The Christmas Market

Last year, I didn’t get into the Christmas spirit until the holidays had more or less arrived. I always feel like things ramp up too early & it’s easy to get carried away about Christmas far too early. I was a real scrooge about it last year though, honestly. I’ll never be the first in line for my red cup on November 1, but I’m trying to find a middle ground.

When my girlfriend, Laische, suggested we check out the International Christmas Market at Spruce Meadows, I figured it was the perfect way to kick off the Holiday Season. It being our first Christmas in our new house, I’m excited to decorate. My Holiday wish list includes a wreath, some little white lights, a REAL tree, & a few simple items for the mantle.

We arrived at the market in the late afternoon, after a slow Sunday morning. It was quite busy, but we were lucky enough to find parking close to the entrance, due in part to our missing the sign for the further parking lots. Entrance will set you back $12 at the door, but I would recommend buying tickets online as you’ll save yourself a couple bucks.

The coolest thing about this market is that they have real, live reindeer. REAL LIVE REINDEER. I mean, it’s worth the entrance fee just to go see them! You can also get family photos done, which I think is way better than a photo with Santa. Rudolph is the star for me anyway. L & I were so tempted to get them done. Next year I’m definitely going to try & convince N to come down with me for a reindeer photo.

Mulled wine, gluhwein, vin chaud -whatever you call it, it tastes like Christmas. Nothing says Noel to me like wandering the market with a warm cup of vin chaud. It was my favourite part about spending the holidays in Europe. I was always eager to see the Christmas Markets pop up in squares around town – it marked the beginning of the holiday season & I’ve since found it difficult to find an equivalent in Canada. Not only do those markets have the best food, but there’s something magical about a snowy walk with a warm festive drink to get me in the mood for Christmas. When I saw gluhwein on the menu at Spruce Meadows, I knew I had to get some. It certainly worked its magic on me.

L & I were both looking for Christmas decorations, but we got a little overwhelmed by everything. There was SO much! Hopefully I can find some stuff elsewhere in the next few weeks now that I’ve had a chance to look around & figure out what we might want.

The market is open again next weekend & I’d definitely recommend checking it out. Do you have any traditions that make you feel ready for the Holidays?