Christmas Market Time - part one

Until a few years ago, German Christmas Markets took place in Germany but in recent years, they have become very popular and are now popping up in other cities around Europe too.  As we were in Birmingham last week-end, we visited the Frankfurt Christmas market (Birmingham is twinned with Frankfurt) which has now been running for 12 years and is the largest outdoor Christmas market in this country (with around 190 stalls).

Not all of the produce actually come from Germany, but the market itself is based on the traditional German markets, where the emphasis is on hand-crafted gifts and home-made style food.  The markets in this country are perhaps becoming popular because many people still like the idea of tradition and romance at Christmas and there's a feeling of less emphasis on commercialism and mass produced items (although that's not to say some items here aren't mass-produced!)

There are many stalls offering a range of handmade toys, Christmas decorations, jewellery and other crafted goods.

As a feltmaker, I particularly liked the colourful stall selling hand-felted bags and accessories, and particularly liked the "bobble" bags for their texture and colour.

Click here to find out more about Brimingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market