There’s nothing so charming as a German Christmas market.

It’s not even December yet, and already the air rings with Christmas music. The neighbor’s front yard is stuffed with inflatable Christmassy characters, including a Transformer, a Minion, Snoopy, and a Storm Trooper. (Scratching my head, but to each his own.)

This will be my fifth Christmas in the U.S. since leaving Germany, and I still tear up when I hear the tinkling notes of Leise Rieselt der Schnee. How I miss the Weihnachtsmärkte, those wonderful German Christmas markets in the historical town center, with booths that look like little alpine cabins. I’d visit as many as possible each year, soaking up the atmosphere and the Glühwein, steaming mugs of sweet red wine spiced with cinnamon, anise, nutmeg and orange rind. There’s nothing like it to drive away the biting cold. Here’s a recipe to try at home; it makes your house smell marvelous!

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-german-gluhwein-238371

Gluehwein: German mulled wine gives you that holiday glow.

And the food! At a German Christmas market, you can choose from sizzling Bratwurst, a paper boat of mushrooms swimming in creamy garlic sauce, a flatbread hot from the wood-fired oven and topped with goat cheese, bacon and walnuts, or perhaps a Dampfnudel, a steaming, fluffy wheat bun filled with sweet cherry goo and topped with hot vanilla custard sauce. And don’t forget the candied almonds! All the delicious smells are drifting back to me on the winds of memory.

Mmmm, lecker! (delicious)

Here, we usually shop for gifts online or in overcrowded, tacky malls. (Oh dear, is my inner Grinch showing?) How I miss strolling through the booths where artisans sold all manner of hand-crafted gifts and decorations: carved wooden tree ornaments and nativity scenes, hand-made soap and candles, gingerbread and fruit cake (The German version is really delicious!), knit hats, scarves and gloves, jewelry made of semi-precious stones and silver, fluffy slippers made of sheepskin and fleece. One-stop shopping in a beautiful outdoor setting!

Sure, there were stores in Germany, big and small, offering the usual gift items, both useful and useless, but to get to these stores we strolled through the pedestrian zone in the historic city center, past beautiful historical buildings, past buskers of all sorts, past tents and booths where this church group or that civic club sold hot chocolate, more Glühwein, and homemade Christmas cookies made with ground hazelnuts and dipped in dark chocolate, or kissed with jam and powdered sugar. Here are a few recipes to try!

https://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/5-classic-german-christmas-cookies

Lebkuchen: German gingerbread cookies

And so, I wish you a holiday season steeped in whichever traditions are dear to you. May you enjoy the warmth of friends and family. Frohe Weihnachten!

P.S. You know what makes an excellent Christmas present? A nice, juicy romance story–like this one!

Buy links:

https://www.amazon.com/Through-Red-Door-Book-Nirvana-ebook/dp/B07J5BCTSG/

https://wildcatalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-erotic/6283-through-the-red-door.html

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/through-the-red-door-sadira-stone/1129705434?ean=2940161713808

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