Event for the New Year Resolution at the ChristKindl Market Chicago, IL

Experience and Where Christkindlmarket Originated: 

Every year while living in Chicago, I would go with My husband to the Christkindlmarket event. He had introduced many significant events in this lovely city and the state of Illinois and is located in the United States.

I am originally from the Dominican Republic and a New Yorker, and so this is all brand new to me; it is always exciting to explore new cultures, and I embrace these unique events. This week we celebrate Three Kings Day, especially if you are Latino like myself; I am full 100 percent Dominican.
I usually talk about a product on my website, and at this event, I will speak of many products, but the only brand name I have is the name of the event itself, Christkindlmarket.

This idea originated from Germany, and it is celebrated in other parts of Europe as well. The Christkindlmarket is known as a Christmas event every year in the Daley Plaza location in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
This festival has a reputation for attracting many tourists at the end of the winter holiday months every year. You would see many people of many religions visit it no matter if it is considered a Christmas event.

This special event started on November 17 and ended on December 24, and it is something you should all put on your to-do list when you visit the beautiful city of Chicago.

This great festival includes a lot of great unique, tasting German foods and, among others, shopping for keepsakes or souvenirs, music, and special delicious drinks such as mulled wine, which is German spiced wine.

 

 

What Savory and Sweet Foods and Drinks Should You Explore at the ChristKindel Market?

There are a variety of exquisite German and European foods on display at this festival. I always go towards getting a homemade hot chocolate. This hot chocolate is excellent, and you get to have a souvenir as your cup to hold your hot chocolate.

 

The souvenir would have the year and a different illustration or painting from the past year. This is a ceramic cup, which is not only made for the holiday cheer but also a great decorative for your holiday home pieces. Some of them are in the shape of a cute little snowman. I have collected four of these lovely ceramic cups so far. I have a picture of myself holding the cute snowman one from this past winter 2017 months.

Foods to look for at the Christkindlmarket:

One of the Best Sandwich at the Christkindlmarket: There are all kinds of great warm homemade foods, local vendors, foods, and food stand that bring about German culture to life, such as restaurants around Chicago. My family and I would try a variety of foods every year at the Christkindlmarket. 

There are foods such as the Raclette Sandwich, a German sandwich that has melted authentic German cheese, is toasted, and golden all around. It could have some pickle slices and onions as well as potatoes inside of it. 

This meal would be a cheese lover’s favorite. It is one of our favorite sandwich here.

Homemade Special Pretzels: The next item I will talk about are the pretzels because they are an old-time favorite, and my husband loves pretzels as his top treat. At the Christkindlmarket, they have a variety of pretzels. The pretzels could the stuffed, chocolate flavored, apple cinnamon, plain, or filled with even cheese. These tasty stuffed, flavored, or traditional pretzels are at the Stuffed Gourmet. 

Pretzels, or Hot Pretzels stand.

Another favorite from the Stuffed Gourmet Pretzels would be their hot cider or their coffee.

Homemade Marzipans, Chocolates, Candies, and Sweets:  The Sweet Swabian vendor stand would have all these goodies. It is the best, and if you do happen to want hot chocolate from them as other vendor stands, they will not have whip cream for you, but they will have your keepsake and hot chocolate. I like that they offer gingerbread, chocolate specialties, various marzipan candies, and roasted nuts.

Vendor called Chocolate Covered Treats & Baked Apples: These vendors sell baked apples, chocolate-covered fruit, marzipans, and other sweets.

Goulash Soup: This is where we usually would get our goulash soup made with beef, but it can be a bit greasy.

Vegan Lentil Soup: This one I like best because it is not as greasy as the Goulash and is done is nice with spices.

Homemade Special Schnitzels: Then there are the schnitzels, which they have from sweet to non-sweet ones, which could be filled with meat, or You will receive your mostly homemade schnitzels from the Schnitzel House.

• The Schnitzel House also offers French fries, German burgers, potato pancakes, chicken sandwiches, goulash soup, hot and cold drinks.

The vendor for bratwurst: Bratwurst is, of course, German sausage, and you will find the better one at the Traditional German Food vendor.

Strudel lovers vendor: The vendor that I have experienced and enjoyed your traditional German or European Strudels is at the Helmut’s Original Austrian Strudel. This vendor had a variety of homemade, fresh, savory, and sweet strudels and puffs. I enjoyed eating their apple and cherry strudels best, and they also have cheese, almond, or apricot ones.

Crepes lovers vendor:  The only vendor I saw, which comes straight from Paris, France, is the Crepes Paname. They serve you any kind of light, hearty, and delicious filled crepes.

 The vendor would have your savory and sweet crepes or waffles. I had a blueberry creme crepe, for example. It was just so good, and nice to see that they would make it for you before your eyes.

