All the Cool Kids Will Be There: CCCUCC's 2015 Kristkindl Markt

Although the turkey is still frozen and we've only watched Polar Express once so far, Kansas City is already beginning to glow with the spirit of the season. And really, who can blame them? There are simply too many holiday bucket list items to squeeze into 4 short weeks. From the Christmas Tree Crawl (like a pub crawl but with illuminated evergreens all over the city...I totally just made that up) to ice skating at Crown Center to the inevitable Breakfast with Santa, the list seems to multiply every year. And then there are the annual holiday traditions that seem to fill the rest of December. Growing up in Kentucky meant a mere 8 hour drive into downtown Chicago. Christmas just didn't seem complete without a trip north to shop, see the lights and windows and eat at California Pizza Kitchen (before they sold their soul to chain grocery stores). But nothing enchanted us more than the German festival known as Christkindlmarket. An open-air shopping experience featuring authentic German food, music and crafts, Christkindlmarket was unlike any holiday festival back home. In fact, it was unlike anything in Macon, Richmond or Ft. Knox. So, we have been in a bit of a Christkindlmarket drought.

Just typing that sentence makes me sad.

However, in less than 2 weeks, it's going to rain down accordian music and brats and gluhwein on this happy face of mine. Goodbye, drought...hello, Bier Garten!

Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ (CCCUCC), located in the Brookside neighborhood of KCMO, will host its 23rd Annual Kristkindl Markt on Friday, December 4 (5-9 PM) and Saturday, December 5 (10 AM - 7 PM). The idea for this 2-day, German Christmas festival in the heart of KC was conceived after Reverend Rodger Kube, a former pastor of the church, attended an authentic Christkindlmarket during his Advent season travels in Germany. Hosting a similar festival on the church's lawn seemed like a spirited way to honor the United Church of Christ's German roots.

The festivities were held outdoors for the first 5 years but in 2009, the unpredictable Kansas City weather finally moved the event inside the church. Although I, too, have German roots, I would prefer to be in a climate-controlled building drinking my Dunkel. However, large quantities of gluwein will keep you warm well into March, I've been told. If you are die-hard Christkindl, though, and want the experience of strolling through a German village on a blustery December night, you may be pleasantly surprised by how the church's interior is transformed into a landscape of Low German houses. Whipping, bitter cold wind not included.

CCCUCC's Kristkindl Markt (apparently, Kristkindl and Christkindl are both correct. Those wacky Germans. And they say English is hard...) features all of the staples of an excellent German holiday market:

* A full menu of German food, including roasted pork loin, brats, hot German potato salad, red cabbage and sauerkraut, traditional Spaetzle, Bavarian pretzels and apple streudel.

*Live entertainment on both days and a marionette show at 1:30 on Saturday. The Happy Wanderers, a local German band with a growing fan base, will perform 4:30-7 PM on Saturday.

*Local artists selling blown glass, art, jewelry, wood crafts, Kansas City-themed apparel, fair trade items and much more!

*A Bier Garten featuring hot, spiced wine known as gluwein and a German-style Dunkel from local beer company KC Bier (which must be amazing considering their slogan is "We put the i back in bier." Nothing is more German then bier.).

*The Christkind Angel, a new addition this year and the first in a series. It was designed by artist Angie Pickman in the scherenschnitte (paper-cutting) style. Ms. Pickman's art was recently featured in Martha Stewart Living and she is frequently commissioned to create designs for festivals and special occasions. Christkind Angel plastic and laser-cut wood ornaments and t-shirts will be available for purchase, as well as a variety of cut-paper trees with LED tea lights.

But Kristkindl Markt offers even more!
*"Cookies by the pound" (But to hear the members tell it, it's really dessert by the pound. Cookies, bars, brownies, puppy chow, quick breads...if it all started with a stick of butter, it will probably be there.)

*Raffle baskets for every interest. Last year there was a Duck Dynasty entry. It included an extension cord, a roll of duct tape, biscuit mix, a honey bear, tea bags, 2 "fine dining beverage glasses - with lids" and 2 Duck Dynasty Christmas albums. I'm sure if I watched that show I would understand a little more, but you had me at fine dining beverage glass with lid.

* 2 words: Wine Pull. The idea behind this activity is brilliant. Church members have donated bottles of wine that are at least $10 each. The bottles are then wrapped in brown paper bags and for $10, you choose a bottle to take home. More often than not, you end up ahead. Way ahead. Don't like wine? I bet your boss does. Fortunately for me, my boss is me and I love wine.

*The Christmas Decor Flea Market, which features gently-used Christmas decorations at below yard sale prices. That set of Christmas pickle placemats will bring someone immense joy this year. I personally plan on sending my 3-year old in with $5 and an eye for treasure so he can pick out his Daddy's Christmas gift all by himself. (Which is how we will end up with a mooning Santa ash tray that we can never get rid of because...nostalgia.)

