Dates: November 29th –  December 1, 2024 

Nothing means more to Germans than Christmas.

The Yuletide (even the name has German roots) is very special in a land where family, faith, and fantasy are so beloved.  Many, if not most, of our celebrations, including Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, gingerbread cookies, candy canes, and many popular carols, come to us from Germany.

Christkindlmarkt is a most gentle festival. During it, town centers are transformed into pre-Christmas marketplaces specializing in toys and goodies for children and traditional Yule decor.

The most famous Christkindlmarkt takes place in the ancient city of Nuremberg, beginning just before the first Sunday of Advent (four weeks before Christmas) and lasting through noon Christmas Eve.

Two million people visit Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt every year, for not only does it feature the toys and decor of the season, but its food and drink as well.  Grilled sausages, lebkuchen (honey-gingerbread), cookies, and seasoned, warm red gluhwein are enjoyed as choirs sing the traditional carols and hymns near the famed Frauenkirche, Nuremburg’s best-known church.

There is no time like Christmas for Germans to celebrate; there is no time like Christmas to celebrate Germany.  Join us each year on the first Sunday of December as we open our Christkindlmarkt at the Reading Liederkranz.