Fish lovers vendor: People who desire to eat fish instead would go to the Rollmop vendor. 

The Rollmop will serve you fish of your choices, such as regular, salted, sour pickled herring, or salmon, served with a bread roll. Of course, I like to stick to my salmon, but the other fish varieties did look appetizing. Do not forget to try their East German traditional fish dessert called Ossi Grütze.

Glühwein or Mulled Spiced Wine: This is a German traditional hot spiced wine with a delicious, excellent taste to your tongue palate. It thinks mine was a bit sweet when I had drunk it, but it is not like over the board sweet. 

I enjoyed that the holiday beverage was served in a boot-shaped cup. It had paintings decorated with the year and Christkindlmarket’s signature logo as well. You can get the Mulled spiced wine at the Bitburger, Köstritzer. This wine supposes to come from the original Sternthaler Glühwein from Nuremberg, Germany.

Tip for getting your Mulled Spiced Wine: You must get there early because the lines will be extended for your favorite vendor stands or huts just like this Mulled Spiced one because it can sell out fast.

More sweet varieties such as gingerbread and nuts: You will find more sweets such as gingerbread, roasted nuts, and German cookies at the Sweet Castle Vendor.  

They also have various German candies, chocolates, traditional German holiday cakes, cotton candy, and popcorn.

Tea lovers: Please go to the TeaGschwendner stand to get your world awarded teas and gift sets for you, your family, and friends.

More sweets for Chocolate lovers: You can find more specialty chocolates at the United Chocolate Works, which makes new creations of the imagination shape your chocolates and make them taste delicious.

 

A Diversity of Keepsakes and Collections: 

Nutcrackers or wooded toys or keepsake collectors: You can find one of the finest woodworking products, the Bethlehem Nativity Products or the Bavarian Workshop vendors.

Glass figurines as a keepsake collector: You will find the glass figurines where you can have your unique engraving at the Bavarian Glass Road. They come directly from Bavaria, Germany, in Europe.

Fairy and fantasy keepsake collectors: You must visit the Dragons and Fairytales vendor, which come from Germany for this time of year in Chicago. You will find a collection variety of hand-crafted figurines as well as dragons, gargoyles, fairies, and more. They carry the whimsical looking pencil items, incense smoking dragons, animal key rings, and carved animal sculptures such as wolves, moose, and many more.

Tinsels, Wreaths, Nativities, Santa Claus items, and Christmas goodies collectors: The Bavarian Pewter would carry your Christmas or Holiday bells, candles, wreaths, tinsels, and hand-painted porcelain Santa Claus and nativities, for example.

German Goblets, Steins or Beer Boot Souvenirs: You will find the beer boots from small to super large at the German Steins and Souvenirs, and also goblets, and some look like the Game of Thrones, which is excellent for those Game of Thrones fans to take home as a keepsake.

Some Places not to Miss Downtown Chicago for Tourism: 

Ice Skating Rink: Do not forget to go to the ice skating rink called the Millennium Park Ice Skating Rink in Chicago, located at 201 E Randolph Street, Downtown, Chicago.

Big Christmas Lighting Downtown: It is just as beautiful to see the annual Christmas Tree lighting at night in Chicago as I have pictured below; this is, of course, located in downtown Chicago. The tree is enormous, and so many beautiful holiday decorations such as colorful tinsel and lightings.

Note: The annual Christmas tree Lighting location will be at Millennium Park near the ice skating rink. The food purchased at the Millennium Park area is pretty pricey compared to the Christkindlmarket and is not even homemade like the foods and goods at the Christkindlmarket.

 

In conclusion, you must visit the Christkindlemarket and have it as an activity for you to go, your family, and friends to enjoy the year you happen to visit Chicago, Illinois or live here and do not know what to do pastime. They have kept these vendor stands or hugs the same look as they have them in Germany.

 

Below you can see a picture I took of another of my favorite Marzipans sold at the Holiday Candies VenStand, and which is the Dark Chocolate Covered ones on a stick.

 

Below I am eating the Cocoa Dusted Marzipans, another Christkindlmarket treat favorite of mine. 

 

Below are some clothing Fashion and Stylish Items I was wearing at this great Christkindlemarket event. Please Check it out! Thank you. 🙂 

Below is a picture of the German spiced wine known as Mulled wine served at the stands look like, except in that cup that I carry in my home. 

This comes in a souvenir shaped boat instead of at the Christkindlmarket as you can see below the Mulled drink, which shows the boot-shaped cup.

Below you can see most of the Keepsakes or Souvenirs I have collected from going to the Christkindelmarket through the years! 

Below I have a picture of myself holding the lovely keepsake from the Christkindlemarket. I am wearing my Women’s Calvin Klein Leather Moto Jacket, my gray, white, and black beanie hat my leopard shades or sunglasses.