Christmas – Budget Bliss: Bucket List

Since the 1300’s small pop-up markets have been part of the Christmas season in Europe. These small December markets intended to allow people to stock up on meat and other necessities at the beginning of the winter season. These markets grew overtime to allow toy makers, confectioners and other craftsmen to set up stalls under the name “Saint Nicholas market”. They also began to sell roasted chestnuts, nuts and almonds. This tradition spread throughout the German Speaking world. It was later renamed Christkindlmark during the Reformation and the tradition continues to this day.

Each December stalls are set up to showcase various wares for either a few days or for weeks depending on the event. Along with the wares, food vendors come out to sell traditional foods like currywurst, potato pancakes, gulasch, sauerkraut and of course Gluhwein (a mulled red wine). Those stalwart enough to brave the cold can enjoy pursuing these outdoor markets by the light of twinkling lights.

So popular and beloved are these markets, that there are entire river cruises devoted to taking tourists along the Rhein to visit them during the Christmas season. These visitors bring back tales of the delicious food, sparkling lights and of course carefully crafted wares. After seeing photos of these places, one might begin to think that the magic of the season is best found abroad and start to dream of flying over to the old country. However, dear reader, as you have no doubt already guessed, these coveted markets are not only found across the vast expanse of ocean but rather can be found right here in the United States. Like their European counterparts, there are the larger and more famous Christkindlmarkts, such as the ones found in Grand Rapids Michigan or Bethlehem Pennsylvania. However, just as there are smaller markets in the smaller towns of Germany, there are smaller markets here in the United States.

So it was early in the evening that I set out with my work partner, Nicole, to visit the Reading Liederkranz Christkindlmarkt. We choose that time because the market would just be getting dark and the lights would really pop against the darkness of the sky. The city of Reading is situated along the Blue Mountain Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains and so part of our journey included going up the side of the ridge overlooking the city. As we climbed above the urban center, the city gave way to suburban areas covered with trees, reminding us both of our time in Marburg, Germany. Up, up, up we went, passing houses that vaguely resembled German architecture and it was if we had been transported across the sea. Suddenly on our right the forest gave way to a small piece of Germany, the Reading Liederkranz.

For those not in the know a Liederkranz is a German singing and cultural society which was established to promote and perpetuate German singing, dancing, music, language, foreign exchange and culture. Branches of Liederkranz can be found throughout the United States with many of them established in the mid to late 1800’s. There does not appear to be one overarching society which oversees all the branches, but rather each branch is independent of the others. Like many branches, the Reading Liederkranz hosts various german festivals throughout the year to mirror the ones in Germany. So, just like their German counterparts the Christkindlmarkt of the Reading Liederkranz occurs for a few short days during the Christmas season with stalls set up outside for customers to shop for unique gifts for their loved ones.

In addition to unique gifts, some of them imported from Germany and Austria, they offered traditional German food that can be found at the markets. I naturally had to buy some choosing to partake in the Currywurst, and potato pancakes. I was a little disappointed that the potato pancakes did not come with the traditional applesauce but instead came with sourcream. It is possible that they were simply sold out of the applesauce. I noted there were some items crossed off the menu as no longer available. As it was cold, I could not pass up the opportunity to sip on some warm Gluhwein. Gluhwein is a mulled red wine served at almost every Christkindlmarkt and I highly recommend it as a part of your Christmas tradition.

Not every stand was exclusively German, many of the stands featured local artisans and craftsmen selling their wares. I managed to find a few treasures while I was there for both my loved ones and myself. I picked up a few business cards for later reference. I met Santa Claus giving out Candy Canes and hopefully made it to the nice list (fingers crossed). Nicole found a book that she promised I could borrow from her later and her own gifts.We enjoyed looking at the different wares and meeting the sellers which is not something one can often do these days when looking online or shopping at a big box store.

It was not a huge Christkindlmarkt, certainly not like the larger one in Bethlehem, PA which mirrors more closely those larger markets of Vienna and Munich and is open from Mid November through late December Friday through Sunday. It’s a sprawling market of hundreds of stalls, dozens of food vendors, authentic German artists, ice skating, St. Nicholas, music and more. It’s known as one of the top holiday markets in the world rivaling its European counterparts.

