Gifts for Him or Her in Tollwood

My friends and Mutti can attest to this - I DO NOT like handicrafts, especially what I like to call 'holiday kitsch' like little baskets, wood carvings, dolls, quilts, dried flower arrangements, nativity scenes, stenciling, glassware, etc... My rule of thumb is: keep it simple, minimal and environmentally sound. That said, Christmas markets in Germany are so much more than your Grandma's craft fair.

Tollwood, the largest market in Munich is a great example. It's one of the wackiest but safest food friendly festivals in the country. Food vendors provide delicious treats composed entirely of locally-grown, organic cuisine served in reusable dishes and glassware. It's actually mandatory to do so.

It's wacky because if you can't find it here it probably hasn't been made yet. Everything from furry finger puppets to statues of Buddha to an aboriginal rain sticks to Egyptian, Syrian and Iranian style hookahs. Tollwood is a bohemian manufactures paradise, for him or for her.

In a tent called Tief-im-Wald-Bar-Café, we found a dozens of tall birch trees sprouting up between picnic tables and sitting space. A string of lights decorated the corners while dozens of young and old merrily sipped beer with riotous vigor. No reason to be sour during this season.