Poland

Public holidays and dates to remember in Poland in the wintertime (December, January & February)

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