Christmas Markets

My family isn't one for traditions typically. They don't like to stick to routine and rarely are they ever sentimental. The fact that we don't usually have dinner as a family might be considered shocking to other families, but to mine, we don't really care. After all, we're all busy people and have different schedules. So the fact that my family's one tradition is to have a dinner together at Christkindlmarket in Chicago makes it a special one to me. Christkindlmarket is a traditional German Christmas market that occurs every year starting around Thanksgiving and lasts up until Christmas Day in Chicago. Typically as a family, we go to my godparents' house and celebrate Thanksgiving, wait until Black Friday is over, then head up to Chicago via car or train every year. 

It's freezing cold in the windy city, and my family is all bundled up in thick black jackets. We always complain about getting hypothermia as we scramble into our Uber. We stare at the gloomy, gray sky of Chicago and wonder why in the world we do this every year. That is, until we see the familiar cluster of wooden stalls on Washington Street. Suddenly, you can feel our excitement as a family, and we all rush out of the warm Uber and take in the wonderful smells of apple strudel, sizzling bratwurst, tangy sauerkraut, and our favorite: hot Glüwhein. 

We immediately go for the food. We shove through the hordes of people who are walking around and admiring the market. Every year, we start at the same stall. I don't know the actual name but we call it the Bratwurst Stall, because that's their speciality. We purchase four brats and a currywurst, and I know my mom is going to purchase the potato and lentil soup. It's always such a delicious, hearty meal. We eat on these tall tables, standing up, and most likely sharing it with another family. And while the wind blows and we freeze, we're happily scarfing down our bratwursts. The next stop is always Glüwhein (but hot chocolate for my brother). The building with Glüwhein is always the most crowded, because a) alcohol b) there's indoor seating connected to the stall. My mother and I share a cup of Glüwhein because my father hates the taste, and my brother happily sips his hot chocolate with whipped cream. The drinks are in ceramic cups we can keep, and we've amassed quite a collection over the years. After our drinks, we head back out to into the cold, now feeling warm and fuzzy. We all know my brother loves German Christmas Soda, so we head to the tent to pick up his Christmas Soda along with candied almonds and cashews for my dad. Then we go to the strudel tent and buy a cherry and peach strudel, which we know will be delicious. It's a sweet end to our adventures at the market. 

This family tradition is one I would love to continue as it's such an enjoyable experience. Braving the cold with your family definitely makes you closer to them. I love how after every meal I eat at the market, I always feel warmer and happier. While part of it is the delicious food, another part is because I can spend time with my family and laugh with them as they're eating. My father will always steal a huge bite from my bratwurst because he's still hungry while my mother is probably making conversation with the family eating next to us. My brother is either silently enjoying his food or cracking jokes about the cold. Going to Christkindlmarket is one of the best things I am able to do with my family each year, and I would love for my future children to also experience the joy I've felt at the market.