Munich's Christkindlmarkt

On October 30, I went to buy a last-minute Halloween mask.  The store’s loudspeakers were already spouting “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”  I might have been able to handle it if I thought they were trying to be ironic.  But rest assured, they weren’t – Christmas wreaths and Santa hats were already out on display.

Each year, it seems that Christmas is doomed to come earlier and earlier.  And to that, dear readers, I say the only thing I can without censure on a family blog:  Bah, Humbug!  No, scratch that – double Bah, Humbug!  When the music and the lights and the incessant “BUY ME!” stuff starts happening so early in the year, I find myself utterly exhausted by Thanksgiving.  Not a good thing when you are in charge of making the holiday magic for your kids.

But Germany has just the antidote to my Scrooge-y feelings:  the Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindlmarkt – otherwise known as the Christmas market.  No matter if you started hearing the Carpenter’s Sleigh Ride starting last August, you just can’t help but get psyched for the season once you start wandering around one of these babies.

Gluehwein - drink of the Winter gods.

Many Christmas markets have been being held since the Middle Ages.  It was a chance to get your goodies for St. Nicholas’ Day and Christmas dinner as well as get the crucial supplies to survive the rest of a cold, dreary winter.  These days, it’s a big festival full of shop stalls, carnival rides and – my favorite – Gluehwein sellers.  You’ve probably heard of markets like the Nuremberger Christkindlmarkt – it’s arguably the most famous – but even my small village in the Pfalz hosts one each year.  Big or small, it’s worth a visit.  The kids adore them and, even if you could care less about the holiday, you’ll find it hard to resist the Christmas spirit yourself.

This year, we were lucky enough to get to three of the big city markets – Trier, Munich and Nuremberg.  All three took over the old parts of the city.  All three offered all kinds of wonderful Christmas candies, cookies, cakes and ornaments.  All three had lots of activities for the kids including a Saint Nick booth, ice skating rinks and carnival rides.  And all three were a heckuva lot of fun.

Maybe it’s the just gluehwein talking but I’m going to have a hard time with Christmas once we leave Germany.  The Christmas Markets are where I find my joy, peace and goodwill towards man each December.  I may have to start my own wherever we end up – because, honestly, Christmas just wouldn’t be the right kind of holiday without them.

December 15th, 2009 | by Kayt Sukel 4 comments