The Christmas Village is a place where families and friends can gather to experience a German Christmas village in Baltimore. People can indulge in a wide range of foods and drinks, and purchase gifts ranging from jewelry to Christmas ornaments to candles and bags. Amidst the glow of bright lights and people laughing and eating food, they take in the Christmas Village’s festive offerings.
The Christmas Village is located at West Shore Park in the middle of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. It is open from 12-8 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and extends to 12-9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The holiday cheer awaits you now through Dec. 24.
Miriam Hintersdorf is the Public Relations and Social Media Manager for the Christmas Village who gave insight on the village and its German theme.
“A lot of our members are from Germany and we have German heritage. We wanted to bring a piece of the German Christmas market culture to the US. Because, as you probably know, there are not many Christmas markets in the U.S.,” Hintersdorf said.
Hintersdorf is originally from Germany and has seen multiple different Christmas villages. She discussed the idea of educating people on German culture during Christmas time. At the Christmas Village, it’s important to the organizers that the vendors are locals.
“Most of our vendors are also Maryland or Baltimore based, so since we not only have German vendors here we also like to try to share the culture. Also, bring the cultures closer together,” Hintersdorf said.
A vendor like Cane Collective allows you to indulge in the delightful flavors of their cocktail mixers, perfect for enhancing your beverage experience. The Käthe Wohlfahrt, a German handcrafted ornament and decoration company, is another vendor at the village; the perfect place to pick up an addition for your tree. There is also EGAHSI Scented Essentials, where you can browse fragrances, merchandise, and seasonal candles.
With over 60 vendors, families and friends exploring the Christmas Village have a plethora of options to visit and enjoy the diverse offerings available.
One of the vendors from the Baltimore area, Erin Bigelow, created the Brooklyn Dutch company this year. Bigelow, a handmade jewelry vendor, reworks vintage plates by adding vinyl. She is hoping that she can use her proceeds to give to foundations dedicated to infant loss. She was happy to see all the families with kids viewing her plates to leave cookies for Santa. She hopes to make her plates a seasonal offering.
“I just started building the collection. I’ve made jewelry for a long time, it’s always been more so of a hobby, so I’ve made it for over 15 years. But really creating a brand and creating a business out of it, this is my first real push and go,” Bigelow said.
Bigelow’s company is named after her daughter who passed away at four years old. She decided to join the market because she wanted to enhance her company’s visibility and presence.
Having experienced the Christmas Village before, Francesca Coverini, a student at the Peabody Institute, noticed how the village is different from last year and in her words is “cute and unique.”
“This year they opened the Winter Wunder Bar and I love the cocktails there. They have eggnog, they have mules, margaritas, slushes, but my favorite booth in terms of things to get [is] the very first booth with little mushroom cups and crystals,” Coverini said.
One of the unique things about the village are the stars on top of the different booths.
“Each have unique and intricate geometric design features 25 or 26 points giving it multiple face radiant appearance. They are cherished for their indicator sign for history and enduring culture significance,” Miriam said.
Make sure to stop by the Christmas Village in the Inner Harbor before the season ends. For more information, visit their website.
