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Once we put up our Christmas decorations, the children get excited about Advent calendars.  Once December 1st hits, all they can talk about is the Christkindlmarket.  Now that the children are older (9 and 6), they really look forward to the annual Christkindlmarket that is put on by the Bundeswehr in Reston, VA.  Today, someone asked my youngest to play on the playground after school and she launched into a speech declaring that every year we go to the Christkindlmarket and how much fun it will be.  Each year the Christmindlmarket is held on the first Thursday in December, which was December 6th this year.  The event is held at 11150 Sunrise Valley Dr; Reston, Virginia 20191.

In many ways, I think this was the the most enjoyable visit we have had to the Christkindlmarket, but first let’s review the changes that have been made.  One very big change is that after last year’s huge turnout, there was for the first time an admission fee for this wonderful event ($5 per adult).  The obvious results of the admission fee was that while still bustling, it was didn’t feel super crowded anymore.  That is a huge positive.  The other obvious difference was there were not large mobs around the beer tents.

The set-up (as always) was a bit different this year.  We arrived about 4:30 and got into line to enter the market.  The line looked long, but I think we were at the entrance tent in 10 minutes.  The first stop was a security check of our bags, followed by ticket purchases.  The new procedure is pay for the adults (cash) and then purchase any tickets that you want for bratwurst ($5) or pea soup ($4), also cash only.

It was colder than usual this year, so we decided that we would get our brats and take them home with us to eat there.  So, once we were through the entrance we split up.  Sarah took the kids to get waffles (donation suggested) while I got in line to get our bratwursts (which come with a bun and sauerkraut.  This was another area that was very different from years past.  The line for the brats wasn’t that long.  Before I knew it I had my food and was leaving the line.

The children had already visited the Can-Knock-Down booth by the time I met back up with them.  The next stop for them was the waffles.  After they finished the waffles they enjoyed exploring all of the booths.  We also met my parents who had already had their sausages and also found a new tent that was serving Glühwein.  They were happy to have hot drinks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way around the rest of the loop and purchased a Christmas Tree ornament from a new booth and then cookies and pretzels from the Swiss Bakery.  We stayed a little over an hour (just after sunset) and headed home with our bags full of our new items.  Before we did though, we made a stop at the cotton candy booth (donation suggested).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we left (about 5:45) the line was just as long, if not longer than when we had arrived.  Even with a noticeably smaller crowd, the place had a sense of joy and excited and you could feel the energy.   What a great time, a once again kicked off our Christmas season with a wonderful night.  We all are excited for next year!

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