Christmas Market: Who’s there?

Dear users and authors,
which of you have a booth at the Christmas market, or which of you enjoy going to the Christmas market to buy handmade items or crafts?
Let me know. :-)

I’m one of the shoppers. Walking through the markets, taking it all in, and admiring the beautiful handmade crafts is a dream. And of course, I buy plenty of things. Hats and gingerbread, candles and honey—and most recently, a mirror with a cute saying on it. The kids picked that out for their dad.
On Friday, I’m off to the next market. A friend of mine will be there selling her wares. I love these Christmas markets with crafts, but I tend to avoid the others that are more like a carnival.

I love strolling through Christmas markets, looking at the little stalls, and taking in the scent.
I wouldn’t want to sell there, and I certainly don’t envy the sellers there at all.... 
But I really enjoy buying things there, because you can find items you don’t see in regular stores.... 

Hi,

we’re going to a big Christmas market on Sunday.
I’m really looking forward to it.

Having a booth at a Christmas market—now that would be something.
But I’m such a cold-weather wimp that I’d be frozen solid after just an hour.

So I guess I’ll just stick to shopping.

Best regards, Heike

I'm only a buyer when it comes to Christmas markets.
I really enjoy buying Christmas gifts at Christmas markets, because you can find something special there for a change. 

Selling would already fail because I make far too few things in a year, and I usually give them away or donate them anyway :D 

I’m one of the vendors :-)

It’s bitterly cold just standing there, but the compliments from the Christmas market visitors
make up for it.

Best regards,
Birgit

This is my sixth year in a row with a booth at a Christmas market (in Grefrath at the Dorenburg Open-Air Museum).
It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.

This was my first time having a booth at the Christmas market, so it was a completely new experience for me. (Man, was I cold!)
My conclusion is that in the future, I’d rather stay on the buyer’s side and just enjoy the Christmas market.

Best regards, Petra

I love browsing there, though I usually end up buying only incense sticks....

This year, after years of not attending, I’m back as a vendor. I used to sell cough syrup and creams there—which always led to interesting conversations—but now, for the first time, I’ll be selling my crocheted items at the Christmas market. 
On Thursday, I’ll find out whether my booth will be in the big seminar hut or in an outdoor hut—it’s supposed to be heated^^^..... hopefully—I’m a total wimp when it comes to the cold.

I’ll just have to wait and see, since the customer base is sure to be very mixed—on the one hand, the “locals,” and on the other, the guests of the luxury hotel that’s organizing the market.

The upside: my daughter is doing her apprenticeship at that hotel; she’s on duty that day and will serve me coffee when I call, and she’ll take over for me in the afternoon during her break....

Yes, that would be too cold for me too, being outside all weekend. If only you could just drop off your items and have someone else sell them... So I’ll remain one of the visitors and donate my handmade items to the kindergarten bazaar.

Since I usually have too few items and too little time myself to fill a booth, I’ve often shared market stalls with a friend. But after that one year at the Christmas market at Altenberg Cathedral, I said: Never again!

That Sunday we had gotten so much snow that we hardly knew how we were going to get home. It looked beautiful, everything deeply covered in snow, the illuminated cathedral... but by the time we had taken everything down and packed it away, almost nothing was moving anymore. We had to wait until the winter road service had been through, take huge detours because of fallen trees and to avoid steep inclines, got stuck in between, and didn’t get home until late into the night, soaked and freezing. I’m forever grateful to my friend that she didn’t lose her nerve. I had to go back to work on Monday and swore to myself: neverrr again a winter market. Yesss, I’m a scaredy-cat and not made for this kind of adventure. (Since then, though, we haven’t had such a heavy winter again... haha)

I wish all of you who are taking part in a market lots of lovely customers and a good time. 
I’ll link arms with all the others, and we’ll stroll leisurely along the booths and simply enjoy the special atmosphere. 

Best regards, Caro