However, as I have said in other places, I’m not a huge fan of crowds and sometimes it’s better to enjoy something on a smaller, more intimate scale. After all, the towns of Germany often have their own smaller celebrations and what could be more authentic than a homegrown festival? So I spent about an hour or so wandering bundled up against the cold, sipping my Gluhwein and enjoying the piece of Germany they’ve carved out on the side of the mountain. I will certainly have to see what other festivals they bring across the ocean for us to enjoy here in the states. It may not have been perfectly authentic after all, I didn’t have to stumble through my half forgotten German to order my food, but to two people who lived in Germany it certainly got our stamp of approval. Just proving once again that one doesn’t need to book a ticket to see the world, sometimes the world comes for a visit in a nearby town.

How can you visit a German Christkindlmarkt?

The first step is to obviously wait for the right time of the year, it is after all a Christmas Market. Most of them take place between Thanksgiving and Christmas with a few occurring earlier in November. The smaller ones often only occur on one weekend with the larger markets spanning the entire season. There are of course the more famous ones such as the one in Bethlehem but there are smaller ones like the one I went to in Reading, PA and the one in Lancaster, PA (which I am told has even better food).

Travel websites are a useful tool to get a start as they will often name the “best” ones. Keep in mind these “best” are subjective and will be prone to more tourists and crowds. If you’re looking for a smaller, more intimate version, then google searching Christkindlmarkt or Weihnachtsmarkt (another name for these markets) may yield some good results. As always, I keep an eye out on my Facebook events page. I haven’t found other social media formats that so easily showcase events in my area.

Completed: December 2024

Cost: $30 for admission and food

Miles from home: 30 miles

Below is a small list of Christkindlmarkts in the United States. It is by no means a complete list but it is a good place to start especially if you’re in these areas. The dates vary each year and there is often a ticket price associated with entry.

Arlington, TX Texas Christkindl Market

Atlanta, GA Atlanta Christkindl Market

Augusta, NJ German Christmas Market of NJ

Baltimore, MD Christmas Village in Baltimore

Belleville, IL Belleville Christkindlmarkt

Bethlehem, PA Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem

Cambria, CA Cambria Christmas Market

Canandaigua, NY Canandaigua Christkindl Market

Carlinville, IL Carlinville Christmas Market

Carmel, IN Carmel Christkindlmarkt

Charlotte, NC Charlotte Christkindlmarkt

Chicago, IL Chicago Christkindlmarkt

Chicago, IL Christkindlmarkt Wrigleyville

Cincinnati, OH Germania Christkindlmarkt

Dayton, OH Dayton Liederkranz Turner Christkindlmarkt

Denver, CO Denver Christkindlmarkt

Des Moines, IA Christkindlmarket Des Moines

Elkhart Lake, WI Old World Christmas Market

Ferdinand, IN Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt

Frankenmuth, MI Frankenmuth Christkindlmarkt

Georgetown, CO Georgetown Christmas Market

Harmony, PA Harmony Museum WeihnachtsMarkt

Helen, GA Helen Christkindlmarkt

Holland, MI Holland Kerstmarkt

Lake Worth, FL The American-German Club of the Palm Beaches Christkindlmarkt Leavenworth, WA Leavenworth Christkindlmarkt

Mifflinburg, PA Mifflinburg Christkindl Market

Minneapolis, MN Holidazzle

Mountain View, CA German Holiday Market

Nevada City, CA Nevada City Victorian Christmas

New Orleans, LA New Orleans Deutsches Haus Christmas Market

New York, NY Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

New York, NY Union Square Holiday Market

New York, NY Columbus Circle Holiday Market

Oconomowoc, WI German Christmas Market of Oconomowoc

Philadelphia, PA Christmas Village in Philadelphia

Pittsburgh, PA Peoples Gas Holiday Market

Poughkeepsie, NY Germania Club of Poughkeepsie Christkindlmarkt

Reading, PA Reading Liederkranz Christkindlmarkt

San Francisco, CA The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party

Solvang, CA Solvang Julefest

St Paul, MN St Paul European Christmas Market

Tomball, TX Tomball German Christmas Market

Tulsa, OK German American Society of Tulsa Christkindlmarkt

Washington DC DowntownDC Holiday Market

It seems almost impossible to think about Christmas without thinking about lights. In Western culture almost no other holiday is so linked with light, which is appropriate considering it is celebrated at the darkest time of the year (for those of us in the Northern hemisphere). There’s just something so mesmerizing about small points of light holding back the dark. They always bring a smile to my face. I especially enjoy seeing larger displays where people can showcase their creativity and transform an ordinary place into something extraordinary, and Koizar’s Christmas village is exactly that sort of place!

