Life as a SEN mum

Who doesn’t love a Christmas Market?

They epitomise Christmas and are great weather you’re visiting as friends, a couple, or as a family. But as with everything there are a few things to consider when visiting with children.

First off I’d say do some research, there are lots of small local markets around as well as ones in the bigger cities. Think about what experience you want from the market, is to soak up the full Christmas atmosphere, or are you wanting to pick up a special handcrafted gift bottle of something from a small business, or some yummy handmade Christmas gifts. If it’s more of a shopping experience you want then you might find it better at a local Christmas craft fair. You still get the Christmas feel, without the sheer chaos of the bigger markets. There are also some stately homes which have little markets going on and lots of other festivities for you to enjoy so you can get the best of both worlds.

If you’re heading to one of the bigger markets or Winter Wonderlands then really think about when you’re going to visit. Typically most people will go in December, so if you’re going with kids check when in November they open and try to aim for early to mid November when there might be fewer crowds. They will still be busy, we found this in Birmingham this year, it was still very busy, lots of people crowded round and big queues at the bars and food stalls. But nothing compared to what we experienced during the first weekend of December last year. Thankfully last year we didn’t take the kids, there was no chance we’d have got around with Charlotte’s pushchair, and it would have no doubt sent James into sensory overload and he’d have ended up having an anxiety attack due to the number of people.

As with anything, know your child. For those who follow me on social media you’ll have seen me compare Nottingham and Birmingham Christmas Markets. To say one is better than the other is difficult for us. We have one child who loves rides and is keen to get on the ice, whilst the other is just happy with Bratwurst and hot chocolate. So really in our instance neither is better than the other.

One final thing I would say is that the prices really have gone up considerably since last year. So don’t feel like markets are an absolute must. Yes they’re lovely but Christmas is all about you and your family.

If you’re wondering which are the best though, I found this link to some of the best in the UK

https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/christmas-markets/christmas-in-the-united-kingdom/

I also checked against some of the best in Europe and if you’re local to Edinburgh, Manchester or Nottingham then you’re in for a treat as these are all ranked in the top 20 European Christmas Markets.