Christmas wishes for in-laws USA families love to send at the holidays carry warmth, gratitude, and a little American cheer. Whether you are writing to your mother-in-law in Texas, your father-in-law in Ohio, or your brother-in-law and sister-in-law across the country, the right words can make the family dinner feel even closer. This list brings together heartfelt, funny, and short messages made for American homes, snowy mornings, and long drives home for Christmas. In-laws become family in the truest sense at Christmas. They welcome you to the table, share treasured recipes, cheer for the same football team, and help trim the tree. A thoughtful wish thanks them for that welcome and tells them how much their love means through the year. Use these 45 wishes in a card, a text, a holiday letter, or a toast at the table. Pick one that fits your family, add a personal line about a shared memory, and send it early so it arrives before the turkey is carved and the eggnog is poured. Last up...
The best things to do at Christmas in Alicante mix Spanish tradition with Mediterranean sunshine, and that combination is exactly why this Costa Blanca city deserves a place on your winter list. Daytime temperatures sit around 17°C, so you can browse a Mercado de Navidad in a light jumper, enjoy lunch on a sunny terrace, and still find yourself beneath 2.6 million Christmas lights by nightfall. Feliz Navidad here means nativity scenes, turrón, and long family lunches rather than snow and heavy coats.
Alicante does Christmas its own way. The Christmas market is small, with only a couple of dozen wooden stalls on Paseo de Federico Soto, yet the city goes all in on lights, and the giant Belén in Plaza del Ayuntamiento is genuinely worth the trip. The nativity figures hold a Guinness World Record, with San José alone standing about 18 metres tall, and angel figures scattered across the centre form a magical trail.
Christmas in Alicante runs from late November to 6 January, and it builds toward the Reyes Magos rather than ending on 25 December. Nochebuena, Christmas Eve, is a family night built around a long dinner, while 5 January brings the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos parade and 6 January is the day Spanish children wake up to gifts. This guide covers the 15 best things to do across markets, food, family days out, and day trips, with budget tips most short guides skip.
A quick note before you plan: the city council usually publishes the full Christmas program in November, so every 2026 date in this guide is provisional and based on the 2025 season. Check the official Alicante tourism site before you travel, and book timed slots such as the Casita de San Nicolás as soon as bookings open.
Last updated: September 25, 2026
Jump to: Christmas Lights, Markets, and the Giant Belén · Festive Food and Sweet Treats · Christmas With Kids · Day Trips and Festive Escapes · Plan Your Trip · FAQs · More Christmas Inspiration
Christmas Lights, Markets, and the Giant Belén
The centre of Alicante glows from late November, and the best of it is free. Start after dark, when the lights, the market, and the giant nativity scene are at their brightest, and give yourself one unhurried evening to wander.
- Walk the lights trail after dark. Start on Avenida de la Constitución, where the 2025 switch-on lit 2.6 million LED lights across 130 locations, then follow the arches along the Rambla to Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The centre glows in warm champagne tones, and the whole loop takes about an hour on foot.
- Browse the Mercado de Navidad on Paseo de Federico Soto. Expect around two dozen wooden stalls selling handmade crafts, costume jewellery, leather goods, and second-hand books. It is small next to a German market, so treat it as a relaxed browse rather than a full afternoon, and go in the early evening when the lights come on.
- Stand beneath the giant Belén in Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The Belén Monumental has held the Guinness World Record for the largest nativity figures since 2020. San José alone measures about 18 metres, and smaller angel figures across the centre turn the visit into a free walking trail.
Festive Food and Sweet Treats in Alicante
Food is the heart of a Spanish Christmas, and Alicante is one of the best places in Spain to taste it. The city sits minutes from Jijona, the home of turrón, and its restaurants serve long seafood lunches right through the holidays.
- Taste turrón where it is made. Alicante province is the home of turrón, the almond nougat that appears on every Spanish Christmas table. Try the hard Alicante style and the soft Jijona style side by side in the Mercado Central or a specialist sweet shop, then take a box home as a gift.
- Book a long Nochebuena lunch. Christmas Eve dinner is the big family meal in Spain, and Alicante restaurants serve seafood platters, roast lamb, and suckling pig to tables that linger for hours. Reserve well ahead, since the best dining rooms fill up weeks before 24 December.
- Save room for roscón de Reyes. The ring-shaped Three Kings cake, decorated with candied fruit, is eaten on 5 and 6 January, often with thick hot chocolate. Bakeries across the centre sell it by the slice or whole, and finding a hidden figurine inside is said to bring good luck.
Christmas With Kids in Alicante
Alicante is an easy Christmas city with children, because most of the big attractions are outdoors, free, and close together. Book the timed experiences early, then let the lights and the fairground do the rest.
- Visit the Casita de San Nicolás in Plaza Séneca. Children meet Santa in his little house and hand over their wish lists, but slots are booked through the council website and go fast. Reserve as soon as bookings open, and pair the visit with the small funfair in the same square.
