Christmas markets - am I the Grinch?

[MrsCampbellBlack]

My local town is in the middle of christmas market season - oh so jolly. Or in my opinion a load of overpriced tat blocking the streets.

So am I the grinch or do others loathe them too?

YABU and a bit grinchy! I agree there is a lot of tat on sale there but somehow I still love the atmosphere in these places. Love a bit of gluehwein too. I used to live in Vienna and make my way round loads of different ones every year as they have about a million... I am in london now and haven't even seen any yet though!

Homemade in China?

You can buy a small orange garland for £12 here. I do like them, they are selling the same tat stuff as they did last year though, so I'm very bored now. It's like groundhog Christmas!

I would imagine one in Vienna wouldn't have Hot Dogs Ellen and would be lovely. What is gluehwein? Would I like it?

We do not have chocolate dipped strawberries at ours, I'm very disappointed.

We do have a lovely French Patisserie with a lady who says 'Merci Madame!' when I buy my hundreds of chocolate tarts.

DH got a wooden tie from his DPs for Christmas a couple of years ago. And fuck all else
It is as shit as it sounds, and then some.
I love the markets though. I hope to pick up something really special for the ILs

Stop being all grinchy and go to this one Birmingham

Crepes. There's always crepes. Is that Christmassy?

I live ours because the Germans come over and bring their beer, sausages, enormous round barbecue (6ft wide) which dangles on a chain and a huge stags head.

The rest of it makes me feel Christmassy, while actually being full of expensive tat, but that's ok as I have no intention of buying anything!

I do like them but I would like to see proper craft stalls and a farmers market.

The nutella pancakes are not bad though

Oh no. Birmingham and a Christmas Market both together.

Sparkling, they do still have plenty of hot dogs in Vienna, usually greasier than the ones here but they never serve you "tinned" type hot dogs at least. Gluehwein is mulled wine, sorry I don't know why I didn't just write that in the first place!

Oh, and have been to the ones in Bruges and Prague. They are exactly the same.

Tee I will send you some chocolate covered strawberries

at Hot Dogs in Vienna Ellen.

Yanbu. Birmingham german market was there last week same over priced tat year in year out. Lovely to look at though especially for the kids but there's nothing to buy!

All the stuff in them is the same every year and in every town. They are rubbish.

I do like Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus, however. And mulled wine.

But yes, there are about a million in Birmingham and you can't get over the main square any more, so I missed my bus.

FUCK YOU, XMAS MARKET BIRMINGHAM.

Thanks Tess!

There's a hanging BBQ here as well, would you believe it? The cremated the sausages last week though, and there's nothing German about them.

Armstrong and Miller's take on Farmer's markets? It's much the same idea.

Loving the idea of a special present for the in-laws I like mine though so can't even do that.

Am shocked at many of the stalls all being owned by the same company

I like farmers markets; cheese, fresh meat, bread, cakes. How am I to make this last a month until the next one though? I prefer these to the bloody Christmas ones. I do need some warm gloves though...

They must rake it in, MrsCampbell. Everything's so expensive. £3 for 1 stick of 5 strawberries dipped in chocolate (they saw ds coming and rubbed their hands with glee!)

I've been working opposite the Christmas Markets this week (they didn't look so festive in the rain ) and I think I spied a christmas tree shaped pile of marshmallows on a stick covered in chocolate.

I don't remember them last year so it would be interesting if we did a little MN survey to see if they appear in other cities - thus proving they are all connected.

I go to our local one every year, third biggest in the uk apparently, moan about the prices, get stressed by the crowds, and wonder why I went. There are some real gems amongst the tat, But I can't bear to miss it I'm 36wks pregnant and still I've got this maad urge to go tomorrow.

You also need to describe what they are selling.

Nottingham:

Sweet stall with overpriced strawberries on a stick, fudge, toffee apples, hot chocolate, candyfloss etc.

Jewellery with glass

Sausages (they are clearly not German!)

Gloves and novelty hats (sesame street etc)
Another gloves and novelty hats

Some wooden shit with slogans on them

Potato and bacon stand

Overpriced house tat (dried orange garlands, norse christmas decorations)

Carousel (pretty!)

A couple of pork roast stalls

Cake stalls

Stinky bath product stalls

A stall selling tacky lights for your house (cheaper on the local market), flowers etc.

A couple of hot chocolate stalls.

I can't remember any more.