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On Thursday, December 3rd we took the family to the annual Christkindlmarkt that the Bundeswehr has presented in Reston, VA every year since 2006.  The Bundeswehr is the German armed forces and Christkindlmarkt 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 on the first Thursday in December. Entry and parking are free, but it is a very busy place.  A big hit in Reston over the years, this also is a draw for many Germans in the area.  We arrived at 5:30 PM and the place was already full of people and a joyous energy.

We arrived hungry with the two children (6 and 3) and immediately began trying to sort out the food scenario.  There are a few options for food. The main attraction is the bratwurst and pea soup tent (It’s easy to find — it’s the one with no line).  To gain entry to the line you must first purchase tickets in a nearby tent.  Each bratwurst (imported from Germany) costs $5 and includes sauerkraut and a bun.  A bowl of pea soup with a bun is $4.  Everything was absolutely delicious, but tables were hard to come by at the six o’clock hour.  In addition to the main courses, there are three beer tents each selling a different beer (I’m not sure of the beer prices as I gave the beer a miss) and a stall accepting donations for bottled water and soft drinks (however much you feel is appropriate).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other food options include a tent where they were making waffles and cotton candy.  Next to that was a tent where a butcher was selling German meats (uncooked) at one end but on the other end you could purchase a large pretzel for $5 (delicious) as well as baked goods such as cookies (also delicious) and strudel.

While most of the stalls were made up of food and beverage vendors, there were a few other notable items. There were a couple of stalls selling crafts, such as nutcrackers and a brass band playing Christmas music which greatly added to the ambiance.

It was easy to see why this place has developed such a strong word of mouth following.  One obvious clue as to the authenticity of this market was the amount of German that was spoken everywhere.  It was also nice to see the German grandparents that had brought their American born grandchildren to experience the event as well.

The members of the Bundeswehr who were manning the stations were well chosen and certainly added to the experience.  Each one we encountered was very friendly, helpful and engaging.  Most of them went out of their way to engage our children and were very sweet with them.  In addition, all of the money raised during the event goes to a local charity each year.

I look forward to including this into our family Christmas traditions in the upcoming years and would encourage you to give it a try as well.  It is bustling for sure and the weather this year was fairly cold, but they do a really good job!  As the children get older I look forward to this being a symbolic kick-off to the Christmas season.

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