Create your own Mini Christmas Market at Home
Last month, we received the sad news {that we all knew was coming, let’s be honest!} that our annual Christmas continental Market was cancelled. Thousands of people attend our Christmas market, day in & day out, everyone shoulder to shoulder. So social distancing just would not have been possible. Not even if it was made into a ‘time slot only’ attraction. Which just doesn’t have the same flair to it, does it? This will be the first time in fifteen years that the Christmas Continental Market won’t be here in Belfast City and it sucks. So I thought, why not make our own Christmas market at home!
We have an annual tradition with the kids to visit when it’s as quiet as possible, which is usually around 11 am on a weekday morning! And we eat our way around the market. We indulge in dutch pancakes, salsa beef burgers from Rocket & Relish, churros, bubble waffles, dinky doughnuts the lot! The atmosphere is lovely, with all of the fairy lights, people looking happy, Christmas music playing in the background. The whole experience is always a lovely one {when it’s not too busy!} and we always leave with full bellies & happy kids.
The Continental Christmas Market was just one of those family things we always did at Christmas. And it is sad that we won’t be able to do it this year, but I think it was a wise decision to make. So, due to there being no actual Christmas market this year, I am going to try and recreate something for my gang!
Making your own Christmas Market at Home
I am going to take our favourite things to do in the market and try to recreate them at home. This may seem like a huge thing to do but in truth? It’s not! You will most likely have everything you need at home already, all you’ll need are ingredients to bake up a storm! To add a little more fun, you can use my £1 note printable’s at the bottom of this page, give a few to the kids to use at the stalls and pay for their food!
Let’s go!
Open your windows
The Christmas Market is always quite chilly, right? Put on those coats, scarves and even gloves and open your windows. Just to add to the atmosphere and overall festive chill that we get at the Christmas market. It all adds to the experience.
Add more decorations {even a sign for your Home Market!}
You can simply knock a few signs together on Canva, print them out {laminate them, which is optional. But we all know I love a laminator session!} and just put them up where you please. This could be at the entrance, as you go into each room etc. As for the decorations, I am planning to add big pieces of tinsel around the doorways etc just to add something a little extra when you go into each room.
Toasting marshmallows
My kids love doing this at the Christmas continental market and it’s not too expensive, too. I will have a firepit lit out in the front garden, where they can toast marshmallows. Supervised of course!
Create our own decorations
If you have space, set up a corner or a table with a craft for the kids to do. Whenever we have visited the Christmas market there are always beautiful Christmas tree decorations to pick and buy.
Even at the kid’s school Christmas markets, they have the chance to make their own Christmas tree decorations. It’s so easy to buy some perspex baubles from the lights of Home Bargains or Poundland and to let them craft there own.
Indulge in Dutch pancakes
This is the highlight of our Christmas market adventure. However, you can now buy these from Dunnes Store and Iceland. Or if you are feeling a little flash, you can buy your own dutch pancake maker! These are delicious drizzled with Nutella and dusted with icing sugar.
Play Games i.e Name the Bear, How many lego’s in this jar? etc
Buy a large teddy bear from Home Bargains or B&M and have a Name the Teddy competition. Whoever gets it right? Wins the bear. Same with getting a jar and adding in lego pieces, get people to guess how many are in the jar. The winner gets a prize.
Enjoy hot chocolate
Check out my slow cooker hot chocolate recipe on the blog. Get yourself some delicious toppings and you’re good to go! Maybe even create a small space and design it up like a hot chocolate station!
Play Chocolate Throw
This is a fun game. You get to win chocolate and any game that you get to win chocolate is a good one! Buy a few £1 chocolate bars. Each person gets a turn at throwing a coin and if the coin lands and stays on the chocolate bar? That person wins the prize.
Make your own Reindeer food
Create a corner where the kids can make their own Reindeer food for Christmas eve night. All you need is oats, birdseed and some dried fruits. Reindeers LOVE dried fruit, but this is also safe to eat for any birds that come along too!
Download your free Christmas money printable’s
I hope you have found this post helpful! Will you consider making a mini Christmas market at home this year? These are my plans for Christmas this year and to try and inject a little normality into the end of a year that has been anything but normal!
What are your favourite things to do/see/eat at the Christmas Continental Market?
PIN IT FOR LATER!
