Kicking off Christmas

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Strasbourg, November 25,2006

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the build up- I love multicolored, blinking lights, frosted baubles, and synthetic garland that smells of peppermint candles and that particular musky tang that is only achievable by living a year in the attic.

Yes, it was that indulgent, and yes I did indulge. What do you expect!?

I love tacky yard ornaments and plastic Santa Clauses beaming down on nativities. I love wooden reindeer, Styrofoam elves, tinsel-clad carolers and polystyrene snowmen all poised on the lawns of neighbors, making the streets look like a schizophrenic’s yard sale. Their painted smiles last through the cold, rain and snow, and because of them, so does mine.

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I love the feel-good, movies that are sappier than a cedar tree with a fever- you know the ones I mean- where someone finds love in New York, someone receives something that changes their life (usually a toy), and where Christmas is always in danger, but in the last five minutes is miraculously saved. I am not sure how a holiday could be in danger, but I fall for it every time, my heart growing Grench-style with each happy, sappy ending thump.

I love the songs on the radio. It is the one time of year I love hearing the same song played over and over, sung by thirty different people, but I sing along nonetheless, admit it, we all do…

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I also love shopping. Ahhhhhh, (she says with a shrewd nod) this is where I will no doubt lose some of you- you may agree to feeling a tinge of joy with the decorations, the smiling snowmen or even the movies, but when it comes to Christmas shopping there is no grey area- you adore it, as I do, or you hate it with the power of a thousand suns and at its very mentioning made your ulcer re-announce its existence.

Well, gather round children and I shall tell you of a place where Christmas shopping is not only a pleasure, it is a sensory overload. A place where Christmas junkies can overdose in less than an hour and the shopping-shunner can experience a world you will never find in Macy’s or Bloomie’s. Scrooge himself would be impressed.

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Our story begins on the Eastern edge of France in the heart of Alsace. Tickling the western flank of Germany, about three hours from Paris by train, is the city of Strasbourg. Strasbourg is said to have one the largest and most elaborate Christmas markets in Europe- Marchés de Noël. Having now walked its glorious isles, I can honestly say I know of no other market that is even worth mentioning in the same breath, and, believe me, I can be very longwinded.

First let me clarify. I should be referring to the Marchés de Noël as Christmas markets. This year there were thirteen sprinkled throughout the city, containing various themes such as books, cinema, photo exhibitions, ice gardens, Romanian artisans, and of course the traditional Christmas pomp and circumstance. The two largest and most elaborate are the Christkindelsmärik in Place Broglie and the Marché de Noël in the Place de la Cathédrale.

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The Christkindelsmärik was as impossible to believe as it is to say. Claiming an entire city block, rows of storefronts resembling miniature wooden chalets, each spangled with color and lights and fluffy snow, paintings and toys, dominated the street. Inside each chalet was a new world. Some sold armies of miniature painted nativity characters, all aligned according to size and function so precisely that it looked as if they marched into place themselves and are waiting for their next orders. Some sold stacks of color-coded ornaments of every shape, shade, and glittering material, and believe me, ROY G. BIV had nothing on them. My favorite ornaments  were the frosted glass peacocks you clip onto the branches of your Christmas tree. They came in every color imaginable (and some unimaginable), sported a real feather and an air of self-righteousness that made them stand out in droves over the traditional round bauble. Some booths sold hand crafted toys that looked like they had actually been made by elves: velvet puppets, ceramic marionettes, wooden puzzles, stuffed reindeer, baby dolls and plush animals. Each isle came with more tinsel, more Christmas trees, more lights, more jewelry, yes jewelry, more songs, more…

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Smells… hot spiced wine and cider, fresh gingerbread, waffles with whipped cream, cookies, more candy than should be legally allowed in one area, hot chocolate, chocolate Santa Clauses, chocolate sauce, chocolate bonbons, chocolate crepes (basically imagine a dentists worst nightmare), and that isn’t including the savory items. After quelling your sweet tooth, you can turn around and buy something salty: popcorn, pizza, panninis, Romanian meatballs with sauerkraut, cheese, sausage, stews and lager. Yes, it was that indulgent, and yes I did indulge. What do you expect!?

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The market in the Place de la Cathédrale had more of the same- rows of connected chalet shops with gorgeous sights and smells, but was dominated by a cathedral so immense God himself has certainly noticed and sighed in satisfaction. Within the cathedral is an ingenious clock that monitors all aspects of time, date, zodiac, moon phase, our mortality etc. as well as a small memorial to the fallen American soldiers that helped free Alsace during WWII. Outside the cathedral is surrounded by pedestrian streets lined in German-influenced buildings adorned with fresh garland, bows, lights, and have minstrels roosting on each doorstep. Canopies of lights stretch overhead from building to building and carriages whisk tired shoppers from one place to the next allowing them to rest their feet and take quick photos of street performers and the general splendor.

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The entire city of Strasbourg was enchanting- it reminded me of a Hansel and Grettle- type fairy tale, well, minus the cannibalistic witch of course. It was what we Christmas-lovers imagine Christmas to be, cozy cottage-like gingerbread houses with ski-jump roofs, leisurely shopping and eating along cobblestone streets. Even if you withdrew all traces of Christmas, Strasbourg is still a wonderful place. The main part of town is an island, surrounded by a forked river. The river is lined with antique lanterns, scrolling iron-railed bridges and buildings you would expect to see in a cookie commercial. We even happened upon the fattest otter I had ever laid eyes on, I dubbed him Fotter, and imagine he raids the trash for leftover gingerbread santas at night. The best vantage point is by foot or by boat and there are various short cruises you can take down river. There are also a couple of tram lines that provide an inexpensive and quick link to the next market or sight.

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The Marchés de Noël in Strasbourg was the perfect way to kick off the Christmas season, and it made me happy to see that there are others in the world that enjoy Christmas as much as I do. When it comes to Christmas, I don’t think there is a way to over do it. Some may think, well these are just things, and yes, they are, but they are things that represent the creativity and expression the spirit of Christmas creates in you. The more you are willing to celebrate, the more the season calls to you, the more you understand the point- that it is a time for reflection and joy, and as simple as it may be, 5,000 pink Peacocks on a stick made me very happy.

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This year the market was from November 25^th- December 31^st. We went on the opening weekend and it was a very wise decision. We were able to enjoy everything without huge crowds, and the weather was temperate.