Your own festive market experience in 2021
How to enjoy a Christmas market safely from home? Let me tell you all about it!
One of the most loved holiday season traditions is taking a stroll at a Christmas market. Festive markets are such a nice way to get in the mood for winter holidays, especially because they open around a month before Christmas. But quite a few countries have announced new lockdowns this year, which means there are restrictions in place, and a number of well-known festive markets are not taking place at all this year. If you’re self-isolating or unable to travel, then this article is just for you: I went ahead with research on how we can still experience a Christmas market feeling while keeping a safe distance!
Creating the atmosphere
Before we go on a virtual Christmas tour, let’s prepare ourselves. A Christmas market is all about lights, music, gift shopping, and keeping warm, but it is also about the tasty food and drinks.
Mulled wine is something that most Christmas markets have in common, as it is perfect for sipping in the chilly outdoors. No matter the country, there is a version of this hot wine available in most of them. Why not give it a try and prepare a non-alcoholic glögi from Finland or a forralt bor from Hungary, to accompany you on your virtual Christmas tour.
In case you are in need of a baking challenge, a gingerbread house creates an atmosphere, and it also tastes really good! The Simple gingerbread house recipe definitely does not look simple, but it is worth a try!
A virtual Christmas tour
Virtual tours of Christmas markets were quite popular last year, which made me wonder what types of virtual experiences can I find this year. Even though the holiday season of 2021 is less virtual than in 2020, there are quite a few options to choose from.
If you like to visit Santa Claus at a Christmas market, why not visit Santa’s village in the North Pole? Live at Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi invites people to visit Santa’s village live! Additionally, I recommend you to take the virtual and interactive tour of Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle.
I found a very delightful virtual market where it snows and Christmas music is playing. The market is in German, but the visuals and music is for everyone to enjoy, so have fun with this interactive festive market!
And to experience a 360º view of the Christmas markets of the world, I recommend checking out 360cities — I visited the Christmas market of Prague from the Clock tower and the festive-looking town square of Tallinn.
Artists and local artisans
Christmas Market 2021 caught my attention with their slogan Created by Christmas Fans, For Christmas Fans! — and naturally, I needed to check out what they were all about, especially because their goal is to recreate the atmosphere of a real traditional Christmas market, which is exactly what I was looking for! They offer a selection of handmade and unique products, just like the ones you would find at a real market. Did you know that gnomes bring luck and prosperity to their owners? Well, you can buy a handmade gnome from this market!
I also discovered that we can virtually travel to Kaysersberg in France, to find Christmas presents from local vendors over there. If you are a big fan of Christmas sweets, they have a very large selection available (and most of the products are from Alsace). I wouldn’t mind trying the nougat!
Well, I had a lovely time checking out these online Christmas markets and now I’d best go and check on my Glühwein! Happy holidays, everyone!
What are some other ideas to enjoy the Christmas market from a safe distance at home? Let us know in the comments below!
