Across Europe, Christmas markets are in full swing, tables piled high with traditional food and drink. But in one small Greek town, the Yuletide experience is less about high cuisine and more about hi-tech.

From above, it looks like any other Christmas market – lights, decorations and elves – but on the ground, things are a bit smarter.

"Here in the city of Trikala we have fully autonomous vehicles traveling around the city center," says software engineer Loukas Vavitsa. "We did this before in 2015, but back then the vehicles used dedicated bus lanes' now they're part of normal traffic."

And it's all controlled from inside the market.

But it's not only the driverless minibuses that make this Christmas market in northwest Greece special. While many still write letters to Santa, here they're being delivered by robots – Santa's new little helpers.

"Visitors are always excited to see them, but don't really understand what these robots are," says electrical engineer George Gorgougetas. "They see them and go 'What are these small robots?'

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"Then we explain to them what they are – that they can perform all these duties – they are always amazing and happy that all these technologies apply here. These robots are popular because of how cute they look, especially with children."

Despite the innovation, matters have been affected by the energy crisis, with organizers forced to make savings.

But that's led to more innovation – with coffee grounds being used to heat up market booths.

"All the initiatives we take here, is to minimize energy costs, but also fossil fuels as these two go together," says Odysseas Raptis, director for the city of Trikala. "All so we can have a greener and healthier life and to save time for us."

It's Greece's biggest and 'smartest' Christmas theme park – attracting around 40,000 visitors every weekend – and the innovative technology and initiatives all add to the festive feeling.