Since 1948, the Spring Lake Dairy Farm has been delighting people. Originally, a display created for the enjoyment of his wife Grace and their four children, it quickly expanded front he original house and barn. People soon began to flock every year to see the display at the locally named “Christmas House.” Eventually, Koziar began to admit visitors while still operating the dairy farm. Overtime, the dairy farm and even the house were abandoned to the ever expanding light displays. For over 75 years, the farm has been literally lighting up the night as the lights can be seen from miles around. It has even been named Best Outdoor Christmas Display in the World by Display World magazine (according to Wikipedia anyways).

It takes approximately 90 minutes to walk through the many displays which run the gambit of themes from beloved classic tales like the Nutcracker to Bible scenes from displays showing Christmas traditions around the world to prehistoric dinosaurs. There were plenty of places for photo ops, tucked in various places and with such frequency most of them were without long lines. There are panoramas, a kissing bridge, gift shops and snack shops. One can warm up with a hot beverage like apple cider or hot chocolate while munching on popcorn or chocolate chip cookies. There is one place which serves more substantial food such as pizza and burgers. It is almost entirely outside, so dressing warmly was a must for this particular outing.

How does one capture in writing what 8 acres of over a million lights looks like in simple words? Even the pictures I share here, dear reader, are only the smallest snippets of the sheer magnitude of that many lights. Each area held a new delight and theme, some had seamless and natural transitions, others were abrupt and almost disjointed side by side.

What most delighted me was how simple and even outdated everything was. There were wooden decorations clearly from the 60’s and 70’s. There were handmade items which had been lovingly repainted over the years. It was in stark contrast to so many of the other light displays that one could go see, because it felt organic and human. It was clearly a labor of love untaken over decades. There were many store bought displays but they were interspersed with homemade characters and storyboards. It was simultaneously a display of Christmas lights and a museum of decorations over the decades. One of my favorites was the Wild West section with the christmas buffalo. There’s even a whole section featuring a model train. Despite being a professionally run tourist attraction, it still felt like a display cobbled together by your overly enthusiastic neighbors, perfectly capturing the nostalgia of seeing Christmas lights.

My sister and I ambled through the lights, taking time to soak in the array of themes. We stopped to study the displays, finding small touches which brought us smiles of delight, like the angel fawn near a nativity or the zoo train with the tigers. We stopped to enjoy hot apple cider and churros. I also bought a pair of gloves having realized I accidently left mine at home. There were only a few places where we could slip into to escape the biting cold of the evening, but we were lucky that it wasn’t too cold. Eventually we ended up passing through a large garage which proudly displayed the history of the village before going into the final gift shop. We left fully satisfied and well in the Christmas spirit.

How can you see amazing displays of Christmas Lights?

Luckily, this is something that you can see almost anywhere during the Christmas season and there is almost always a place nearby with overly enthusiastic neighbors. Some may be drive through places, others may be like Koziar Christmas Village where you can walk. It depends on whether you wish a slow meandering stroll in the cold where you can stop and really take in each display or if you wish to remain warm in your car. There may be ones that are put on by professionals such as Candy Lane at Hershey Park or family affairs with all their quirks like Kozier’s Christmas Village. You can also find a local neighborhood and walk around to see everyone’s displays. In the last few years, my home town has been holding a contest which has helped to revitalize people’s interests in putting up lights. You could even start a contest in your hometown if you’re feeling particularly entrepreneurial.

Completed: December 2023

Cost: $13 per person (It would have been an extra five dollars to attend on a weekend or the week of christmas)

Miles from home: 26 miles

Tag: Christmas

Christkindlmarkt: A 700 Year Old German Tradition

Koizer’s Christmas Village: Let There Be Light!