While you might have plans to do at least some of your holiday shopping online, it can also be fun to find a Christmas market that is running in your area in December. These markets pop up in different regions in advance of Christmas and offer a wide range of goods for sale, both from local companies and other organizations. You can visit the market with your significant other or with a group of friends and expect to leave with a large number of items that you'll need to wrap and place under your tree for your loved ones. Beyond offering many different things for sale, as well as holiday music playing in the background, Christmas markets often have these features, too.
Refreshments
You'll increase the enjoyment of your Christmas market visit by having some refreshments as you shop. These markets almost always have snack stands at which you can buy hot chocolate, apple cider, and other beverages, as well as all sorts of sweet seasonal fare. Whether you grab something as you browse the items for sale or shop for a bit and then take a break with a drink and a sweet treat, you'll find that the right refreshments can help you to get in the seasonal mood.
Selfie Area
More and more Christmas markets have displays that are designed to provide the perfect backdrop for a selfie — often with colorful lights and various types of seasonal decor. If the market you visit maintains an active social media presence, the selfie area may feature the market's online name or a hashtag that it uses. It can be fun to snap a selfie with your shopping partners and then post it to your own social media channels. You may even find that the market's channel shares your post with its followers at some point.
Children's Entertainment
If you can't get a babysitter, you can bring your children to the Christmas market. They don't necessarily need to tag along with you while you shop, however. Many of these markets have a children's area that provides supervised entertainment. You can drop your kids in this space and then enjoy browsing the items for sale. The kids will work on Christmas crafts and other similar projects with other children, and you can return to the area to pick them up when you're done with your shopping. Look online to find a Christmas shopping market in your area.
