I am not alone in my proclivities. The Magical Christmas Markets of Europe group on Facebook has 619,000 members. And what struck me about the 132 guests on board the SS Beatrice was how many came from warmer climes — California, Florida, Australia, South Africa — in search of that intangible Christmas feeling. Anna, a retired media executive from Los Angeles, told me that after visiting the Galapagos and Antarctica that “the Christmas markets were next on my bucket list”. Leigh, a retired doctor from Los Angeles, explained the appeal: “I wanted the cold, the lights, the charm, the sense...