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

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Weather in Poland in December

In 2024, 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 the cold weather in Poland, you will need a hat, coat, scarf, gloves, and winter boots. The lowest temperature is recorded in eastern and southern Poland. Remember that the temperature in the wintertime in Poland drops significantly at night!

The weather in Poland differs during the winter. Usually, the temperature is around freezing or a few degrees below, but it happens that the temperature drops below -20 °C (-4 °F). In recent years, there has been an increase in average winter temperatures compared to previous years.

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).

Public holidays and dates to remember in Poland in December 2024

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 are sleeping (little treats – toys but most of all sweets). One of the traditions is to hide treats in shoes. Children should clean them the night before, and the next morning (on Mikołajki day), they would find inside their shoes a small surprise. Chocolate Santas are often such a gift – they can be bought in Polish stores already at the end of November. In Polish schools, on December 6, there is a custom of exchanging small gifts between students. Children decide in advance the amount for which they will buy a gift and draw a person from the class to be given a gift.

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).

Christmas Eve (Wigilia)
Christmas Eve is not a public holiday in Poland. Shops and businesses are open no longer than 2 pm. Christmas Eve Dinner – kolacja wigilijna – is Poland’s most important Christmas celebration. Click here to learn more about Christmas traditions and celebrations 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).

Christmas Day (Boże Narodzenie)
A public holiday in Poland. Stores, malls, shopping centers, public institutions, 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.

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

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.

 Shopping Sundays in Poland in December 2024

December 15 and December 22 are shopping Sundays in Poland – stores are open. The next shopping Sunday will be on January 26, 2025.

Click here to read our post about shopping Sundays in Poland in 2025. Read our post with the list of online stores in Poland delivering groceries to your home.

Christmas Markets in Poland

You will find detailed information about Christmas markets and indoor fairs of presents in selected cities in Poland in the 2024/2025 season in our post: Christmas markets and gift fairs in Poland. Our post includes outdoor Christmas markets and indoor fairs of gifts in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, Gdańsk, the Katowice area, Toruń, Szczecin.

KRAKÓW: Outdoor Christmas and New Year Market in the Old Town (November 29, 2024 – January 1, 2025)
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 29, 2024 – January 7, 2025)
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 16, 2024 – January 6, 2025)
Locations: Plac Wolności (November 16 – January 6), Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie – (November 16 – December 31). Poznań Ice Festival: December 6-8. Fair of Christmas gifts, food, artistic performances, a Santa grotto, workshops for children and youth, charity events. Website in English. Our tips about visiting Poznań.

Photo source: Betlejem Poznańskie

GDAŃSK: Outdoor Christmas Market (November 22 – December 23, 2024)
Location: Targ Węglowy / Coal Market. Fair of Christmas gifts, crafts, decorations, food, a carousel, Santa, Snow Queen. More in English. Facebook. Instagram. Our tips about visiting Gdańsk.

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 useful 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 recently overtaken by no needle drop fir). 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 usually, the spruce is a bit cheaper than the 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 many people think of as a forest and Christmas. If you value the tree’s fragrance, go for the Norway Spruce. Compared to the Caucasian Fir, the spruce drops its needles faster, so it’s essential to keep the tree well-watered daily and away from the radiator 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 and availability, as well as its dense needles, it is a species often chosen for the Christmas tree in Poland.

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 doesn’t have any fragrance. Last but not least, the Caucasian Fir has a broad base to accommodate lots of presents…;)

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Winter illuminations and lights 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 in winter festive scenery. We take you through magical places across Poland where you can cut off from everyday matters and enjoy winter in Poland.

You will find detailed information about 17 illuminations festivals in Poland in the 2024/2025 season in our post: Festivals of lights, illuminations, and Christmas displays across Poland (Kraków, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, Katowice, Lublin, Wałbrzych, Bydgoszcz).

WROCŁAW: Illuminations in the Zoo

In the 2024/2025 season, new theme: “Wild Asia”. A new exhibition of lights on the map of Poland and Wrocław since the 2023/2024 season – illuminations are located in the Wrocław Zoo.

• Location on Google map.
• Address: Zoo Wrocław, ul. Wróblewskiego 1/5, 51-618 Wrocław.
• October 25, 2024 – March 2, 2025.
• Website in Polish, Facebook. Instagram.
• Our tips in English on visiting the city of Wrocław.

Photo source: Wrocław Zoo

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.

• Location on Google map.
• Address: DELI Park, Trzebaw/Rosnówko, ul. Poznańska 1, 62-060 Stęszew.
• November 9, 2024 – January 31, 2025.
• Website in Polish, Facebook. Instagram.
• Our tips on visiting the city of Poznań.

Photo source: Deli Park

• In our post, you will find detailed information about 17 illuminations festivals in Poland in the 2024/2025 season: Festivals of lights, illuminations, and Christmas displays across Poland.

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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 of the traditions is to hide treats in shoes. Children should clean them the night before, and the next morning (on Mikołajki day), they would find inside their shoes a small surprise. 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. Children decide in advance the amount for which they will buy a gift and draw a person from the class to be given a gift.

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 intended for an unannounced and unexpected guest. The unannounced guest is symbolic – someone in need, poor, lost, lonely, or without family. This tradition reminds us and obliges us to think about others and 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 from family or friends with whom we cannot meet this year…

Find out more about Christmas traditions and celebrations in Poland.

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), 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, 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

Responding to the needs of our readers, we have compiled a list of online stores that deliver grocery shopping in major cities in 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:

• Warsaw
• Wrocław
• Kraków
• Łódź
• Katowice area
• Poznań
• Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot

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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:

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