There are certainly Christmas trees going up around town and lights starting to illuminate the streets, but it doesn’t have that rushed feeling of time running out, the way the end of the year feels in Japan. The only thing that resembles that mood is a bit of a dash trying to find Christmas presents for people, but that’s about it. Looking for presents makes you reflect on how close you’ve been to everyone during the year. Something usually comes to mind for people you see all the time, and you’re likely to recall something they’ve been wanting, but if you haven’t really seen them much, nothing really seems like a good fit. Is it just me who ends up feeling like getting something you didn’t really want is a kind of penalty for not keeping in better touch that year?
The feeling in Milan is a bit different in 2025 than in a typical year, since it seems like the entire city has its eyes set on the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. You can sense it in the most unexpected places, like in a large number of Christmas trees standing throughout the city.
When you hear there’s a tree 29 meters tall standing in the Piazza del Duomo, you expect it to be overwhelming—but it actually has a calming effect when you go see it in person. It’s decorated in a soft white theme that creates a quiet presence next to the cathedral—more “I am here” than a dazzling, attention-getting “look at me.”
Around the tree are athletic-themed displays crafted with environmental awareness, making it clear that the Olympics are on everyone’s mind. Celebrating the present while thinking about the future seems to me a quintessential Milanese approach.
A short walk from the cathedral, at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, you come across a tree made up entirely of red lights. It’s an extremely modern piece that feels out of place within the traditional building—and the strange feeling doesn’t go away even after looking at it for some time. But even that feels so very Milan. It’s a city that doesn’t try to force congruity; it just chooses to let differences stand as they are.
There are charming Christmas trees in other places around the city as well. Small ones, charity-themed ones, even ones made out of recycled materials. They’re all Christmas trees, yet each of them has a completely different character. I find it interesting that the entire city just puts all these different concepts next to each other and lets them be.
Most people in Japan see Christmas as a fun event, taking pictures, playing music, dining at nice restaurants—the mood is definitely elevated. Milan also celebrates, but the feeling is seamlessly interwoven with social commentary and thoughts about the future. Even with all their subtlety, each tree still feels like it is telling a unique story.
The Christmas trees in Milan this year quietly express the mood of a city that is looking towards the near future. Seen in that light, each tree seems less like a festive decoration and more of a tiny soliloquy on the city itself—making it even more fascinating to go around experiencing them.
