Do you enjoy Christmas markets?

1
Warpaint

Warpaint

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Some people are obsessed and will visit loads of different ones. Drinks, food, pics etc. Then there's polar opposite who hate them who swear they had this mate who understood German and once heard a vendor saying "It's all cheap crap".

I think if you take what you want from them they're fine, however it's the crowds that are insane and gets annoying quickly. Also I'm never quite sure who they're aimed at - there will be bits of kids stuff but it seems mainly at 'Christmas adults' if you know what I mean. I wonder if they help the local economy of the cities they're in as well, especially if they're just importing all the stalls.
 
Not a fan of them tbh, it's like 20 stalls with the same 5 things, it's just a repeat of fudge, some ornaments, some woodwork, knitting an hats, then the rest is all food an booze that's watered down an not cooked right, we passed one stall selling sausages an you could tell they weren't cooked right, past a couple eating one an you could easily see the pink 🤢

I also don't get why most of them pick the stupidest places to put them, it's all crammed in when some city's actually have nice open areas, Edinburgh is like a death trap as they have it along the pathway up the hill from the park, you are only allowed to enter it at one end an exit at the other but the end you enter at has this steep hill bit that when it's been raining is like a damn ice rink, an then you are crammed in like a sardine because the stalls take up 80% of the path, it's crazy
 
I like the ambience of having them in the city I live in during the season. It's like a marker that it's that time of year again. However any time I wander over to them I get overstimulated and annoyed by the amount of tat
 
They are the worst, although I have never been to one abroad, so I may be missing out there. My nearest one is Manchester and I just don’t get the obsession. It’s always absolutely rammed so you can’t sit down anywhere or even stand comfortably without someone knocking into you and they’re full of tat. Some of the food and drinks are nice but disgustingly overpriced. I think if like them more if you could sit down and enjoy the ambience without feeling like you’re in a football crowd but as it is there is no lovely atmosphere whatsoever and it just feels stressful and unenjoyable.
 
Scubasf said:
They are the worst, although I have never been to one abroad, so I may be missing out there. My nearest one is Manchester and I just don’t get the obsession. It’s always absolutely rammed so you can’t sit down anywhere or even stand comfortably without someone knocking into you and they’re full of tat. Some of the food and drinks are nice but disgustingly overpriced. I think if like them more if you could sit down and enjoy the ambience without feeling like you’re in a football crowd but as it is there is no lovely atmosphere whatsoever and it just feels stressful and unenjoyable.
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Hate the manchester one noq you have to trail all over the place...
 
I like the craft fair style markets, although you still get some stalls that sell cheap tat. The food tends to be better.
The carnival ones not so much.
 
I'm in Germany in a city that is a bit famous for its Christmas market and I agree, it looks beautiful, set in the old city centre. But most of the time it's so croweded that I get overwhelmed - I don't see anything due to being short, being shoved all the time, etc just doesn't make it a fun experience at weekends. It's nice though if you can go during some random morning/noon in the middle of the week, even if it doesn't look as pretty as it would in the evening. The food is great!
 
I used to love going to the Manchester ones when it was just St. Peter’s and st Anne’s squares. The same stalls n the same spot every year and the vendors remembered you. Now it’s so scattered and it’s difficult to find the stalls I visited every year, I have mobility issues so I can’t/ won’t traipse around so gave up visiting.
 
For me it depends on the situation and location. Do I want to visit my local poor excuse for one? No. The idea of standing around in the cold, clutching a weak hot chocolate and making small talk with people I vaguely know sounds like hell. Obligations to visit Pam’s stall just because she lives next door to your gran 😅
But this year we are in York for our anniversary. Christmas market is on at the same time.
Completely different vibe for me. I will embrace it! ♥️
 
I hate the Manchester ones. They used to be just in front of the town hall which wasn't too bad but since they closed the town hall and put them on about 7 different sites there is no route I can go to the station without having to go through or dodge the edges of them. Back in 1998 or whatever when it was quite a new thing I quite liked them. Got some lovely cheeses and interesting gifts. Now it's just repeats of the same thing. Why is someone selling wooden garden furniture on pre order . 900 stalls selling those chocolate dome cake things. All the stalls selling gluhrwien in a cup with a deposit. Then a giant sausage pan followed by a stalk where you can buy a bracelet made from an old spoon. Woohoo. Then the massive knitted Peruvian hats and the man selling coasters made from old records.

My friend works in the Town Hall and said most of their office mugs are ex Christmas markets ones l. Different years for different floors I think
 
They started splitting them up in a lot of cities as well. So you're trekking around only to find 3 or 4 lumped together. Looks much better when it's all in one part.
 
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