Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' European Christmas [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is actually a DVD and not a book like the previous two reviews have mistaken. There is a matching book to this DVD and probably what they have mistaken in this case. Now, on to the DVD.

I cannot recommend this DVD enough! My family has sat down to this program for the past two years and everytime I find something new to appreciate about it. Rick Steves takes us on tour in his usual style through several European countries and their unique customs. This time however we are allowed into the homes and traditions of the native peoples families. 7 european cultures are explored through their Christmas and holiday traditions. Italian, Swiss, British, French are to name a few of the places Rick takes us to on Christmas eve and the preceding days of celebration. What I like about the DVD most is the way you are shown each countries holiday traditions seperatly right up to Christmas eve then you are treated to the mounting Christmas eve excitment from all countries as they get ready for Father Christmas's visit or for some cultures the pinnacle of the season that evening. It shows the flashy city wide celebrations as well as what the average family does for seasons greetings. If you want to see humanity at its best this DVD will surely do your heart some good to see the common excitement in all childrens eyes and in the adults voices. Like I said I can't say enough. However, I will break a cardinal rule here and tell you that I would splurge here a little and go to www.ricksteves.com and purchase the Christmas set which includes the DVD, the book that the other two reviewers are refering to, as well as the matching CD that contains all of the carols that are in the DVD. Belive me once you see the performances you will want the CD! This package sells for around 35 dollars and is well worth it! Wishing you a happy holidays whatever time of the year you read this!

Festive Fun! The video quality on this DVD is excellent.
Bonus Features: 45 minutes of extra content, including full-length choir performances, Pope John Paul II's last midnight Christmas Mass, interview with the Christkind, Italian manger scenes (presepi), and a musical slide show of European Christmas images.
Running Time: 1 hour + bonus features. Widescreen (16x9) NTSC format, all region compatible.

This is a great combination of travel information, historical background, holiday traditions, great photographs and even recipes, all describing the European Christmas experience. There are chapters on England, Norway, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Rick Steves even adds a personal touch as his family joins him to celebrate a snowy Christmas in Switzerland. This is a book you will pick up every Christmas to reread and enjoy.

Wish you could go to Europe for Christmas? Well, this DVD is the next best thing to an exotic holiday, and there are no crowds at the airport, traffic jams or surly clerks. This DVD is filled with glorious scenery, historical landmarks, beautiful choral music and sights most of us could not arrange no matter how large our travel budget. Thankfully, Rick Steve's manages to cajole families to share their holiday so the viewer can witness how Christmas is actually celebrated by real people in each of the featured countries -- England, Germany, France, Italy, Norway and Switzerland.

There are so many memorable scenes, but a favorite is Steve's and his family visiting friends in the Swiss Alps. They ski and sled in breathtaking scenery and then stop at a hut to warm up and enjoy a rich cheese fondue. It is then after dark, and they return home skiing by candlelight. The extras include Midnight Mass in Rome by the Pope and additional choral music. This DVD is a unique treasure. It is filled with beautiful sights and sounds and it improves with repeated watching and it is worth every penny.

I checked out this dvd at my local library. I enjoyed it so much that I repeatedly checked it out while I waited for the copy I bought to arrive. It shows rick and his family celebrating christmas in europe. It shows beautiful locations as well as holiday traditions and customs from different cultures. There is some awesome singing in the video by different groups. I can watch it over and over. It leaves you feeling warm and cozy all over. Great not only for the holidays but anytime. I have purchased rick steves entire europe dvd series as well as guidebooks in the past, all of rick steves products are excellant.

