A guide to holidays with a smile

The CBS wishes you a merry Christmas and a successful new year

The holiday season brings plenty of small rituals that brighten up December, and during these days even the most stubborn sceptics turn into Christmas light experts, cake tasters, and perfect Christmas tree-hunters. If you are among those who wonder every year how to survive it all with a smile, we’re bringing you a little guide as a reminder that the December madness, a.k.a. the most wonderful time of the year, can actually be - charming.
 
1. Put warm clothes on!
Winter is the time of the year when fashion and functionality make a truce, and hats and scarves become the stars of our wardrobe. The offer in stores is diverse, and the most important thing is to choose warm and comfortable pieces that will keep you warm on winter walks and at Advent gatherings and Christmas markets. Considering that, according to trade in goods statistics, we imported hats worth 5.7 million euro and scarves worth 5.8 million euro in 2024, we believe that everyone can find something for themselves. Therefore, if with the drop in temperatures you too are turning into professional stylists making a difficult decision - risk a cold or ruin your hairstyle - don't worry, no one looks bad while they are warm.

2. Light the candles!
Advent without candles? Impossible. Scented, handmade, traditional or super modern in design - candles are a holiday detail that brings peace and warmth into each home, and according to trade in goods statistics, we imported 16.5 million euro worth of candles and tapers in 2024. However, no matter how beautiful the tradition is, when it comes to the Advent wreath, don’t forget to combine safety with aesthetics.

3. Decorate your home with Christmas lights!
Magical, colourful, shiny... and absolutely impossible to untangle. If there is an official holiday sport, it is untangling the lights. Every year you promise yourself that you will put them away neatly this time, and then you find them tangled in a knot again. Don't worry, you are not the only one. Every idea for decorating your house starts with the words "We'll just decorate a little!”, and three hours later - you are still holding the tangled cables. At that moment, electricity prices and the bill you will receive in January are probably the last thing on your mind. However, we will remind you how electricity prices have changed over the past fifteen years.
 
4. Bake (or buy) panettone bread!
The smell of panettone, fresh bread with raisins, is the moment when the holidays really begin. Regardless of whether you are among those who simply adore it or those who rank it alongside chocolate with raisins, the fact is that it is the star of the holiday table in many households. If you are among those who prepare it themselves - congratulations, it is a holiday discipline equal to running a marathon. However, if you decide to help yourselves a little and opt for a ready-made one, know that in 2024 we imported incredible 22 million kilograms of panettone. Even if it is not homemade, we are sure that this will not weaken the taste of the holidays on your palate in the slightest. One thing is for sure - it is best when shared!

5. Find a perfect little Christmas tree (Croatian: borić)!
Looking for a Christmas tree often becomes a real expedition. One is too big, the other too small, the third is beautiful, but it has already lost half of its needles... And when you finally find the perfect one, you buy it and bring it home, that's when the adventure begins, which often turns into a small family argument. Straightening, centring and convincing that it's not crooked, but that's just how it looks at that angle. Or - wasn't our living room bigger and how come this tree doesn't fit, and it looked perfect outdoors? But the real magic happens when you decorate it with lights, ornaments and memories that preserve the family tradition year after year. And while you're decorating it, amaze your family with a piece of statistics. According to the 2021 Census, there were 1 404 persons with the Borić surname in Croatia.

6. Give socks as a gift!
There is no better moment than when you open a gift and you see - socks! The colourful ones bring joy, the wool ones bring warmth, and the sporty ones send a discreet message that you should start exercising in January. According to provisional data, in 2024 we produced as many as 82 million pairs of socks, so don't be surprised if they end up under your tree. Maybe this gift doesn't cause that much euphoria, but the person who’s giving it to you is saying - I want you to be warm and comfortable. If that's not love, what is?


 
If the Christmas lights drive you crazy, the socks make you happy, and the panettone disappears faster than you planned - you did everything right. And, in the end, the holidays are not a race, but a moment to pause, warm our homes and hearts, and enjoy all the little rituals that make December magical.

The Croatian Bureau of Statistics wishes you happy holidays and a successful new year!

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