*Father Christmas (Weihnachtsmann) will be greeting visitors and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

*Crafts by the Congregation will include Christmas-themed wreaths and centerpieces and jewelry by Daisy & Elm Jewelry and Rosaries. Oh wait, that's me. Yep, the pile grows tall with freshwater pearl bracelets, hot mess necklaces and wine cork rings!

*And last, but certainly not least, is the Black Forest where children of all ages can descend the stairs to decorate pre-assembled gingerbread houses. A couple of weeks ago, local high school students received volunteer credit for building over 700 gingerbread houses for this event. They now sit, ready to be adorned with M&Ms, Red Hots, pretzels, mini marshmallows and individual tubes of icing that were filled today. This activity is free but donations benefit Operation Breakthrough, the largest single site early education child care and social services facility in Missouri. Their website details the many ways they help children (age 6 weeks-13 years) who are living in poverty to develop to their fullest potential.

My only anguish is that I must wait 2 weeks for all of this fun.

If you are interested in attending, I have a few tips.
1. From Ft. Leavenworth, it takes me about an hour to get to church every Sunday. But CCCUCC is centrally located in Kansas City. It is, literally, minutes from Country Club Plaza, Costco and Union Station so we often combine stops into one trip.

2. Parking is mostly on the street and it can be a bit nuts. There is overflow parking for St. Andrews Episcopal Church less than a block away on Brookside. It's a large lot that our congregation uses every Sunday and it's just at the end of the block, down the hill.

3. With the exception of the vendors (who mostly use Square), cash and check are the most efficient methods of payment. Although credit cards are accepted for food and cookies by the pound, the machines are slow and that can make the lines long. I will list the prices for everything at the bottom of this post so you have an idea of how much to bring.

4. When you enter the church (from the south side), a greeter will be there to welcome you and provide a map to help orient you to the market. But in general, you can expect vendors to be scattered throughout the first floor (with some placed in the small chapel, which is the first door on the left as you enter the church and some in the parlor, which is the next door on the left). Cookies by the pound, raffle baskets, the wine pull and Crafts by the Congregation can be found in the nursery. Dining and live entertainment will be held in the social/fellowship hall. And the gingerbread house decorating occurs in the basement.

5. Drinks from the Bier Garten can be purchased directly from the bartender with cash or with tickets purchased from the food cashier (with cash or credit card). For example, you are only here for the gluwein. Bring cash and buy it directly from the bartender. If you are buying food and drinks together and you want to put it all on the card, then go through the food line and receive tickets for the alcohol which you would then give to the bartender. I swear, no gluwein was consumed in the constant re-writing of this paragraph in an attempt to make it clearer.

6. The gingerbread houses require some dry time. If it were me (and it will be on Friday night as I'll be working the event all day Saturday), I would grab a bier from the bartender, take drink and toddler down to decorate a gingerbread house, do some shopping, eat dinner and then pick up the gingerbread house on the way out.

7. Apparently, the lines can get long. I tell you this because I'm an impatient person who groans at the sight of crowds and lines. Especially if they are between me and food or beer or shopping. But in the end, the experience is always worth it and sometimes the people I meet along the way make it all the more enjoyable. I will pack an extra cup of patience and some Christmas spirit to share. But I will also probably have applesauce and fruit snacks. 

8. Take a minute to enjoy the splendid stained glass windows in the sanctuary. Although the entire building is almost Quaker-like in its simple beauty, the windows bring me many moments of quiet reflection every Sunday morning.

Prices: 
Admission: FREE!
Gingerbread House: FREE!
Christkind Angel T-shirt: $12
Christkind Angel plastic ornament: $8 or 2 for $15
Christkind Angel laser-cut wood ornament: $15
Set of 3 cut-paper trees with 3 LED tea lights: $15
Raffle tickets: $1.00/each

Food/Drinks:
MEALS
Roasted Pork Loin Meal (pork loin, choice of 2 sides, roll): $10
Grilled Bratwurst Meal (brat, choice of 2 sides, roll): $10
Pork Loin & roll or Brat & roll: $7
Kids' Meal (hotdog, chips and juice box): $4

SIDES/EXTRAS
Hot German Potato Salad: $3
Sauerkraut or Red Cabbage: $3
Traditional German Spaetzle: $3
Hot Bavarian Pretzel: $3

DESSERT
Hot German Apple Strudel: $3/slice
Whole German Apple Strudel: $15

DRINKS
German-style Dunkel (KC Bier Co): $4
Gluhwein (hot spiced wine): $4
Bottled Water: $1.00
Soft Drinks: $1.00
Coffee: $1.00 

As I mentioned, Blue, Neal and I will be attending on Friday night so I'll post a quick update with photos and any additional helpful hints I picked up along the way. Just looking at this menu is making me drool. Does anyone know where I can get red cabbage at 2:06 AM?

I hope to see you there! If you need Facebook to tell your phone to remind you (it's the only way I am on time to anything), there are 2 upcoming events listed on the left side of the Facebook event page, one for Friday and one for Saturday. Click "going" on the day you want to attend and you're all set!

*Many thanks to Karen Plummer for spending her Tuesday night answering all of my Kristkindl Markt questions!