Christmas makes its mark in St Stephen’s Green
Well it’s that time of the year again, and I know we’re all going to complain about the things we secretly look forward to every year.
So today, I want to talk about something I discovered a couple of years ago, something that took me right back, Christmas Markets. In 2012, when on a cold winters evening, I was walking through the IFSC, and I just happened to stumble upon what I thought was a set from a Dickens novel, but low and behold it was a pop up Christmas Market. Now I had heard of them before, and I thought they were a bit…I don’t know…. Disney or something, but I was wrong, it was really good.
It was set up like a small village you would find on the outskirts of a skiing resort high in the Alps, (not that I’ve ever been near the Alps or even a skiing resort but it’s what you would imagine it would be like). “We’ve all seen the Bond movies” with the neatly packed row of log cabins, beautifully lit with all that the season has to offer on display.
While walking around it I did get that timeless Christmas feeling, those smells and sounds that take us to that place in our mind, an almost stir feelings of contentment and joy. The produce they had for sale wasn’t the kind of stuff that you would see on the high street or large department stores, almost all the gifts on sale were either handmade or of a niche quality. Admittedly, these items were not cheap but there was also a large range of Irish made gifts which is always nice to see.
This year’s Christmas market is already open in the St Stephen’s Green. So do yourself a favor this Christmas, get the family together and head down. While prices may be prohibitive for a lot of people, even with our recently lowered water charges (for this year anyway) but either way you will come away with an enduring memory for free.
