On Nov. 29, Saint Paul’s Union Depot reopened its European Christmas Market. The market is a weekend pop-up hosting dozens of local vendors and is set to run until Dec. 22. I decided to stop by while I had the chance, hoping the market would instill me with some holiday spirit.
Coming in, I was skeptical about the market’s location. The Christmas Market sits outdoors on the Union Depot’s East Plaza, and Minnesotan winter weather can make any experience miserable. Bearing this in mind, we bundled up and came on the warmest day possible.
Armed with scarves and thick jackets, we set out. The market consists of narrow pathways, held in on each side by small wooden shacks. Each shack hosts a different vendor and each is adorned with seasonal decorations. If it weren’t for the extremely Minnesotan crowd that shuffled through the market, I’d say we were in the North Pole.
We passed shacks with lines 30 people long, inhaling the seductive scents of hot chocolate and German sausages. Our first stop was a Creperie, which served crepes filled with Nutella and wrapped in aluminum foil for $7. It was a disappointing start to our journey. The crepe was wet and flimsy, lying limp and unappetizing against its metallic sheath.
In hopes of raising our spirits, we circled back to some vendors we passed earlier. Things began to look up when we found the line to the pretzel shack, which had been impossibly long minutes ago, was now down to four people. The only thing lost in the chaos was the cheddar cheese dip, which the sign proclaimed was sold out.
My pretzel was okay. Again, the food fell short of my expectations and failed to live up to the price. My experience further soured when I dropped half of it on the ground, watching heartbroken as it was quickly trampled by the holiday-crazed stampede. I wondered if this was a sign—maybe this Christmas market just couldn’t live up to my expectations.
I wouldn’t let it get me down. Determined to turn this trip around, we gave up on food and turned to trinkets. Artisanal gift vendors sold a variety of wares, few of which could be considered “traditionally European.” Still, they were enticing—ornately carved candles, hand-crafted ornaments and knit gloves called to me from display shelves. While steep prices nearly deterred me, I ended up buying two stuffed animals made from recycled clothing to give to my sisters for Christmas.
The market was magical, and I was glad to have found unique gifts, but my food misadventures hung heavy on my Christmas spirit. What were us girls to do? We resolved to push onward. A remote corner of the market, innocuous enough that we skipped over it on our first lap, was the best bet.
As we neared the corner, the crowd dwindled, taking my sense of urgency with it. We no longer needed to shove our way through people to move forward, and we took on a leisurely pace for the first time that day. Unencumbered by the crowd, I could finally appreciate the market’s charm. The narrow pathway of huts, ornately draped in wreaths and red ribbon, gave the impression of walking through a real European market during the holidays.
My spirits lifted, I decided to try one last item: hot apple cider. I shelled out five dollars, expecting to be let down once again, but resolved to enjoy the moment anyway. Maybe this was what the Saint Paul European Christmas Market had been trying to teach me—the spirit of Christmas is about believing in a more magical world.
