German Christmas Markt – December 2-5, 2009

It was blustery and cold on Smithfield Street, but inside the Social Hall there was:

body-warming soups
frankfurters and kraut
(lots of kraut for me, please!)
crowd favorites German potato salad and pork loin
apple squares and cookies for dessert

– all served in a blur of motion and at an unbeatable price!

At this 2nd annual Christmas Markt, there was much to tempt folks, and shoppers moved from table to table around the perimeter of the Hall,

lingering over the variety of mouth-watering, homemade sweet treats – from jams and candy canes to strudel and stollen.

 

 

New this year: greens and magnolia leaves to honor the season and bulbs to bring the promise of Spring on those dark winter days

 

A special treat at this years Markt was the basket raffle, organized by the Women's Fellowship.

These women were also overseeing the tables, making sales, and generally acting as ambassadors for Smithfield Church. We honor and praise them for their artistic creativity, their culinary contributions, and their willingness to pitch in and make the Markt the success it was.

 

Thanks also to our other Markt volunteers:

  

Santa stopped by to serve as cashier at the lunch table, leaving one of his hats behind in thanks for a diverting afternoon away from his workshop and the necessarily hyperactive elves. And John was impossible to capture photographically as he was kept busy going to the kitchen with empty serving trays and from the kitchen with refills.

[It is John whose idea it was to offer a German Christmas Markt as the church's third seasonal festival and as a way to honor the church's German heritage. See stories of the 2009 Strawberry and Apple Festivals.]

  – through you and me!