Rhodes5 in Deutschland: Christmas Markets

It's that time of year again and the "Christmassy feeling" is in abundance throughout all of Germany. Yes - the famous German Christmas Markets are out in full force. There are lots of big Christmas Markets, but I tend to love the little ones even more. We were in a 3 1/2 hour "stau" (traffic Jam) the other day and had to get off the Autobahn and take the backroads. It was already dark and I was absolutely amazed at all of the cute little villages that we drove through that were bustling with the locals at their little Christmas Markets. Had we not gotten off the Autobahn - we never would have seen these smaller roads of Christmas Magic. It really was a nice start to the weekend (even if on a sour note due to the traffic jam). We have had dustings of snow too, which ads to the "feeling" and the only problem about this time of year is "too many markets" and "too little time"! Even the smallest of towns usually have some sort of Christmas Market - even if it is only there for one night or one weekend (opposed to the larger ones that remain for the entire Advent Season). We went to one in a village where our friends live (a village of only 280 residents) and it was absolutely adorable. I love that the community puts in the hard work to make sure that the sense of "community" stays strong even through the Christmas Season. It isn't about mass profit. It isn't about expensive gifts. It is simply about coming together and enjoying the coziness of the Christmas Season!