- Ride the Rabasa Christmas Fair. The big fairground at the Rabasa fairgrounds runs from late November into January, with rides, games, and food stalls that stay open late on weekends. Go on a weekday afternoon for shorter queues, and save the evening visit for the lights.
- Follow the Royal Camp of the Reyes Magos. The Campamento Real in Plaza de Gabriel Miró lets children meet the messengers of the Three Kings and post their letters before the parade. It usually opens after Christmas, so it works well as a between-Christmas-and-New-Year outing.
Day Trips and Festive Escapes From Alicante
Alicante makes a strong base for festive day trips, and the coast and mountains are both within an hour. Each of these trips adds something the city itself cannot offer, from palm groves to mountain villages and chocolate factories.
- Wander the palm grove of Elche. A short train or bus ride away, Elche holds a UNESCO-listed palm grove and a handsome old town that dresses up for Christmas. It is an easy half-day trip, and the palm-lined walks feel completely different from the Alicante seafront.
- Climb to Guadalest, the mountain village. Perched above a turquoise reservoir, Guadalest is one of the prettiest villages on the Costa Blanca, with castle views and tiny museums. Winter mornings are crisp and quiet, so go early and be back in Alicante for the evening lights.
- Taste chocolate in Villajoyosa, or turrón in Xixona. Villajoyosa pairs brightly painted fishermen houses with working chocolate factories that run tours and tastings. Xixona, the world capital of turrón, holds a festive fair in early December with tastings and demonstrations, and it is the best place to stock up.
Plan Your Alicante Christmas Trip
A little planning goes a long way in Alicante at Christmas, because the city is a working city rather than a resort. Shops, restaurants, and museums stay open all winter, but 25 December is a public holiday, so book restaurants ahead and expect shops to close that day.
- Climb to Santa Bárbara Castle on a clear morning. Entry to the castle is free, and the lift costs about 2.70 euros, with winter hours usually running from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Walk down through the Santa Cruz quarter afterward for whitewashed lanes and the sharpest winter views over the bay.
- Count down to midnight with twelve grapes. Nochevieja, New Year's Eve, ends with a free street party where the Rambla meets Portal de Elche, and the Spanish tradition is to eat one grape with each stroke of midnight. Buy seedless grapes in advance, since shops sell out of the little festive packs.
- Finish with the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos. The Three Kings parade fills the city centre on the evening of 5 January, with floats, music, and sweets thrown to the crowds. Arrive early for a front-row spot, and stay for 6 January, when the city slows down and families open gifts together.
Families
Base yourselves near the centre so naps and snack stops are easy, and plan one big outing a day rather than three. The Belén, the market, and the Casita de San Nicolás sit within a short walk of each other, and Postiguet beach gives restless children space to run between events.
Couples
Alicante suits a slow romantic break, with sunny terrace lunches, sunset walks along the Explanada, and the lights after dark. Book a table for Nochebuena or New Year's Eve well ahead, then wander the old town in the evenings with hot chocolate in hand.
Budget Travellers
Christmas in Alicante can be gentle on the wallet, because the lights, the giant Belén, the castle entry, and the parades are all free. Stay near the Mercado Central, eat the set lunch menu, and save your spending for turrón and local wine.
FAQs About Christmas in Alicante
Is Alicante good at Christmas?
Yes. Days are mild and sunny at around 17°C, the market is small and friendly, the nativity scene is record-breaking, and 2.6 million lights brighten the centre. It suits travellers who want festive atmosphere without cold weather.
When do the Christmas lights switch on in Alicante?
The switch-on usually happens in late November. In 2025 it took place on Friday 21 November, so expect a similar date in 2026, but the date stays provisional until the council announces it, so check the official Alicante tourism site before you travel.
Where is the Christmas market in Alicante?
The main Mercado de Navidad stands on Paseo de Federico Soto in the city centre, with around two dozen stalls selling crafts, jewellery, leather goods, and books. Based on recent years, expect it to run from early December to about 6 January.
What is the giant Belén in Alicante?
The Belén Monumental in Plaza del Ayuntamiento is a giant nativity scene that has held the Guinness World Record for the largest nativity figures since 2020. San José alone stands about 18 metres tall, and it usually stays up until around 7 January.
What food should I try at Christmas in Alicante?
Start with turrón, the almond nougat made nearby in Jijona, then try a long seafood lunch, polvorones, and roscón de Reyes on 5 and 6 January. Book Christmas Eve dinner ahead, since the best restaurants fill up early.
What happens in Alicante on 5 January?
The Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, the Three Kings parade, winds through the city centre in the early evening, with floats, music, and sweets for children. The next day, 6 January, is Three Kings Day, the main gift-giving day in Spain.
More Christmas Inspiration
Keep exploring festive Spain with our other city guides, each packed with markets, food, and family ideas for the 2026 season.
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