Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, thoughts are naturally turning to Christmas. And for those of us in Germany, that means Christmas markets. On Nov. 29, Stripes’ Thursday travel section will run a comprehensive listing of Christmas market dates for Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, among other countries.

But what if we neglected to mention your favorite market of all time? With some 2,500 of them held throughout Germany alone, it could happen. Here are a couple of suggestions:

You could check Germany’s official tourist Web site, which features a section dedicated to Christmas markets. Most markets are kicking off around the last weekend of November.

No mention of your market there either? Don’t despair. The town’s own Web site is bound to publish the dates. Try typing the name of the town plus the .de extension, and searching for the word “Weihnachtsmarkt.” If your German’s up to it, you could also look under the Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hessen, or Rhineland-Palatinate tourism Web sites.

Sometimes the information can prove hard to decipher, so it may help to know that in 2007, the First Advent Sunday falls on December 2.

Not in Germany, but eager to hit a market? Here’s where to turn for information.

Austria: www.austria.info or click here.

Belgium: Brussels and Wallonia; Flanders.

Netherlands: http://www.holland.com/uk/ or click here.

Switzerland: http://www.myswitzerland.com or click here.

UK: see http://www.visitbritain.us/ or click here.

Do you have a favorite Christmas market?