I cannot recommend this DVD enough! My family has sat down to this program for the past two years and everytime I find something new to appreciate about it. Rick Steves takes us on tour in his usual style through several European countries and their unique customs. This time however we are allowed into the homes and traditions of the native peoples families. 7 european cultures are explored through their Christmas and holiday traditions. Italian, Swiss, British, French are to name a few of the places Rick takes us to on Christmas eve and the preceding days of celebration. What I like about the DVD most is the way you are shown each countries holiday traditions seperatly right up to Christmas eve then you are treated to the mounting Christmas eve excitment from all countries as they get ready for Father Christmas's visit or for some cultures the pinnacle of the season that evening. It shows the flashy city wide celebrations as well as what the average family does for seasons greetings. If you want to see humanity at its best this DVD will surely do your heart some good to see the common excitement in all childrens eyes and in the adults voices. Like I said I can't say enough. However, I will break a cardinal rule here and tell you that I would splurge here a little and go to www.ricksteves.com and purchase the Christmas set which includes the DVD, the book that the other two reviewers are refering to, as well as the matching CD that contains all of the carols that are in the DVD. Belive me once you see the performances you will want the CD! This package sells for around 35 dollars and is well worth it! Wishing you a happy holidays whatever time of the year you read this!

The Rick Steve's Video "Christmas In Europe" is a very enjoyable video presentation based on his regularly featured public televison program. He travels to Britain, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland giving a presentation of how the Christmas holidays are celebrated in each of these countries. The vast majority of the celebrations are based on traditions and if you are the type of person who enjoys "traditional" things you will love this program. It is colorful and has a large segment of musical presentations scattered throughout it. The DVD was created from the televison program that first appeared on public televison in 2005 or so. The DVD also contains several full presentation musical concerts, a presentation of Italian nativity sets as displayed each season, an interview with the traditional German Christmas angel and an enjoyable slide show of scenes taken from the presentation set to traditional Christmas music. As I said, if you enjoy traditional Christmas topics as I do, you will enjoy this program very much. If your taste are more modern and secular you probably will not enjoy it very much. A reasonable part of the program is centered around Christmas being the birthday of Jesus and this message is found repeatedly throughout the show. Since the birth of the Christ child is an important part of my celebration of the holiday I enjoyed this very much. It was a nicely presented message of the meaning of Christmas that also included some of the pleasant secular tritions along with it. It was a nice balance. Presentation time is about 2 hours long.

This DVD is worth whatever you pay for it. I have watched it every Christmas for a number of years now and look forward to it every Christmas holiday. There is no way to watch without smiling like a child, making awe sounds at the children singing and giving gifts, eewww sounds at the eels, and Wow sounds at the beautiful and breathtaking scenery. Much attention is paid to the music and it is wonderful. I watched it twice this year - just to see them Christmas in Switzerland, choose a tree, huddle around the fondue pot away from the snow and, after sunset, on down the mountain on sleds with lighted torches in hand. I highly recommend it.

For those of us who want to add a little culture to our Christmas and New Year's celebration, I suggest this DVD to brighten just one hour of our time. Rick Steves is internationally traveled and known on public broadcasting for his array of tours to different parts of the world. If you have watched his 30 minute programs, you will agree that he excels in presenting the best of Europe, one or more countries at a time.

In this presentation, Rick travels throughout Europe filming Christmas celebrations; each of the featured stops has a few special events that are shown. The selection is varied, but the sights are awesome. While some people have traveled to Europe, not all of them have been there during the Holidays, so Rick's creativity brings all of that into your home.

You will be enamored with some sights, more than others, but you will come away with "almost being there". The places visited are: Bath & London England, Drobak & Oslo Norway, Paris & Burgundy France, Nurnberg Germany, Tirol & Salzburg Austria, Rome and Tuscany Italy, Grimmelwald and the Swiss Alps, and evening bells heralding the arrival of Christmas.

One of the highlights includes the final Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's with Pope John Paul II as he celebrates Mass, in 2005.

If you've viewed this before, you will want to view it more; on some occasions, I have lulled myself to sleep with the music and the views of Europe. "Happy Traveling!"

I purchased this DVD as a Christmas gift for a friend after seeing the PBS presentation several times during past Christmas seasons. It is an absolutely lovely tour of Christmas celebrations in England, Norway, France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Rick Steves begins the DVD with a reading of the Nativity story and includes both religious and secular celebrations and music. Our Christmas would not be complete without an annual viewing of this wonderful program.