And how nice is it to tug yourself in a big warm coat on top of a nice woollen sweater, maybe some long johns under thick trousers, some of grand ma’s home made woollen socks and some big boots with a thick sole, and then start strolling along the long line of decorated stalls, listening to the Christmas tunes playing in invisible loudspeakers, and with the sound of the dry frosty snow, crunching under your thick foot soles, while you are looking for small and big items, which would make your Christmas even more Christmassy.
Then when done with all that stuff; meet up with some friends and head for the nearest “Glühwein Bude” – the German word for a stall where they sell Mulled Wine, which is the part of Christmas Fairs’ I recall the best- and then just stand there with a warm mug of Glühwein between your hands, joking and doing small talk, and watch how the crazy Christmas busyness passes by. And then have another “Glühwein”, and this time with Amaretto added as a kick-starter. Hours can pass like that with an accumulating amount of mugs in front of you, meaning longer and longer strings of words to make a sentence.For sure you will not be frozen on the inside when getting home. You might be a bit more talkative, and still have some jingle bells summing around in your head, and for sure you will have forgotten the bags with all the unnecessary Christmas Crab you bought, Knowing this outcome, I normally jumped the shopping part anyway, and got straight to the “Glühwein Bude”.
In terms of Christmas Fairs’ –or say markets- Germany was indeed outstanding, where there were several “Weihnachts Märkte” in each city –obviously depending of the size of the city- and in what I call my German hometown; Dresden, there was quite a few in the different areas of the city. Other great Christmas Markets I know and have been to, is the one in Nuremberg maybe the most impressive, also in that way that the backdrop of this old city covered in a cold cover of frosty snow, kind of add the right mood to the whole thing.Why on earth am I getting into this now? I do not like the way Christmas is being celebrated back there where I come from. To me it has lost its original true meaning. The way it is build up now is exaggerated and materialistic values and manners are overexposed.
Anyway, here in Hong Kong I will spend my next two Saturdays at Christmas Fairs’.
But in comparison with the above described, there will be no match.
The one coming this Saturday is the Christmas Fair at the Danish Seaman’s Church here in Hong Kong. There will be plenty of stuff to buy; Christmas decorations and other typical Danish and Scandinavian stuff, and there will be the typical Danish “Smørrebrød” –open sandwiches’- and then Hot Dogs. Yes right you can get them all over the world, but not just any kind of Hot Dog, no; this is THE WAY Hot Dogs should be served –this is maybe the only subject where you can call me narrow-minded or even a gastronomically barbarian or racist, and it is true; in this matter I am – and that is the Danish way, the way you will get it an any “Pølse vogn” (Hot Dog stand) any where in Denmark, with ketchup, mustard, remolade, crunchy roasted onions, raw chopped onions and pickled cucumber slices on top.
The second is the Fair at our school, and I attend because it is for a good cause and it is nice to see our school filled up with parents, friends and then the colleagues.
It is only that silly thing when I attend these Hong Kong Christmas Fairs’; I do not get into any kind of Christmas mood, I guess I need the cold, the darkness in the evening and the snow.Example on this Saturday to the Danish Fair, I leave the house at about 10 AM, wearing a T-shirt and maybe short’s and flip-flops. I will get to the venue, I will meet other people dressed all like me, and we will all sit outside around a swimming pool with our beer and aquavit, sweating and trying to gather the spots hidden in the shade. Jingle Bells will sound from invisible loudspeakers and children and childish adults will walk around with a silly white beard and a red pointy hat saying: “Ho Ho HO”, while trying to sell raffle tickets, Christmas biscuits or home made Christmas Décor, wearing flip-flops’.
But like back home in the old countries; there will be no mulled wine, only mulled aquavit, as they cannot keep it cold. Anyway I am sure I will not be frozen inside when I get home, I will not have any silly Christmas stuff, I will either forget it or -like last year- sell it for more money, than I paid for it to a drunken Rugby player somewhere in Mong Kok.
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