Xonrupt-Longemer Christmas Market

The Xonrupt-Longemer Christmas market is held in the village hall, Place de l’Église, over a mid-December weekend: around thirty craft exhibitors, a refreshment bar and the feel of a village fête rather than a setting of outdoor chalets. In 2025, it took place on 13 and 14 December; the dates of the 2026 edition are still to be confirmed.

Xonrupt-Longemer Christmas market, an indoor craft event

The market takes place in the village hall (salle polyvalente) on Place de l’Église in Xonrupt-Longemer. The website fetes-et-foires.com describes it as crafts only, with a refreshment bar and light meals on site. In 2025, it ran over two days, 13 and 14 December, although the site says it cannot guarantee that all its dates are accurate. The indoor format has a practical advantage in winter: visitors stay warm between stalls, whatever the weekend weather.

In 2024, the event was run by the Carton Plume association, in partnership with the village of Xonrupt-Longemer and the parents’ association of the 2 Lacs schools: thirty-six craftspeople (jewellers, painters, pastry makers, decorators, woodturners, dressmakers, ceramicists, scented candle makers, writers) held stalls on Saturday from 10am to 7pm and on Sunday from 10am to 6pm. A visit from Santa, a prize draw at €2 per entry and a raffle on Sunday at 5pm completed the programme, with a gourmet meal at the Chalet Fleuri des Bas-Rupts as the top prize. The list of exhibitors changes from year to year, but the format, run by makers showing their own work, stays the same.

The paths climbing towards Le Poli or following the Vologne stay open in winter, under snow or light rain, and the trails around the two lakes can be walked all year round, with no entry fee or set hours, if you prefer a walk to a round of the market stalls.

On 6 December, the Saint Nicholas parade brings the village together

In Lorraine, Saint Nicholas is taken seriously, and Xonrupt-Longemer is no exception. On 6 December, the Société des Fêtes organises the Saint Nicholas parade: everyone gathers in front of the village hall at 5.15pm, then the procession sets off through the village streets. A float, paper lanterns, children in costume: the format stays homemade and free, run by volunteers rather than a tourist programme.

This 6 December event is the real start of Christmas for local families, a week before the market in the village hall. It comes shortly before the school holidays and belongs to a tradition shared with Nancy, Metz and Épinal, where Saint Nicholas holds a bigger place than Santa in local culture.

Elsewhere in the Vosges, Saint Nicholas also appears in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and Épinal, two larger towns where December combines parades and a chalet market. In Xonrupt-Longemer, the size of the village makes for a close-knit gathering, with no grandstand or expensively hired float, where most residents run into each other and recognise one another from year to year.

Lake Longemer and the mountains, a winter backdrop

Lake Longemer, at 736 metres above sea level, stretches for nearly two kilometres between fir forests and the slopes of Le Poli. A legally protected listed site since 2002 to protect its setting, it makes a lovely December walk along its shores, between morning mist and low late-afternoon light. Swimming is tolerated but unsupervised, which isn’t on the cards at this time of year anyway.

On the mountain side, the Le Poli ski area has four downhill runs and a vertical drop of 175 metres, plus a cross-country area: enough to fill a family morning before heading back down to the village for the afternoon. Lake Retournemer, smaller and privately owned, completes the landscape a little higher up the valley.

Xonrupt-Longemer is one of the 201 municipalities of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park, a status that shapes land use as much as the spirit of the place: few new buildings, protected forests, a rhythm set by the seasons. In December, that means a striking silence as soon as daylight fades over the lake, perfect for a pause before the market or the evening procession.

Practical information for visiting Xonrupt-Longemer in December

By car, Xonrupt-Longemer is reached via the D417 from Gérardmer or the lakes road from Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and Épinal. By train, the nearest station is Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, followed by a road connection to the village. Parking is easy near the town hall, the village hall and the lake.

Entry to the market was free in 2024, with no ticket or booking, and the food (tartiflette, pâté lorrain, tarte flambée, crêpes, mulled wine) was run by the parents’ association. Allow one to two hours on site between the stalls and a walk round the lake. There is no evidence of specific facilities for people with reduced mobility, either at the market or at the parade; it’s best to check with the town hall before you come. The mulled wine served at the market bar may well inspire a homemade recipe to try afterwards.

For a wider choice of chalets and exhibitors, the Gérardmer Christmas market brings together dozens of exhibitors on Place de l’Hôtel de Ville and along the shores of Lake Gérardmer, a few kilometres away. Elsewhere in the Vosges, La Bresse relies on its own ski area and a more compact market, while Remiremont, down in the valley, adds a town atmosphere to the mix.

There is no ice rink, big wheel or light trail in Xonrupt-Longemer: you’ll find those in Gérardmer or the larger towns of the department. Here, winter is lived on the scale of the lake, the village hall and the village, with nothing spectacular, and no official visitor figures are published for either the market or the 6 December parade.

• The Christmas market in the village hall (Place de l’Église), one mid-December weekend: 13 and 14 December for the 2025 edition.
• The Saint Nicholas parade, on 6 December at 5.15pm, starting in front of the village hall.
• The Gérardmer Christmas market, a little further down the valley, for chalets and crafts.
• The La Bresse Christmas market, another High Vosges resort, to extend your mountain outing.
• The mulled wine served at the market bar, between two rounds of the stalls.