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Every year (since 2006) on the first Thursday in December the Bundeswehr presents its annual Christkindlmarket in Reston, VA.  The Bundeswehr is the German armed forces and Christkindlmarket means Christ child market.  These are traditional German Christmas markets and we are lucky enough to have Germans that organize this one near us.  The market is held at 11150 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191 from 4-9 PM.  Entry and parking are free, but it is a very busy place.

This year the event was held on December 8, and after bundling up the children we headed over to the market.  We tried to keep in mind all of the lessons we had learned from last year in order to make it an even better experience this year.  Both my wife and I think it would nice for this to be a family tradition which the children would look forward to every year and they sure were looking forward to it this year!

We arrived at 4:30, and the timing worked out much better than last year.  The place was already bustling even though it had only been open since four o’clock.  The children were hungry so our first stop was the waffle stand.  The waffles are made in front of you and powdered generously with sugar.  The waffles were delicious and put everyone in a great mood.  The waffles (as with many items) don’t have a set price, instead you leave a donation which goes to a local charity (usually Cornerstones).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fionnuala and Liam munched away and I took the opportunity to purchase a couple of pretzels at the stand next to where they were sitting.   The pretzel stand was manned by the Swiss Bakery who in addition to pretzels were selling all sorts of German breads and pastries.  Pretzels were $5 each.

With their strength renewed thanks to the waffles, Liam said to me “Let’s get some sausages!”  So, off we went.  If you want bratwurst or pea soup there is a procedure.  First you have to stand in line to buy a ticket ($5 for brats, $4 for soup) .  Once you have your tickets you head to the bratwurst or soup tent and get your food.  Last year I had some of the soup and it was delicious, but this year we stuck with the sausages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bratwurst are all cooked while you wait so that your meat is fresh off the grill.  Each plate comes with a bun and a generous portion of sauerkraut.  Once you have you food, there is a some German mustard and the end of the line that you can add to your plate.

Last year, we were not able to find a seat at the large table area, but this year there were plenty of choices (it was 5:30 by the time we reached the tables).  We settled in at a table and all tucked in to the delicious food.  For drinks, there are a few different beer tents but we went for the soft drinks (you leave what you feel is an appropriate donation).  It really is a nice atmosphere once the darkness sets in.  The brass band plays in the background, while you are surrounded by the Christmas lights and conversations.

After we finished eating we headed back into the main circle of vendors.  This year they had a game where children were trying to knock over some sort of characters, a selection of toys, smokers and nutcrackers and a nice assortment of Germanic foods from different vendors.  As we made our way through the crowd the German language was everywhere.

 

 

The children were ready for desert, so we wound our way to the Cotton Candy stall.  On the way a cookie caught Liam’s eye and so we stopped at the Bakehaus stand.  He asked for the cookie he wanted, but when I tried to pay the women declined our money.  It was really sweet, and typical of this wonderful market.  I look forward to visiting this Ashburn, VA shop in the future.

We waited for the cotton candy (donation suggested) and this was the only line on the evening that didn’t move very quickly.  Fortunately, the stand advertising the German School of Washington, DC provided a distraction.  Both children were thrilled to walk away from that stall holding a German flag which kept them amused until we arrived at the front of the line.  We took our cotton candy and began the walk back to the car.

Even though we had a good time last year, this year was even better.  The children both had a great time and so did both parents.  As we headed back to the car, the children devoured their cotton candy with big smiles on their faces.  Everyone is excited to return next year.

 

 

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