Christmas star lanterns, Germany 20 Dec 2025

Christmas star lanterns, Germany

As Christmas draws near, star lanterns begin to appear everywhere—twinkling from balconies, shining in shop windows and lighting up market stalls. Their shimmer cuts through the long winter nights, filling streets and homes with joy, colour and a sense of togetherness. But behind these festive decorations lies a story as captivating as their glow.

© artas/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Reflecting on Christmas
20 Dec 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
20 Dec 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Hop into Lunar New Year
Swedish wilderness
6 Dec 2023Computer Science Week
A high-flying royal tradition
31 Oct 2023Halloween
Rainbow reflection
30 Jun 2026Giraffes in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Taking a New Year nap
One rare streak
2 Feb 2024Six Nations Championship
29 Mar 2026British Summer Time starts
One on land, a million in space
9 Aug 2025International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
9 Oct 2023Edinburgh cityscape and St Marys Cathedral steeples
Lighting up the Badlands
24 Nov 2025Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India
19 Oct 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
4 Mar 2026Purple crocus flowers, Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria
7 Jun 2025Victoria Street in Edinburgh, Scotland
20 Feb 2024Kinder Scout, England
23 Jul 2024Methoni Castle, Messinia, Greece
23 Oct 2024Madame Sherri Forest, New Hampshire, United States
Celebrating an American Icon
19 Aug 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, USA
17 Oct 2024Kochia, Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
24 Jun 2026Pollinator Week
2 Jun 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
All hail the mighty mangrove!
The bears and the bees…
29 Dec 2023Happy Hogmanay!