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Attending the Reston Christkindlmarket is now officially a family Christmas tradition for our family.  This is our third year attending and it has organically become something that the children eagerly anticipate.  The market is held each year at 11150 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191 from 4-9 PM on the first Thursday in December. Entry and parking are free, but it is a very busy place.  All donations go to local charities.

The children had been looking forward to this day all week.  In our home the Lego Advent calendars are the clue to our children that the Christkindlmarket must be coming soon.  We have learned a lot from our last two visits and that made it a much more relaxing trip this year.  We arrived this year at 4:30 and immediately recognized that there were A LOT more cars than in years past.  It was certainly a little busier than in has been, but still wonderful.

We began our evening with waffles (donation requested).  The children arrive hungry each year and had been talking about waffles since they had woken in the morning.  Sarah decided to get in line to purchase tickets for the bratwursts while we waited in the waffle line.  As in years before, the waffles are covered in powered sugar which quickly decorates my family each time.  After we had eaten our waffles, I passed the hot wine tent and headed over to the Swiss Bakery stand to purchase a couple of pretzels ($5.50 each).  I paid with cash, but they were taking credit cards this year!  Pretzels acquired, we started to make our way toward the bratwurst area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way to acquire our bratwursts, the kids spotted the “Knock It Down” stall.  I thought the addition of a kid’s game (donation requested)  was a great idea.  Both children took their chances and each came away with a prize.  They were thrilled with the booty.  The atmosphere  by this point was wonderful.  The brass band was playing, the crowd was buzzing and everyone was having a good time.  We passed the beer tents, the non alcoholic beverages, the band, another beer tent and got in line.  We wound our way through the line taking in the ambiance and visiting with neighbors.  Each year there has been a very noticeable number of German speakers, but it was even more common this year.  There were lots and lots of German speaking families in addition to the American German speakers.  This was the first year I remember seeing so many High School German students.  As always, when natives abound it is a sign that something is being done right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we made our way to the cotton candy tent.  I was hoping to make a purchase at the Binkert’s German Meats tent this year, but didn’t get to stop by any of the other stalls this year.  While waiting in the cotton candy line the children (just like last year) saw the swag at the German International School stall (which now offers German classes).  They returned with two hand-warmers emblazoned with the name of the school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year it seemed there were more people than on our prior visits, but somehow it was not more crowded.  Perhaps it was due to the fact that the event was arranged in a different way this year.  Each time we have gone there has been a slightly different setup but this year was more dramatic.  Also this year everyone in the family saw someone they knew, which made it even more fun than usual.  It appears that the Tripswithkevin family has finally mastered the Reston Christkindlemarket.

What you need to know about the Reston Christkindlmarket

How to buy a bratwurst or soup:

The most important thing to know about this Christkindlmarket is the bratwurst and soup buying process.  There is fairly short line that you have to wait in to buy a ticket for bratwurst ($5) or traditional pea soup ($4).  After you have your ticket you proceed to another line which is pretty long (but moves quickly) to get your bratwurst and/or soup.  The line for soup is short and the soup is good, so that is a speedier way to eat.

How to pay for things:

A lot of things will require cash.  Many of the stalls that are run by businesses selling their wares do take credit cards (though I am not sure that all do).  All of the stalls run by the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces) accept cash donations.  This includes the waffles, cotton candy, the hot foods and the drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic).  Please keep in mind that the Bundeswehr donates all of the funds from this to a local charity.

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