From December 8th to 10th, the Hudson-Landsberg Sister City put on the 5th annual Christkindlmarkt in downtown Hudson.
“The Hudson-Landsberg Sister City is a non-profit organization where you can get scholarships and grants if you take German [classes],” explains Junior Hanna Moore. “They host tours over in Germany, and there are exchanges where you can host someone from Landsberg, or you can go to Landsberg. Their goal is to bring German culture to Hudson and help connect individuals in the process.”
The original idea to host a Christkindlmarkt in Hudson came from Hanna Moore’s father, Jeff Moore. “My dad, while on the [Hudson-Landsberg Sister City] board, said that Germany has this thing called the Christkindlmarkt, and that Hudson should do that!” shared H. Moore.
From early to mid-2018, J. Moore organized and planned the event to present to the board, and board member Shelly Sedlacek helped get it approved to turn the dream into reality. In December of that year, the first Christkindlmarkt took place in Hudson.
Since then, the German Christmas market has been extremely popular among Hudsonites and others from surrounding areas in Northeast Ohio. “We’re expecting between seven and nine thousand people over the weekend,” H. Moore said. For a town of just over 20,000 residents, this brings the Hudson area to life.
At the Christkindlmarkt, participants can browse and shop at the many booths from local businesses featuring their latest items worthy of Christmas gifts. Whether you’re searching for festive ornaments or alpaca wool clothes, there’s a tent for almost everyone.
For those guided by their stomachs, there are plenty of food and drink options. Some of the mouthwatering foods include soft pretzels, potato pancakes, homemade strudel, salted peanuts and hearty bratwurst. For beverages, there is cider for all and Glühwein (mulled wine) for adults.
Another unique feature is the entertainment for children. “There’s a balloon artist and a place where you can get your face painted. I saw a girl running around with a balloon a few minutes ago, and she was so excited to have it,” shared H. Moore.
There’s also a scavenger hunt for Krampus, a half-goat, half-man creature that’s a symbol of Christmas in Germany. He’s seen as the “opposite Santa Claus” and is rumored to kidnap naughty kids who misbehave around the holiday season. Zizi Moore, an eighth grader at Old Trail School and Hanna Moore’s sister, helped run the scavenger hunt.
“Kids go around and try to look for the picture of the little Krampus monster in a bunch of tents. They then answer the clues from a sheet of paper that helps them find the tent. You then bring the completed sheet to the Kinderplatz (children’s tent) and get a bag full of goodies,” she shares.
Once they find the small Krampuses, kids may gain the confidence to visit with a much larger Krampus and St. Nicholas for a photo next to the Gazebo.
The Moore sisters both love the Christkindlmarkt event each year for different reasons. H. Moore’s favorite part is “The people, getting to help out and receiving service hours.” Z. Moore shared that during the event, there are “Small-town Christmas vibes. It’s truly like a Hallmark movie.”
Z. Moore continued. “It’s a nice place to get out and be a part of the community and meet new people. This shows the atmosphere of Hudson itself and what our people are like.”
If you haven’t yet gone to a Hudson-Landsberg event, make sure to visit Hudson’s Biergarten in August and next year’s Christkindlmarkt. For more information on their cross-cultural mission, head to https://www.hudson-landsberg.com/.
