The Christmas Markets are a tradition that originated in Germany, but have spread to other parts of the world. In Germany, attendees top 2 million, and date back to the 15th century.
I had the pleasure of attending Chicago's very own Christmas Market, located on Daley Plaza on Washington between Clark and Dearborn, which runs from November 24th to Christmas Eve. Potato Pancakes with sour cream and applesauce, fried donuts, and who can forget the meat...sausage!! I loved the exhibits of darling hand made gifts ranging from customized beer steins to wooden gifts for children; although who are we kidding, what child asks for building blocks when Santa might bring a PS3 instead?
My favorite part of the market was looking at the ornaments, not only because they were housed inside warm bungalows on a wet 10 degrees day, but for the stories each ornament represents to each and every family. Like the ninja ornament. Or how about the good ol' story about the pickle? The parents hide a pickle, the child who finds it receives an extra gift from St. Nick. Um, can't say I've ever played that game. What's your family's holiday tradition?
