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Original poster

To try and recreate a Christmas market in my back garden.

213 replies

Namechabged · 27/11/2020 23:26

All I’ve got so far is an extension lead so I can plug a slow cooker and a microwave in outside, and taking £100 out of the cash machine. I’m thinking I sling four bottles of Aldi mulled wine and some sliced oranges in the slow cooker and charging myself £7 deposit for a mug and £6 for a top up, and then mircrowaving some hotdogs and doughnuts and Nutella and charging £6 for them too. I haven’t got any further than that but welcome ideas.

OP posts:
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whatnext26 · 24/03/2026 18:57

Helpmylecreuset · 28/11/2020 00:40

I can send my DH around to piss against your fence if you like?

This is my all time favourite MN reply. Thank you for making me howl with laughter 🤣

KrystalStubbs · 29/11/2025 09:57

Reawakening this thread for those of you thinking of braving a Christmas market this weekend Grin

viques · 24/11/2024 16:19

Well that was fun. I had completely forgotten this wonderful thread.

It should be a truth universally acknowledged that a Christmas Market is so much more fun from your own sofa while snuggled under a heated throw!

Just realised that in all the posts no one has remembered to put out rubbish bins. So that’s ok then. As you were.

godmum56 · 24/11/2024 11:59

there have to be puddles of indeterminate depth and pieces of unidentifiable wet flappy detritus blowing around getting stick to your shoes and ankles. Extra points if a bit hits a child in a buggy in the face. Extra extra points if the child thinks its the best thing EVER and screams when it is removed.

StCharlotte · 24/11/2024 11:34

TangledWebofMincemeatDeception2 · 23/11/2024 22:51

It's so true. And yet, there are people who never learn! 🎄🎄🎄

Thanks for resurrecting. This is my all time favourite MN thread 🎄

nunsflipflop · 24/11/2024 00:27

DougRossIsTheBoss · 28/11/2020 01:04

I think you are also going to need an artisanal Christmas card stall.

Should be easy enough to imitate as you just need some bits of card to which you can afix some random pics of robins and camels and some foil Merry Christmas stickers. If it looks like a 4 yr old made it (or indeed if a 4yr old really did make it) then so much the better.
5 pounds a piece. Extra for envelopes.

I do second putting your feet in a bowl of ice and maybe your hands too. I think there's nothing says Christmas market like frostbite and chilblains.

I make cards, mine definitely do not look like that and I don’t charge extra for envelopes!

TangledWebofMincemeatDeception2 · 23/11/2024 22:51

It's so true. And yet, there are people who never learn! 🎄🎄🎄

godmum56 · 23/11/2024 22:41

THIS THIS thread should be posted afresh every year. Kudos OP @Namechabged

TangledWebofMincemeatDeception2 · 09/11/2023 09:48

It’s funny because it’s true!

(but there’s affection there too)

ifIwerenotanandroid · 08/11/2023 19:08

@TangledWebofMincemeatDeception2 Thanks, this is such a brilliant thread.

TangledWebofMincemeatDeception2 · 08/11/2023 13:27

Couldn't resist resurrecting this now it's closer to the time! Perhaps it might serve as a cautionary tale...🎄🎄🎄

EuromamaAussiekids · 29/11/2021 13:34

Old thread but a super cool idea. Wish I had a garden 😆

Vickles20 · 18/12/2020 22:16

Turn your home into a b&b and charge £130 for the night, when it’s normally £30 for the rest of the sodding year. Oh, and makes sure it smells of fags and piss and scatter all types body hair for authenticity.

Hoppinggreen · 18/12/2020 22:01

I will bring my German DH, he can walk round tutting and being teutonically offended at the badly done cultural appropriation

Apileofballyhoo · 07/12/2020 14:28

Make sure there's absolutely nothing available in the line of food or drinks for people with any kind of food intolerance or allergy. Ask yourself if the food/drink is free from allergen of choice, then stand to the side and wait for an extraordinary length of time before informing yourself there's absolutely nothing your child can have. Repeat at several stalls.

cheesecrack · 07/12/2020 13:45

Ah great nomination for classics but I forgot to book 8 weeks in advance for an ice rink slot Sad

MNHQ
HebeMumsnet · 07/12/2020 11:25

We've had a few nominations for this thread to go into Classics so we'll be moving it there now. If you could all pay the Christmas Classics fee (£10 plus £40 parking) on your way in, that would be great.

Merry Christmas!

Serin · 05/12/2020 15:53

Collect a load of old bottles from the recycling box. Print off a selection of novel whisky labels (you can involve the DC in this activity). Anything arty, involving hebridean islands should do well, "Jura Snow and Ice", or "Islay whore", that kind of thing.
Fill with Lidl whisky and sell for £89.99.
Or you can do tasting shots for £8.99 each.

Theimpossiblegirl · 05/12/2020 15:21

I bought some baklava earlier and thought of this thread. I'm going to cut it into small bits and sell it by weight, so 2 nibbles will set you back £20.

Helpwithfacetime · 04/12/2020 20:48

Presently digging a hole for a shit ice rink BRB

GarethSouthgatesWaistcoat · 30/11/2020 19:06

Oh I like the tied shoelaces idea and the branch offcuts 😂

professionalnomad · 30/11/2020 13:27

Dig a hole - roughly 2m by 2m
Fill with water and let freeze
Charge 10 pounds for 15 minutes on the ice skating rink.
Make sure you only have shoes in a size 3 or a size 13
Also make sure you have at least 200 people crowded on at the same time

professionalnomad · 30/11/2020 13:24

Can you stick googly eyes and a red bow to a pinecone and sell them for 20 quid each as well. Offer to personalise them for an extra tenner and then write on names incorrectly with a marker pen

Dashel · 30/11/2020 13:17

You need to cut some branches into sections so you can glue together to make a snowman draw a face on it and wrap an old ribbon around its neck and charge £15 and then join two longer bits with some twigs to make a reindeer and draw a face and charge £25 and you have some festive outdoor decorations at a reasonable price 😊

You could tie your shoelaces together to make sure you do the market shuffle and keep to the appropriate pace.

Wait outside in the road for an hour before you go in, maybe get DH to drive you there first, pretend random roads are closed so you can argue about alternative routes and the best place to park and walk uphill for a few miles before you get to go in.

This sounds like it’s going to be expensive 🤣

kwiksavenofrillsusername · 30/11/2020 10:25

@Henio

Could you dress a large dog up as a reindeer and charge for a picture of yourself straddling it?
Make sure the poor dog looks really depressed. I remember queueing for a grotto once at there was a really miserable looking reindeer. Combined with standing in the drizzle, it did rather kill my xmas spirit.

If we are recommending xmas markets, then Prague is awesome! It's big, so not too crowded and the mulled wine is cheap and strong. Also, you can't get more xmassy than walking around Wenceslas Square with a dusting of snow.