Kindlefest 2013

Last year we went to a German Christmas market in Salt Lake and since we had so much fun, we decided to go to one again this year. Luckily, there's lots of German Christmas market lovers here in Ann Arbor because we found one here too! 

One thing we learned though: That night also happens to coincide with "Midnight Madness," a night all of the downtown shops stay open later for holiday shopping, which meant the traffic was INSANE. We drove around for an HOUR trying to find somewhere to park, culminating in a 25 minute wait to get inside a nearly full parking garage.  So next year, we'll just take the bus and walk a little farther, cause seriously, that was crazy.

But the market was terrific! 

There were all kinds of lovely sellers of art, ornaments and gifts, food and warm drinks that unfortunately I forgot to photograph :( But here's a blurry photo of the lovely lights and a canopy over  the booths!

We didn't buy much (handmade art can be expensive!) but we did indulge in some Stollen, a lovely fruitcake with icing on the outside. Mmmm!

 It was well below freezing that night and Nikolai was in the baby carrier (a good idea because it was SO crowded!) so in the interest of not freezing him to pieces we only stayed for an hour--but we had a really great time!

Awkward family selfie. You know you love it. 

Oh, we found ourselves a really cute ornament for only $3! We bought an ornament at the Weihnachtsmarkt last year too so I think it's going to be a tradition from now on :D

Isn't it lovely? (Ba-dum-POW!) There were others that said "peace" "hope" "joy" etc, but I really wanted the reminder that this season is about love! Jesus Christ came down to earth because of God's love for us, and we should follow His example and love others as well (John 13:35).  I'm going to try and remember to be more loving and here's a start:

I love you! Thank you for coming here and reading my ramblings.  Thanks for caring, or for bothering to stop by every once in awhile. It means a lot to me and I love you for it! Merry Christmas!